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.
Bahrain has no public registry we can query in real time, so a number cannot be confirmed as active from outside. The VAT number checker still checks it against the national format, which catches transcription errors before they reach your accounting system.
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 https://www.taxid.dev/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('https://www.taxid.dev/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: