Commercial Registration (CR)

What is a Commercial Registration?

To start a business in the Kingdom, investors are required to issue a Commercial Registration known locally as a CR.

A Commercial Registration certificate (CR) is a legal document issued to investors upon registering their establishment in the Kingdom of Bahrain with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The Commercial Registration certificate includes the following information:

Commercial Registration number and establishment date.
Name of the legal representative of the establishment.
The Legal form of the establishment.
Commercial name of the establishment (if provided).
Registration expiry date.
Activity/Business License (once the necessary approvals/licenses have been obtained)

Commercial Registration (CR) Types

There are three types of commercial registration certificates issued:

Commercial Registration certificate without a license: Issued before obtaining approvals/licenses for the business activities.
Commercial Registration certificate with the license: Issued after obtaining approvals/licenses for the business activities.
Virtual Commercial Registration (Sijili): Issued to give small individual enterprises and entrepreneurs the legal status to perform business activities and simplify the procedures for establishing some businesses.

A Commercial registration without a license is obtained first to legally register your company in the Kingdom of Bahrain, making it easier and faster for you to set up your business.

It also allows investors to perform initial tasks related to the establishment of a company, such as leasing commercial space, approaching banks, engaging with vendors, securing a commercial name, and any other task not requiring a business license to be obtained.

Sijilat Portal

“Sijilat” is an integrated online commercial registration portal where you can obtain commercial registrations and business licenses without visiting any government services physical location.

You may also make the following amendments to your CR through Sijialt:

Obtain Commercial Registrations and business licenses.
Renew Commercial Registration.
Add activities.
Add branches.
Transfer ownership.
Change commercial address.

“Al-Tajir” app is the first of its kind in the region, offering eServices for business owners in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It provides a bundle of services designed exclusively for businessmen in the Kingdom of Bahrain to manage their business transactions efficiently through their smart devices.

To begin using Sijilat and apply for a CR, the user must have an advanced eKey; otherwise, you would have to apply through a professional body or a person with a notarized power of attorney who has an advanced eKey.

Getting Commercial Registration (CR)

To issue a new Commercial Registration (CR) investor willneed to provide the following information when applying for a CR:

Applicant’s name, nationality, communication address, national ID or passport number as the case may be Legal Form of entity
Authorized Signatories
Commercial Name (If available)
Type of activity desired (Can be changed at a later stage)
Establishment’s Capital (if available)
Commercial Address (if available)
Legal representative’s name, address, nationality, and national ID or passport number as the case may be (if applicable)
Other information could be requested by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism as deemed necessary

Business Activities

There are over 350 business activities to choose from with different requirements for each business activity. Investors or users can find the requirement of their business activity through the Sijilat portal.

Search for a business activity on Sijilat portal

Sijili – A Virtual Commercial Registration for Individual Enterprise

With the changes in business activities and some businesses can be virtual like on social media and don’t require physical office space. The virtual Commercial Registration “Sijili” grant entrepreneurs or investors the ability to practice certain business activities without having to register an office address.

The initiative seeks to support and encourage small individual enterprises, to give them the legal status to perform their activities and to simplify the procedures for the establishment of some businesses.

Applicants for Sijili must be Bahraini nationals and are allowed to engage in 39 business activities (PDF, 4 pages, 334KB).

Doing Business Through Social Media Platforms

Bahrainis who are doing business online through social media platforms have to be issue a virtual commercial registration. The following condition must be met to be able to sell online:

Seller should be a Bahraini national.

Is not an owner of a sole proprietorship or commercial company, or a director or representative in the management of any commercial company.

Committed to practice the commercial activity only through the form of a sole proprietorship.

Provide a permanent address for correspondence.

To have a website.

Commit to buying products for sale through the local market only.

Commercial Concealment

The Kingdom of Bahrain laws prohibit any business owner registered in the commercial register from selling or renting the CR or renting his retail shop to a non-Bahraini. This is known as Commercial Concealment.

Commercial Concealment is enabling a non-Bahraini to practice a commercial activity that is prohibited for him, such as the use of personal data of a Bahraini (or someone of similar status), his license, or his commercial registry, or other methods that lead to Commercial Concealment.

Commercial Concealment is considered a crime because the government of Bahrain granted the right to practice commercial business to the business owner himself and not that right to be granted to others.

To get more information and support about commercial concealment, contact the Ministry of Industry and Commerce through one of the following channels: