Maternity leave in Bahrain is 60 days on full pay, covering the time before and after the birth, plus 15 more days unpaid if the mother wants them (Labour Law No. 36 of 2012, Article 32). She may not work at all in the 40 days after the birth, and there is no minimum period of service before she qualifies. Sick leave starts after three months' service: 15 days on full pay, 20 on half pay and 20 unpaid each year, with unused paid days banked up to 240 (Article 65). The law also gives 3 days' paid leave for a family death or your marriage, 1 day for the birth of your child, a month for a Muslim widow and 14 working days for Hajj.
Each of those has conditions that decide what you are actually paid, and the sections below take them one at a time, with the article and, where money is involved, the figure on a real wage. None of these leaves comes out of your 30 days of annual leave, which the calculator below counts.
Bahrain Annual Leave Entitlement Calculator
Annual leave calculator
Based on Bahrain Labour Law for the Private Sector No. 36 of 2012, Article 58
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Maternity leave in Bahrain: what Article 32 gives you
Article 32(a) opens: «تحصل العاملة على إجازة وضع مدفوعة الأجر مدتها ستون يوماً، تشمل المدة التي تسبق الوضع والتي تليه». In plain English: a female worker is entitled to paid maternity leave of sixty days, covering the period before the birth and the period after it.
| Rule | What Article 32 says |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Every female worker under the law, with no minimum service |
| Length | 60 days on full pay, before and after the birth together |
| Evidence | A medical certificate from a government health centre or a clinic the employer approves, giving the expected date of birth |
| Extra time | Up to 15 more days of unpaid leave, at her choice |
| After the birth | No work at all for 40 days |
| A second job during leave | Article 62 applies: the employer may withhold or recover the leave pay |
Article 32 says the leave is paid (مدفوعة الأجر), and the law defines the wage as everything the worker receives for her work, basic pay and its allowances together (Article 1(6)). So maternity pay is on the full wage, not on the narrower basic-plus-social-allowance base that Article 47 uses for the indemnity and the cash value of unused leave.
On a wage of BHD 600 basic, a BHD 50 social allowance and BHD 150 housing, the full wage is BHD 800. Taking a day's wage as a thirtieth of the month, BHD 26.667, the 60 days pay BHD 1,600, the same as two months' salary. The 15 unpaid days, if she takes them, cost BHD 400 of pay.
Planning the start date around the 40-day rule
The 60 days cover both sides of the birth, but 40 of the days after it are compulsory. If the leave starts too early, or the baby arrives late, the paid days run out before the 40 days do.
| Leave starts | Paid days before the birth | Paid days after | Left of the 40 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 days before, baby on time | 20 | 40 | None |
| 30 days before, baby on time | 30 | 30 | 10 days |
| 20 days before, baby 10 days late | 30 | 30 | 10 days |
Article 32 does not say how that gap is paid, only that she may not work. The 15 unpaid days are there for it; annual leave is the other option if the employer agrees to schedule it (Article 59(a)), which keeps her on full pay but uses her balance. Starting the leave no more than 20 days before the expected date leaves the full 40 paid.
Has maternity leave been extended to 70 days?
Not yet. In April 2025 the Council of Representatives approved a proposal to raise paid maternity leave in the private sector from 60 to 70 days. A proposal is not a law: LLOC, the government's legislation portal, lists four amendments to Law 36/2012, the last in 2021, and none of them touches Article 32. Until an amending law is published in the Official Gazette, the entitlement is 60 days.
Nursing breaks and childcare leave (Articles 34 and 35)
When maternity leave ends, Article 35 gives a mother two care periods a day to nurse her child: at least an hour each until the child is six months old, then two of 30 minutes each until the first birthday. She may combine the two into one, they count as working hours, and they come «ولا يترتب عليهما أي تخفيض في الأجر», without any cut in pay. The employer sets when they fall, taking account of her circumstances and the needs of the work.
Article 34 adds unpaid childcare leave for a child up to six years old: at most six months at a time, and three times in her whole career.
Sick leave in Bahrain: three bands a year (Article 65)
A worker who has completed three continuous months with the employer, and whose illness is certified by a government health centre or a clinic the employer approves, is entitled each year to:
| Days of sick leave in a year | Pay |
|---|---|
| Days 1 to 15 | Full wage |
| Days 16 to 35 | Half wage |
| Days 36 to 55 | Unpaid |
The bands count across the year, not per illness. Like maternity leave, the pay is on the full wage. On the BHD 800 wage above, at BHD 26.667 a day:
- Days 1 to 15: 15 × BHD 26.667 = BHD 400.00
- Days 16 to 35: 20 × BHD 13.333 = BHD 266.67
- Days 36 to 55: unpaid
- All 55 days: BHD 666.67, against BHD 1,466.67 had the worker been at work
Three more rules change those numbers:
- Banking unused days. Article 65 lets the unused full-pay and half-pay days be accumulated, «لمدة لا تزيد على مائتين وأربعين يوماً», up to 240 days. A worker who takes no sick leave banks 35 days a year (15 full, 20 half), so the ceiling is reached in the seventh year (6 × 35 = 210, 7 × 35 = 245). The article does not say in which order banked days are used, so ask for your employer's written policy.
- Annual leave on top (Article 66). A sick worker may use their annual-leave balance alongside sick leave, for example to stay on full pay instead of moving into the half-pay or unpaid band.
- Disputes. If you and the employer disagree on how long treatment should take, the medical committee under Article 89 decides.
Bereavement leave in Bahrain, marriage and paternity leave (Article 63)
| Event | Leave | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Your marriage | 3 days on full pay, once | 63(a) |
| Death of your spouse or a relative up to the fourth degree | 3 days on full pay | 63(a) |
| Death of your spouse's relative up to the second degree | 3 days on full pay | 63(a) |
| Birth of your child | 1 day on full pay | 63(b) |
| Death of a Muslim woman's husband | 1 month on full pay, then the rest of the waiting period from annual leave | 63(c) |
A Muslim widow's waiting period (ʿidda) is four months and ten days. Article 63(c) gives the first month on full pay and lets her complete the remaining three months and ten days from her annual leave, or as unpaid leave if her balance runs out. The employer may ask for proof of any of these events (Article 63(d)).
Who counts as a relative "up to the fourth degree". Bahrain's Civil Code (Decree-Law 19/2001, Articles 14 and 15) counts degrees by generations: straight up or down for parents and children, and up to the common ancestor and back down for everyone else, without counting the ancestor. A spouse stands in the same degree to your relatives as you do.
| Degree | Your relatives | Your spouse's relatives, counted for leave |
|---|---|---|
| First | Parents, children | Yes |
| Second | Grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters | Yes |
| Third | Uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, great-grandparents | No |
| Fourth | First cousins, great-uncles, great-aunts | No |
So the death of your first cousin gives you 3 days, while the death of your spouse's uncle gives you none under the law.
Hajj leave (Article 67)
A Muslim worker with five continuous years with the employer is entitled once in their career to 14 working days of paid leave to perform Hajj, unless they already had it from a previous employer. The employer decides how many workers go each year, giving priority to the longest continuous service.
Annual leave, in one paragraph
Annual leave is separate from everything above: at least 30 days a year on full pay, earned at 2.5 days a month from your first month, with at least 15 days to be taken each year, 6 of them in a row (Articles 58 and 59). Public holidays are paid on top (Article 64). You can count your leave days with the calculator above, and if you leave with days unused, work out what unused leave pays on the basic wage plus social allowance.
Protection from dismissal while on leave
- Marriage and maternity (Article 33). The employer may not dismiss a woman or end her contract because she married, or while she is on maternity leave.
- Pregnancy, birth and nursing (Article 104(1)). A dismissal for any of these is unfair, which adds half again to the Article 111 compensation.
- Any leave (Article 102). The employer may not end the contract during any of your leave, and notice it gives during leave only starts the day after the leave ends.
- Long illness (Article 117). The employer may end the contract because of illness only once you have used up your sick and annual leave, and must tell you 15 days before that point. If you recover within those 15 days, it may no longer end the contract for illness.
A contract that ends after a long illness still owes your full indemnity for the whole of your service. For the notice side of when illness ends a contract, the notice period calculator sets out Articles 99 to 103 and prices any notice pay owed.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a qualifying year for maternity leave. Bahrain has none. Qatar's maternity leave needs a year's service; Article 32 does not.
- Quoting 70 days. The extension was approved as a proposal in 2025 and has not been enacted.
- Starting maternity leave too early. The 40 days after the birth are compulsory, so a start more than 20 days before the due date can leave unpaid days at the end.
- Paying sick or maternity leave on basic salary only. The law's wage includes allowances (Article 1(6)). Only the indemnity, the cash value of unused leave and notice compensation use the narrower Article 47 base.
- Resetting sick-leave bands per illness. The 15, 20 and 20 days cover the whole year.
- Giving 3 days for every in-law. The law covers your spouse's relatives only to the second degree.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is maternity leave in Bahrain?
Sixty days on full pay, covering the time before and after the birth, plus up to 15 more days unpaid if the mother wants them (Labour Law No. 36 of 2012, Article 32). She may not work in the 40 days after the birth. There is no minimum service period.
Has Bahrain extended maternity leave to 70 days?
No. The Council of Representatives approved a proposal for 70 days in April 2025, but no amending law has been published: the government's legislation portal lists four amendments to Law 36/2012, the last in 2021, and none changes Article 32. The entitlement is 60 days.
How many sick leave days do you get in Bahrain?
After three continuous months' service, 55 days a year: 15 on full pay, 20 on half pay and 20 unpaid, with a certificate from a government health centre or a clinic the employer approves (Article 65). Unused full-pay and half-pay days can be banked up to 240 days.
How many days of bereavement leave do you get in Bahrain?
Three days on full pay for the death of your spouse or a relative up to the fourth degree, such as a first cousin, or of your spouse's relative up to the second degree (Article 63(a)). A Muslim widow gets one month on full pay and may complete her waiting period from annual leave.
Is there paternity leave in Bahrain?
One day on full pay when your child is born (Article 63(b)). It is the only parental leave the private-sector law gives a father; anything longer comes from your contract or company policy.
Is maternity leave paid on basic or full salary in Bahrain?
On the full wage. Article 32 makes the leave paid, and Article 1(6) defines the wage as basic pay plus its allowances. Article 47's basic-plus-social-allowance base applies only to the indemnity, the cash value of unused annual leave and notice compensation.
Can my employer terminate me during sick leave or maternity leave in Bahrain?
No. Article 102 bars ending the contract during any leave, and Article 33 bars dismissing a woman during maternity leave or because she married. For illness, Article 117 allows it only once your sick and annual leave are used up, with 15 days' notice, and not if you recover within those 15 days.
Where to go next
Your annual leave is the one leave this article only touches on: its leave salary prices any unused balance when you leave. If a job ends after a long illness or a dismissal, your final settlement adds the indemnity, unused leave, notice and unpaid salary into one figure. Our guide to Bahrain labour law covers the rest of the law, chapter by chapter.
Sources: Law No. 36 of 2012, official Arabic text on the LLOC portal: Articles 1, 32 to 35, 58, 59, 62 to 67, 89, 102, 104 and 117; Civil Code, Decree-Law No. 19 of 2001, Articles 14 and 15. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with your employer, the Ministry of Labour, or a qualified lawyer before acting.