2011 Bahrain Country Commercial Guide - US - Export.gov

Other Health Information: Information on vaccinations and other health precautions,
such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained
from the Centers of Disease Control an d Prevention‘s hotline for international travelers
at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747; fax 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299), or via the
CDC‘s internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel. For information about outbreaks of
infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health Organization‘s (WHO) website at
http://www.who.int/en. Further health information for travelers is available at
http://www.who.int/ith.
Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays Return to top
Local time: Bahrain is three hours ahead of Greenwich Meantime and seven hours
ahead of Eastern Standard Time. As Bahrain does not observe daylight savings time,
during winter months it is eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
Business hours: Weekdays are Sunday through Thursday. Government offices are
open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Most businesses operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday-
Thursday, though smaller businesses close for lunch from noon to 2 p.m. Larger
companies operate seven days a week, but may have reduced hours on weekends.
Bahrain‘s numerous shopping malls are open very late, often past midnight on
weekends.
Ramadan: Ramadan (July 20 – Aug. 18, 2012*) is the holiest month on the Islamic
Calendar. The month is spent by Muslims fasting from sunrise to sunset. During
Ramadan, it is illegal in Bahrain for anyone – including non-Muslims – to smoke, eat or
drink in public during daylight hours. Most restaurants and cafes are closed during
daylight hours, but major hotels will normally keep one restaurant discretely open for
non-Muslim guests. During Ramadan, government offices and most businesses have
shortened hours, though many shopping malls and restaurants reopen at dusk and
operate well past midnight.
Public Holidays for 2012:
February 5 Prophet‘s Birthday*
August 19-21 Eid al Fitr*
October 28-30 Eid al Adha*
November 15 Hijra New Year*
November 25-26 Ashura*
December 16 Bahrain National Day
December 17 Accession Day
* Local religious holidays are governed by the lunar calendar and are subject to change.
The Government of Bahrain announces exact dates a few days before the actual
holiday.
Business travelers to Bahrain seeking appointments with U.S. Embassy Bahrain officials
are encouraged to schedule an appointment with the Commercial Section prior to
departure from the U.S. The Commercial Section may be reached by telephone at
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