Crossing borders

By land and sea

Crossing borders

Since Bahrain is a small Kingdom, with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar being close by, it is not difficult to get out of the country and to travel around the region. Apart from using the Bahrain International Airport services, you can also visit neighbouring countries by land and sea.

Visiting neighbouring countries by land

In terms of visiting neighbouring countries, the only land border is with Saudi Arabia via the King Fahd causeway. If you do not own a car and have rented one you will not be allowed to drive between these two countries, so it is advised that you find alternatives (public transportation, taxi).

Residents who own a car need to have car insurance for both countries in order to use the causeway. In case you don’t have insurance, it can be purchased at the border. If driving from UAE to Bahrain, or vice versa, you would have to pass through Saudi Arabia and in this case you would need to purchase a transit visa by the Saudi authorities.

In the future it may be possible to drive between Qatar and Bahrain on the Qatar Bahrain Causeway. This bridge has long been in the planning stage but construction has yet to begin. It is hoped it will be completed in time for the 2022 Fifa World Cup, to be held in Qatar.

Taking the ferry

Getting to Iran is relatively easy by sea. There is a regular ferry service between Manama and Bushehr, for an acceptable fare that includes meals for a journey of around 16 hours. For the moment, Iran is Bahrain’s only neighbour that is included in ferry services to and from Bahrain.

Further reading

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