General Standards
Bahrain is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Customs Union and thus is required to apply unified standards of the region. Standards in Bahrain are required to meet national requirements related to safety and quality of products. A large part of Bahraini standards represent adopted international or Gulf standards. Until now, Bahrain adopted 1020 Gulf standards, of which 520 are mandatory and 500 voluntary. There also are approximately 189 scheduled draft Gulf standards.
The development of standards in the country is based on the following principles:
a) Bahrain does not develop a standard if there exist an identical draft GCC standard
b) new standards developed in Bahrain must not create trade barriers.
Standards Organizations
The Bahrain Standards and Metrology Directorate (BSMD; under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce) is the country's main standardization organization and the highest authority on standards. BSMD is responsible for developing standards, by adopting international or Gulf standards, or by preparing standards to meet national requirements.
The BSMD is made up of representatives from relevant ministries, the Chamber of Commerce and individual experts. The agency comprises two sections: the Standards and Information section and Quality Assurance and Metrology section.
Conformity Assessment
The BSMD's office in Khalifa Bin Salman Port is in charge of checking and approving all regulated products before they enter the country. The following products are inspected at the point of entry:
- tires, car batteries and automobiles spare parts
- cement and asbestos
- toys
- plastic bags
- tissue paper
- electric appliances
- cosmetics
- nutrition products
Product Certification
A product certificate is required to assure the product’s conformity to international or Bahrain/GCC standards. The certificate must be issued from the product’s country of origin.
Documents for import
To import products sellers should indicate the following information:
- the port from which the products originate
- the trademark of the products
- the type of goods
- delivery order issued by the shipper
- commercial invoice (2 copies, in Arabic or English)
- packing list (2 copies)
- certificate of origin in Arabic or English (produced by a Chamber of Commerce and endorsed by an Embassy);
- a copy of the insurance certificate
- bill of lading (4 copies), including gross weight and dimensions
- a bank payment voucher or bank receipt
- a statistical declaration if the final destination for the goods is one of the GCC states
Labeling requirements
Bahrain follows GCC common labeling standards for imports. Food labels must indicate product and brand names, production and expiration dates, country of origin, the name and address of the manufacturer, net weight in metric units, and a list of ingredients.
All fats and oils used as ingredients must be clearly identified on the label. Labels must be in Arabic or in both Arabic and English. Pork products should be clearly identified.
Accreditation
The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labor are the primary entities in Bahrain responsible for providing accreditation. Bahrain accepts internationally or regionally accredited degrees, certificates, and professional examinations from the United States, European Countries and GCC member countries.
Contacts
Bahrain Standards and Metrology Directorate
Website: http://www.moic.gov.bh/en/Pages/Home.aspx
Email: bsmd@moic.gov.bh
Address: Diplomatic Area, P.O. Box 5479, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel: (973) 1757-4871
Fax: (973) 1753-0730
The Gulf Standardization Organization
Email: gso@gso.org.sa
Address: P.O. Box 85245, Riyadh 11961
Tel: (+ 966) 1-2746655
