Guidance required to move to Bahrain from India

1. The company offering me the job has not yet disclosed the salary. Obviously they would be asking me for my expectations. looking at above lifestyle, what should be my expected salary?

Bahrain does not follow a salary standard, based on your 80000 INR requirement plus to meet the requirements in Bahrain you will need about 1200BHD approx.

420BHD approx 80000 inr, plus 200-300BHD for an decent 1BHK apartment and remaining misc.
(keep in mind todays BHD value with INR is approx 192, the value may go up or come DOWN)

2. As my company is in Al Hidd, I would like to explore same area for residence. Is it a good place to live? What is average rent in this area in both cases like if I rent a small apartment for my own (furnished) or if I share?

Rents will vary, i would recommend you come down first have a word with your colleagues, go around places and then decide for yourself

3. Will it be very difficult for me to find pure vegetarian food? What would be my monthly expense on food seeing my strict requirement?

veg food is not an issue, you will find lot of veg restaurants. Monthly expenses for a single person should be approx 60BHD approx


4. In case I find residence far away from company, I am planning to buy a motorcycle. How much a used motorcycle would cost?

You will need to get a license first, remember weather is a constraint not many can ride motorcycles throughout the year and its risky to ride one as other vehicles move a lot faster.

5. How often will I be able to travel back to India? I have learnt that employer provide once in a year round trip to my homeland, but if I wish to travel on my own expenses, are there any restrictions from the Immigration department?

From immigration point of view once a multi entry visa is stamped on your passport there are no restrictions.


6. I have some friends working in KSA and UAE (Dubai). Can I just go to meet them or I need to take separate Visa for the same?

KSA visa requirements are strict, UAE is easy (you can apply for a e-visa, since you will have a Bahrain resident permit)

7. I have India Driving License and as per the forum discussion I got to know that the same is invalid in Bahrain. Will it be a good idea to convert my license to International Driving License? Will it hasten up the process of getting a local one?

You heard that wrong, you can only drive in Bahrain with an international driving license if your only on a VISIT visa, for all other status you will need to apply for a Bahrain driving license

8. Earlier, I have traveled to two countries: Austria and Sri Lanka. Will it create a problem in getting Bahrain Visa just like Israel stamp on your passport does?

No.

Kindly also go through the below mentioned links
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=745829 : cost of living 2018
http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=231960  : Definitive Guide to Bahrain for New Expats
http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=337348 : cost of living
http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtop … 1#p2522261 : cost of living area wise

T&R

Hello.

Thank you for this detailed reply. I have got much of insight and almost all of my doubts are now clear. However, you mentioned 200-300 BHD for a decent 1 BHK, is this a fully furnished one you are talking about? I would be interested in fully furnished only as I do not want to carry too much stuff from India and also I do not want to start spending for necessities from day one. Please respond for the same at your convenience.

Regards

Yes for 1 BHK fully furnished you can get in that amount
You can also check for sharing thing
One more advise, if you don't find the suitable accommodation early, don't go for contract for one year long, there are many facilities offering on weekly and monthly basis, by the time you can also get sharing/budget apartment and then go for commitment. This may however cause delay in getting address proof for you, but you can always use company address for other formalities like bank account etc. Clear this thing with your future company.

Rest of the details I have sent you on message, more or less they are same as LogicalIndian replied to you.

Hello all.

Thanks for the replies.

Just one more query I have floating in my mind.

My company will be providing me relocation allowances i.e. one month free accommodation somewhere during which I need to find some place to live. As per your experiences and knowledge, what amount of money should I have in hand to just kick-start my work. like for renting a house, will there be any advance payment required? something like that.

Regards

I shifted with my family, landlords ask for one month advance rent and one month deposit, but that was supported by my employer and they told me to get done the agreement and they will pay on my behalf an will deduct from future salary. My employer also gave me some cash on arrival as an advance. But even then I carried almost 700 BD in forex card (HDFC provides BHD), and cash of about 500 BHD in hand. These things I didn't know earlier, so better you clear it with your employer, so no need to spend on exchange rates for currency conversion.

Thank you for your fruitful advices. I think I have got enough insight of the shifting process.
Regards

Hello,
Bahrain is wonderful country to live in , what matters most is your company , it should be stable and should offer you good money , 80000 INR is around 400 BHD  which is your monthly commitment .  Vegetarian food is not an issue at all there are 100s of food joints for veg perhaps Jain food too . Indian driving license is not valid here , you can apply a Bahrain DL , this used to take longer time before but now a days its much easier , you can get it roughly in 2-3 months . Hidd is good area , there is residential area in Hidd too where you can live or you can stay somewhere in neighboring locality , Bahrain is too small to travel so location shouldn't be a big deal .  you can get furnished /un furnished / semi furnished  apartments or even PG , it all depends on area ,your budget and requirements , a typical unfurnished 1 BHK flat rent is around 200-250 BHD .  you can travel as many times you want depends on the leave you are having . employer will allow you only once on their expanses , rest all you have to manage.
I hope in answered all your queries , you can write me if something is missing.

Hi all,

Now I have some clarity from my future employer.
I have been offerred salary of around BHD 17000 PA. Also, they will be giving me the 1st Salary in advance as relocation allowance and will pay for my relocation like ticket, Visa etc.
Now with this salary will I be able to suffice all my needs?

Thanks and Regards

Hi

read through the below links to get an idea about the cost of living

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=745829 : cost of living 2018
http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=231960  : Definitive Guide to Bahrain for New Expats
http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=337348 : cost of living
http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtop … 1#p2522261 : cost of living area wise

T&R

Based on your information, you need to save 500 BHD per month, so with this salary you can even save more with reasonable lifestyle.

Thank you all for your help. I will be moving to Bahrain in the end of December. My be I would need further helps at that time after shifting to Bahrain. Thanks

Regards