Diplomat Management Services Labour Registration Centre - Sitra

No. The Sitra LRC operates Sunday to Thursday only, from 08:00 to 17:00. Friday and Saturday are fully closed, including the cashier. If your monthly subscription falls due on a Friday or Saturday and you want to settle in person, file the payment online via Bahrain.bh or the Flexi app to avoid late penalties — payment through those channels is credited immediately and does not depend on the LRC being open. The LMRA Riffa-Buhair branch is open Saturday but it handles regulator-side transactions, not LRC sponsorship matters.

The LRC does not formally close for prayer during normal months — officers rotate to keep the counter staffed. During Ramadan the centre runs a shortened day of roughly 09:00 to 14:30 and may pause briefly for Dhuhr. Individual counters may pause for the Asr prayer when only one officer is available; tokens issued before the pause remain valid. The waiting area has chilled water and a small TV showing the LMRA queue feed; check the digital number display rather than re-taking a token because the LRC token series is short and resets daily.

Bring the worker's original passport and CPR card. If a representative is attending on the worker's behalf, that person must bring their own CPR plus a notarised power of attorney; informal authorisation letters from friends or roommates are not accepted at the LRC. For employer-driven bulk renewals, the company CR extract and an authorisation letter on company letterhead are required from the PRO. Photocopies are not accepted in place of originals because the LRC officer physically scans the documents into the LMRA system.

A lapsed flexi permit incurs the BHD 10 reactivation fee plus accumulated monthly subscriptions for the lapse period and the BHD 10 per month late penalty. The Sitra LRC can process reactivation provided the total amount is settled at the cashier and the SEHATI link is also reactivated. If the permit has been lapsed for more than 60 days the file may be deactivated entirely, in which case a fresh registration is required — including biometric capture at an LMRA branch, which is not available at the LRC. Always check Bahrain.bh for the precise status before attending.

A flexi (registered) worker pays BHD 195 per year for the permit fee plus BHD 5 admin, with the BHD 72 SEHATI annual contribution typically billed alongside. Many workers pay monthly through the Flexi app at roughly BHD 16-22 per month all-in. Reactivation costs BHD 10 plus arrears. Replacement cards are BHD 10. Profession change is BHD 30, plus a restricted-profession surcharge if applicable. The LRC adds a small administrative fee of BHD 5-15 per transaction depending on complexity. Late penalties of BHD 10 per month apply on overdue balances.

For flexi workers the LRC itself is the sponsor — Diplomat Management Services holds the file, not a private employer. So no Bahraini sponsor needs to attend with the worker. For routine renewals and payments the worker can attend alone or send a notarised representative. For conversion from a commercial work-permit to flexi the original commercial sponsor must release the worker through the LMRA system first; that release is processed at an LMRA branch, not the LRC. The worker then attends the LRC to complete the flexi registration.

The CPR is an iGA product, not LMRA, and the Sitra LRC has no role in CPR issuance. Once a flexi permit is approved the system queues the CPR for printing; default delivery is by Bahrain Post to the address on Bahrain.bh, with an SMS notification. Collection alternatives are iGA Isa Town or iGA Seef Mall. The LMRA permit card is printed at an LMRA branch (not the LRC) and can be collected from there, although replacement cards can be requested at the LRC and posted later.

LMRA (which licenses this LRC) handles work permits, flexi permits and the residence stamp that follows them. NPRA, under the Ministry of Interior, handles passports for Bahrainis, visit visas for travellers and family members above 24, entry permits, and residence for direct family who do not qualify under LMRA dependant rules. Flexi workers deal almost exclusively with LMRA and the LRC. NPRA only enters the picture if the flexi worker wants to bring parents for a visit visa or address an immigration matter outside the labour-market scope.

Monthly subscription payment, SEHATI top-up, status checks, statement download, lost-card declaration, renewal in many cases (where biometric is not due), profession-change initiation, and cancellation requests are all available through Bahrain.bh, the LMRA Flexi app and portal.lmra.gov.bh. The Flexi app in particular is well used by Sitra-based workers because it accepts Benefit Pay directly and credits the LMRA system instantly. Reserve the in-person LRC visit for cases where the online channel flags a verification requirement or where a fresh registration is needed.

Yes. All LRC officers at the Sitra centre work in Arabic and English. Many speak Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Tagalog and Bengali as well — informally rather than as a posted service — because of the customer demographic in Sitra. Nepali, Tamil and Sinhala customers often bring a friend to translate complex steps. Written documents must be in Arabic or English; the LRC keeps a list of LMRA-approved translation offices nearby for any non-English material that needs certification before submission.

The Sitra LRC follows a Ramadan schedule of about 09:00 to 14:30. The morning peak is from opening until 11:00 because industrial-shift workers attend before their reduced Ramadan day. The 12:00 to 14:00 window is calmer and is the best time for a sole visitor. Avoid the final 30 minutes before closing because tokens issued late are not always called. The exact Ramadan hours are published on lmra.gov.bh and posted at the LRC entrance a few days before the month begins; always check before travelling.

No — GCC nationals do not require LMRA permits and have no business at any LRC. The flexi-permit programme is by definition for non-GCC expatriate workers. GCC nationals working in Bahrain are registered through GOSI/SIO using their home-country national ID and the employer files a notification rather than a permit. For CPR or immigration matters affecting GCC nationals, the right counters are iGA Isa Town and NPRA Isa Town respectively; the LRC reception will redirect any GCC visitor without taking a token.

Yes — Sitra Industrial Area is a low-density car-dominated zone with abundant free parking on the service roads and in the LRC's own compound. Even at the morning peak you will normally find a slot within a minute. The Sitra causeway can clog up between 07:30 and 08:30 with industrial-shift traffic, so plan to arrive after 09:00 if you are coming from central Manama or Sitra residential areas. From Sitra Mall the journey is under five minutes; from Riffa via the Awali-Sitra road about fifteen minutes. Pedestrian access is poor; driving or taxi is recommended.