.jpg?20261016')
Members of Bahrain’s Shura Council and Parliament, senior government officials and top-ranking military officers are among those eligible for special passports under a revised decree-law issued by His Majesty King Hamad.
The Shura Council will be notified of the decree-law during its weekly session on Sunday.
Decree-Law No 37 of 2026 amends Article 9 of the 1975 Passports Law, setting out the categories entitled to special passports and the conditions governing their issuance.
The list includes members of both legislative chambers, officials holding the rank of under-secretary or above and equivalent positions, members of the Constitutional Court, Cassation Court judges and those of equivalent standing.
Former speakers of the Shura Council and Parliament are also eligible, alongside former ministers and under-secretaries, subject to the approval of the Prime Minister.
Former ambassadors and ministers plenipotentiary may receive special passports with the Prime Minister’s approval.
The decree-law also covers military and security personnel holding the rank of major-general or above who are not entitled to diplomatic passports.
Administrative and clerical staff attached to Bahrain’s diplomatic and consular missions, as well as its missions to international organisations, may qualify with the approval of the Foreign Minister.
Employees assigned by a Cabinet decision to represent Bahrain at international conferences, meetings and organisations are also included.
The eligibility extends to spouses and children under 21, as well as unmarried daughters, of members of the legislative chambers, senior government officials, Constitutional Court members and Court of Cassation judges, and qualifying senior military and security personnel.
Retired military and security officers who previously held special passports by virtue of their rank may retain eligibility, provided their service did not end for disciplinary reasons or under a final court judgement. Approval must also be obtained from the senior command of the military or security body to which they belonged.
The King may also order special passports to be granted to individuals outside the specified categories.
A transitional provision states that people who were granted special passports because of their positions before the law takes effect will retain them until their terms of service end.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Mukhtars must be at least 40 years old, with appointments limited to four-year terms under another decree-law issued by the King.
Decree-Law No 38 of 2026 amends the 2002 Governorates Law, introducing new provisions regulating the appointment, eligibility and duties of Mukhtars.
Each governorate may have one or more Mukhtars, appointed by the Interior Minister from candidates nominated by the relevant governor.
Appointments will last four years and may be renewed. The minister may dismiss a Mukhtar before the end of the term on the governor’s recommendation, or temporarily assign the duties to another Mukhtar in the same governorate for public-interest reasons or when the post holder is temporarily unable to perform their duties.
Candidates must be Bahraini, enjoy full civil and political rights, be able to read and write, and have a good reputation.
They must not have been convicted of a felony or an offence involving honour or trustworthiness. They must also have no record of disciplinary or other dismissal from public service.
The Interior Minister will determine Mukhtars’ duties, while the Cabinet will set their monthly remuneration.
The decree-laws are amongst eight referred by the government to the Shura Council.
Also during the session, elections will be held for committee posts, as well as for members of the panel tasked with drafting the reply to the King’s speech delivered at the opening of the new term on Sunday.
Four Shura Council members will also be elected to the parliamentary executive committee, which comprises four MPs and is headed by National Assembly and Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam.
The committee selects MPs and Shura Council members to participate in overseas engagements.
&uuid=(email))