How to Complain in Bahrain: Call 995 or Visit the Expat Protection Centre
Pakistani workers in Bahrain can call 995 or visit the LMRA Expat Protection Centre, open 24 hours. See the services, papers to bring and the 11 day limit.
Pakistani workers in Bahrain can complain about unpaid wages, abuse or a false absence report by calling 995 or walking into the Expat Protection Centre at Northern Sehla, open 24 hours every day. The centre is run by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA). Bring your ID card, passport and any paper that backs your story.
A worker whose employer stops paying has a short list of places to turn. In Bahrain the first one is the LMRA's Expat Protection Centre, which it set up in 2015 as a one-stop hub for foreign workers. We opened the LMRA pages for the centre on 15 October 2026, and every detail below comes from them. Many Pakistanis reach Bahrain on the BHD 195 permit route from Pakistan, and this centre is where you go when that job goes wrong.
Call 995 or walk in to the Expat Protection Centre in Northern Sehla
The LMRA lists +973 995 as the hotline and 995@lmra.gov.bh as the email for expatriate worker grievances. The Expat Protection Centre takes walk-ins every day, 24 hours. The separate Expats Grievances office is open Sunday to Thursday, 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.
The centre does three jobs. It gives information and legal guidance to foreign workers. It takes complaints about the employment relationship. And it is the first responder for signs of human trafficking, such as a held passport or forced work.
If your case is urgent, go in person. If you only need advice, call first and ask what to bring. The LMRA contact centre, +973 17506055, takes calls from 7:30 am to 5 pm on its listed phone hours.
Bring your ID card, passport and any proof of the problem
The LMRA asks for your expatriate ID card, your passport, and any document that supports your situation. Originals or copies are both listed. A contract, pay slips, bank statements, messages and a termination letter all count as supporting proof.
Gather what you can before you go, but do not wait for a perfect file. The LMRA asks only for the first three items below and says to bring anything that supports your case.
- Take your Bahrain ID card and your passport. Carry copies as well.
- Add your work contract and your latest pay slips or bank statements.
- Save any message or letter from your employer, such as a termination note.
- Note the dates when wages stopped and when the problem began.
- Call 995 or go to the centre and say what has happened in plain words.
Documents in a labour case may need an Arabic translation. The LMRA says its one working day processing time for lawsuit coordination applies only when the papers are translated into Arabic.
The centre offers five services, and four finish within 1 to 10 working days
The LMRA lists protection and assistance, labour suit coordination, civil suit coordination, a grievance against an absence from work report, and a valid work permit grievance. Processing runs from one working day to ten working days, depending on the service.
| Service | What it does | Time listed |
|---|---|---|
| Protection and assistance | Gives information, answers questions and takes complaints about the job | 1 working day |
| Labour suit coordination | Helps you file a labour lawsuit | 1 working day, with Arabic papers |
| Civil suit coordination | Helps registered workers file a civil suit | 1 working day, with Arabic papers |
| Absence from work grievance | Challenges a confirmed absence report | 1 to 10 working days |
| Valid work permit grievance | Lets you move to a new employer if the job relationship has broken | 1 to 10 working days |
Labour suit coordination is administrative help, not a lawyer. It gets your case into the court system. For a civil suit, the court fees are paid online on Bahrain's national portal before the case is registered with the Ministry of Justice.
You have 11 working days to fight an absence report
If your employer files an "absent from work" notice against you, the LMRA allows a grievance within 11 working days from the date the notice was submitted. Act at once, because the window is short and proof must come with the grievance.
The LMRA sets two conditions. First, a labour dispute or court case existed before the employer filed the notice. Or second, you have proof that the employer ended your service, such as a letter or an email, before or while the notice went in.
You apply through the LMRA expatriate services system at workers.lmra.gov.bh. Attach a passport or ID copy and any proof that you did not leave work. Good proof includes a labour complaint, a court case, a police report, an intention to transfer, or a resignation sent by registered mail. The LMRA lists a processing time of 3 working days for this grievance.
This is the Bahrain side of a problem that Saudi workers also face. The same idea appears in the Saudi absent from work status guide, but the Bahrain deadline is far shorter.
A valid permit can move with you if the job relationship has broken
The "valid work permit grievance" lets a worker move to another employer while the permit is still valid. You must show evidence of abuse, or signs that the relationship with your employer has ended or cannot continue. The LMRA lists one to ten working days.
This service sits beside the normal transfer route. It is for cases where asking your employer for a release is not safe or not possible. Take your ID card, your passport and whatever shows the problem, and apply at the centre.
The LMRA treats unpaid wages seriously. Employers pay wages through its Wage Protection System, which keeps a record of each wage transfer. For questions about wages, the LMRA lists wps.inquiries@lmra.gov.bh. If wages are owed after you leave Bahrain, recovering unpaid dues from abroad through OPF is the next route.
Keep your Pakistani papers in order before you act
A complaint in Bahrain works best when your own records are clean. Keep copies of your contract and your agent's receipt, and know who to call at home. Pakistan's emigration rules cover these papers, as in the 2026 emigration welfare policy.
If you also need Pakistan's embassy, getting Foreign Office and embassy help explains the numbers to try. We did not verify the Pakistan Embassy in Manama's current contact details, so check them on an official Pakistani source before you rely on any number.
Bahrain and Pakistan have also put labour on their talks agenda. The October 2026 joint ministerial commission was one example, though no change to the complaint route has been announced.
Common questions about Bahrain worker complaints
What is the Bahrain hotline for foreign workers?
It is +973 995, the national human trafficking hotline that the LMRA also lists for expatriate worker grievances. The email is 995@lmra.gov.bh.
Is the Expat Protection Centre open at night?
Yes. The LMRA lists it as open every day, 24 hours, for walk-in visitors at Northern Sehla. The Expats Grievances office keeps office hours, Sunday to Thursday.
Does it cost money to file a complaint?
The LMRA pages for protection and assistance and for labour suit coordination list no fee. For a civil suit, court fees apply and are paid on Bahrain's national portal.
What if my employer says I ran away?
File a grievance against the absence report within 11 working days on workers.lmra.gov.bh. Attach proof such as a termination letter, a labour complaint or a police report.
Can I change employer if my boss is abusive?
You can apply for a valid work permit grievance with evidence of abuse. The LMRA decides on the evidence, so keep messages, photos and dates.
Do my papers need to be in Arabic?
For labour and civil suit coordination, the LMRA lists a one working day time only if the papers are translated into Arabic. Ask the centre which documents need translation.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 15 October 2026. The hotline, email, opening hours, services, documents and processing times come from the LMRA pages for the Expat Protection Centre, Protection and Assistance, Labour Suit Coordination, Civil Suit Coordination and the absence from work grievances, which we opened on that date. We did not call 995 or visit the centre. The LMRA can change times and rules, so confirm before you travel. Read the LMRA Expat Protection Centre page and its contact page for the latest.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
