Bahrain VAT Rates 2026
Bahrain (البحرين) levies Value Added Tax as ضريبة القيمة المضافة (VAT). The standard rate is 10%, applied to most goods and services. Bahrain applies a single flat rate with no reduced rates.
Current rates — 2026
| Type | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 10% | Most goods and services |
| Zero-rated | 0% | Basic foodstuffs, healthcare, education, local transport, oil and gas, exports |
Registration and filing
| Registration threshold | BHD 37,500Mandatory threshold (~USD 100,000); voluntary from BHD 18,750 |
| Tax authority | National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) |
| Filing frequency | Quarterly returns; monthly above BHD 3 million turnover |
Access rates via API
The TaxID API returns current VAT and GST rates for 200+ countries and territories. Use the /api/v1/rates/BH endpoint to get Bahrain data programmatically. Responses are cached for 24 hours.
curl http://localhost:3000/api/v1/rates/BH
# No authentication required for rate lookups
# Response:
# { "country_code": "BH", "tax_type": "vat",
# "standard_rate": 10, "reduced_rates": [],
# "currency": "BHD", "last_updated": "2026-06-12" }Fetching the rate in code
// Fetch current Bahrain VAT rates (no auth required)
const rates = await fetch('http://localhost:3000/api/v1/rates/BH').then(r => r.json());
// → { standard_rate: 10, reduced_rates: [],
// currency: 'BHD' }
applyRate(rates.standard_rate);About Bahrain VAT
Bahrain doubled its VAT to 10% in January 2022 — the second Gulf state after Saudi Arabia to break above the GCC framework's 5% — as part of an IMF-watched fiscal balance programme for the most oil-revenue-strapped GCC economy. Its zero-rate basket is broader than its neighbours', extending to healthcare, education and domestic transport rather than merely exempting them, which preserves input-credit recovery for those sectors.
VAT in Bahrain is administered by the National Bureau for Revenue (NBR).
Sources: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries · National Bureau for Revenue (accessed Jun 2026)
Rate history
- 2019VAT introduced at 5%
- 2022Doubled to 10% in January under the fiscal balance programme
Frequently asked questions
What is the VAT rate in Bahrain in 2026?
10% standard since January 2022; basic food, healthcare, education and local transport are zero-rated.
Why did Bahrain double its VAT?
The increase from 5% to 10% in 2022 was central to Bahrain's fiscal balance programme to shore up public finances hit by low oil prices.
Related concepts and guides: