Bahrain (BH)

Bahraini nationals employed in the private sector contribute to the SIO under the Civil and Military Pension Law or the Social Insurance Law. Standard contributions: employee 6% + employer 12% of gross salary, covering old-age pension, disability, death, and occupational injury. Non-Bahraini expatriates are NOT enrolled in the old-age pension branch — they are enrolled only in the occupational hazard (employment injury) branch, funded entirely by the employer at 3% of salary. The key benefit for expats is the EOSG (End-of-Service Gratuity) — funded monthly by the employer via SIO from March 2024 — not a pension.

For Bahraini nationals: standard pension age is 60 for men and 55 for women with sufficient contribution years. Reduced-age options exist for early retirement under specific conditions. For non-Bahraini expats: no Bahraini pension age applies — employment ends with gratuity settlement, and retirement is managed through home-country pensions and private savings.

Bahraini nationals: minimum 15 years of contributions for full pension entitlement. For non-Bahrainis: the EOSG accumulates from day one of employment — no minimum service period to begin accrual. Gratuity becomes payable at the end of employment regardless of length (though amounts increase with service years).

Non-Bahraini expats: log into the SIO portal at sio.gov.bh to view your EOSG account balance. Your employer should be submitting monthly contributions — verify this periodically. The EOSG balance grows month by month based on your salary and years of service. For home-country pension estimates: use your home country's state pension forecasting tools (e.g. UK gov.uk/check-state-pension, US ssa.gov/myaccount).

No mandatory waiting period after employment ends — you apply to SIO for EOSG once your employment and residency permit have been cancelled. SIO processes the payment within the administrative timeline; retain all documentation before your visa is cancelled. For amounts owed under the pre-2024 system, negotiate directly with your employer before departure.

The EOSG (End-of-Service Gratuity) — funded entirely by the employer, not deducted from the employee's salary. Contribution rates (employer-only): 4.2% of monthly salary for each of the first three years of service; 8.4% of monthly salary from year four onwards. The EOSG is calculated only on basic salary plus social allowance (if any) — other allowances (housing, car, phone) are excluded from the calculation base. The accumulated fund plus investment returns is paid to you on departure. Additionally: unused annual leave, any unpaid salary, and any contractual benefits are settled separately by the employer.