New Decree Changes Special Passport Eligibility
A royal decree issued by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has reorganised the categories eligible for Bahrain’s special passports, replacing Article (9) of the 1975 Passport Law with a new provision that sets out more specific eligibility criteria and conditions.
A comparison with the previous legislation, including amendments introduced in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2016, shows several significant changes.
One of the key changes concerns military personnel. The minimum rank eligible for a special passport has been raised from Brigadier General to Major General for members of military and security agencies who are not entitled to diplomatic passports.
The amendment also changes eligibility for former members of the legislative authority. While the previous text covered former presidents and members of the Shura Council and Council of Representatives, the new provision limits eligibility after leaving office to former Speakers of the two councils.
As a result, former members of the Shura Council and Council of Representatives are no longer entitled to a special passport solely because of their previous membership.
The new text also excludes categories previously covered in connection with municipal councils and parliamentary delegations, including heads and deputy heads of municipal councils, employees and accompanying personnel.
Judicial eligibility has also been redefined, while the conditions governing special passports for former ambassadors and ministers plenipotentiary have been amended.
Several existing categories remain unchanged, including special passport eligibility for serving members of the Shura Council and Council of Representatives.
The changes form part of the wider update to Bahrain’s rules governing special passports and clarify who is eligible to receive them during and after public service.
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