Up to BD 20,000 fine, jail proposed for unlicensed advts

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

PPlanning to put up an advertisement? Make sure you have a licence first.

Under a new bill being reviewed by Parliament, anyone who puts up an advert without prior approval from the relevant authority could face fines of up to BD 20,000 or even imprisonment.

The proposed amendments aim to update Bahrain’s 1973 advertising law, originally issued under Decree-Law No. 14 of 1973 and attached to Decree No. 8 of 2025.

If approved, the new law will allow the ministry to inspect and remove illegal advertisements and revoke existing licences. It also widens the definition of what counts as an advertisement to include any message shown to the public or a specific group using pictures, symbols, sounds, or lights — whether displayed on wood, metal, plastic, or glass. Article 16 proposes fines ranging from BD 1,000 to BD 20,000 or imprisonment for offences such as advertising without a licence, breaching licence conditions, providing false information, or obstructing ministry inspectors. Each illegal advert will attract its own penalty.

Licences could be cancelled permanently or for a set period, with advertisers required to bear the cost of restoring the site. Article 17 adds further penalties, setting a fine of up to BD 1,000 for anyone who removes, tears, defaces, or damages a licensed advertisement.

The Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture has backed the government’s proposal, along with the Capital Trustees Board and the municipal councils of Muharraq, the Northern area, and the Southern area.