Sijilat Commercial Registration

Open NBR via the FSSO link from Sijilat (advanced-tier eKey required), settle the outstanding VAT liabilities, allow 24-48 hours, then return to Sijilat. If the FSSO link fails, log into NBR directly with eKey.

Open the LMRA establishment portal, settle the outstanding levy or fee, allow 24-48 hours for sync, then return to Sijilat. If the establishment has BHC arrears, those propagate similarly and block renewals across ministries.

Almost always an eKey tier issue. Verify the user is on advanced-tier eKey at any iGA centre; if already advanced, clear browser cookies for sijilat.bh and nbr.gov.bh and retry. Persistent failures need an iGA helpline call for federated trust refresh.

MOIC rejects names that conflict with existing CRs, use reserved words, mislead on sector or activity, or violate naming policy. Try a variant, check the proposed name against the public CR search on Sijilat for conflicts, and refile.

Sijili has a curated activity list; activities outside the list require a full CR. Choose a Sijili-permitted activity or convert the application to a full CR.

Cancel or transfer all active LMRA worker permits on the establishment, then return to Sijilat for the CR cancellation. The interlock is intentional to prevent stranded workers.

The renewal window opens six months before the CR expiry date. Start as early in the window as practical so any sector-licence or arrears block can be cleared with buffer. Failure to renew before expiry leads to MOIC de-registration of the CR; revival after de-registration is significantly more friction than timely renewal.

Sijili is a lightweight CR category aimed at home-based, online and small-scale businesses — online retailers, freelance professionals, digital and creative services, small-scale manufacturers. Reduced capital requirements, a curated activity list, faster issuance. It is the right starting point for solo operators and side businesses; outgrowing Sijili (more activities than the list, physical premises, scaling team) means converting to a full CR.

Open the CR amendment flow on Sijilat, choose Partner Addition, upload the new partner's ID and (for foreign partners) passport and any foreign-investment clearances, attach any required board resolution or partner agreement, pay the amendment fee. MOIC reviews and the partner is added to the CR usually within a few working days for clean cases.

Yes, via CR amendment. Upload the new lease (registered with the municipality), confirm the address supports the declared activities, and pay the amendment fee. Activity-address fit is the catch — a residential address does not support retail or industrial activity codes, and the amendment will be flagged until the activities are aligned with the new address.

MOIC begins the de-registration process. Once de-registered, the legal entity is terminated for new transactions; banks freeze accounts, LMRA permits are blocked, NBR filings cannot be lodged, Tamkeen applications are barred. Revival is possible in some cases but is significantly more friction than timely renewal. Treat the renewal deadline as immovable.

Almost always an eKey tier issue. Federated SSO from Sijilat to NBR requires advanced-tier eKey; standard tier sees the link but the cross-portal session aborts. Upgrade the user's eKey at any iGA centre and the federation works. If the user is already advanced-tier and the federation still fails, clear browser cookies for both domains and retry; if persistent, call iGA at 80008001 to force a federated trust refresh.

Yes. Bahrain permits 100% foreign ownership across most activities, with a small list of restricted activities reserved for Bahraini or GCC ownership. Foreign-investor CRs may carry additional review and documentation. Branches of foreign companies have their own Sijilat category. For activity restrictions and the regulatory environment, the MOIC Foreign Investment section publishes the canonical list.

The base CR renewal fee depends on the entity type and the number of activities. Sector licence fees (Civil Defence, MOH, municipality) are separate and renewed alongside. Sijili virtual-store CRs are at the low end of the fee range; multi-activity branches of established companies are at the high end. The Sijilat renewal screen prices the case exactly before payment.

Depends on the entity type. Sole traders and Sijili virtual stores typically do not need an auditor's clearance. Companies with shareholders (WLL, BSC) usually do, particularly when paid-up capital is involved. The cancellation flow on Sijilat indicates the required documents for the specific entity type.

Yes, if the agent's individual eKey is authorised against the establishment record. There is no separate corporate eKey; the model is individual eKeys with explicit authorisation. The authorisation is granted by an existing authorised signatory in Sijilat and can be revoked at any time. Sharing eKey credentials across users is logged and creates compliance issues.

Sijilat is where the legal entity lives (the CR). LMRA is where the establishment's worker permits live (and the levy is paid). Tamkeen is where subsidies and support programmes are accessed. A typical business has all three: a current Sijilat CR, a clean LMRA establishment file with active worker permits, and a Tamkeen relationship for the support programmes it qualifies for. The three ministries integrate via iGA platforms; status checks cross-link but transactions are filed in each.

Sijilat is the legal-entity register; NBR is the VAT and tax register. Businesses register for VAT at NBR using the Sijilat CR as the underlying identity, and the two systems share data via FSSO. NBR VAT arrears appear as a Sijilat CR renewal block, and Sijilat de-registration propagates to NBR within days. Corporate finance teams treat Sijilat plus NBR as a paired workflow.

Use the MOIC contact channels: cg@moic.gov.bh for Corporate Governance issues and 17111237 / 17111349 / 17111341 / 17111308 for general Commercial Registration enquiries. For platform issues (eKey, FSSO, payment routing) the iGA helpline at 80008001 is the right line. State the CR number, the action you are filing, and the error or status on the Sijilat case page.