Who needs a VAT account number in Bahrain, how to register with National Bureau for Revenue (NBR), what the number looks like, how to find or check one, and where it goes on your invoices.
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Updated for 2026
Last reviewed September 2026
This is the general edition of this guide for Bahrain. It explains how the VAT account number, VAT and annual filing work and names National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) as the place to confirm thresholds and dates. Country-specific figures are added as each edition is reviewed.
What the VAT account number is
The VAT account number is the number National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) assigns to a taxpayer in Bahrain. It follows you across every tax you deal with: VAT, income tax and withholding. Businesses that pay you will ask for it before they release payment, because they report their suppliers to National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) by this number.
Who needs one
Anyone who earns taxable income, runs a business, employs staff or wants to be paid by a company that must report its suppliers. In practice, if you invoice, you need one.
How to register, step by step
Gather your identity document and, for a business, the registration certificate and the owners' or directors' details.
Register with National Bureau for Revenue (NBR). Choose the taxes you will be liable for; do not add VAT unless you must or want to register for it.
Download or collect the registration certificate. It shows your VAT account number; keep the PDF, because clients will ask for it.
Add the VAT account number to your invoice template and letterhead.
How to find or check a VAT account number
Your own number is on the registration certificate and on every letter or notice from National Bureau for Revenue (NBR). Most authorities now offer an online lookup to confirm a supplier's number and registered name before you pay them; use it for any new supplier.
Where it goes on your paperwork
In the invoice header next to your business name, and in the client block when the client is a registered business. Quotations and purchase orders carry it too, so the client's accounts team can match documents. The Bahrain invoice generator has a VAT account number field in both blocks.
Questions people ask
Does it cost anything to get a VAT account number?
Registration with National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) is normally free. Agents charge for filling in the same form; pay one only if you want the time saved.
Can I invoice without a VAT account number?
You can write the document, but many clients will not pay an invoice that has no VAT account number, and you cannot charge VAT without being registered. Register first; it is usually quick.
Is the VAT account number the same as VAT registration?
Not necessarily. The VAT account number identifies you as a taxpayer; VAT registration is a separate status you take on when turnover passes the threshold or you opt in. Some countries use one number for both, others issue a separate VAT number.
How long does registration take?
Online registrations are often instant or take a few days; applications that need a visit or document checks take longer. Start before you need to send your first invoice.
Sources
National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) — the official guidance for Bahrain
How this guide was made
Written from published tax-authority guidance and reviewed on 2026-09-03. Everything here is indicative rather than a ruling on your circumstances, and rules change. Confirm anything you rely on with National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) before acting on it, and tell us if you find something out of date so we can correct it.
This guide explains the rules in general terms and is not tax advice for your circumstances. Confirm your position with a qualified adviser or with National Bureau for Revenue (NBR).
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Tools for Bahrain
Invoices, quotations, purchase orders, credit notes and waybills in BHD, with VAT and the VAT account number on the document. Plus a VAT calculator. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.