Cookie consent · Bahrain

Cookie consent for websites in Bahrain

Yes, and it has to be express. Bahrain's Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 30 of 2018) requires consent, where you rely on it, to be express and given in writing or electronically: continued browsing is not consent. And a banner that makes visitors accept before they can browse produces no valid consent at all.

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What your cookie banner has to do

Five points from Bahrain's PDPL.

Express consent, recorded
Each acceptance is an explicit action, kept in writing or electronically. Continued browsing does not count.
Law No. 30 of 2018
No cookie wall
The site stays usable without accepting non-essential cookies; consent forced before browsing is void.
Law No. 30 of 2018
Easy withdrawal
Visitors can withdraw consent at any time, as easily as they gave it.
Law No. 30 of 2018
Rights requests
People can ask for access, correction, objection and erasure, and you answer within the periods the law sets.
Law No. 30 of 2018
Check your notification duty
Some processing needs prior notification to the Authority or its authorisation before you start.
Law No. 30 of 2018

Where the law stands

The PDPL has been in force since 1 August 2019, enforced by the Personal Data Protection Authority under the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf, which published supplementary guidelines in 2022. It carries a criminal track: up to one year in prison and fines of BD 1,000 to BD 20,000 for an individual, doubled to BD 2,000 to BD 40,000 for a company.

Bahrain PDPL guide

How Arqam360 does it

No wall, by design

Reject is as visible as accept, and the visitor can browse without choosing.

Express consent, recorded

Every acceptance is a click, stored with its date and the categories chosen.

Arabic and English

A banner written in Arabic, not machine-translated, laid out right to left, with English beside it.

Installs where you build

An app on Shopify and WordPress, or one line of code on any site. Or we install it for you.

Prices

Policy Pack	$149	Your privacy and cookie policies, written from a scan of your website
1-year pack	$1,499	We install the banner, test your Google and Meta tags and keep it running, for 1 website
3-year pack	$2,799	The same for 3 years, at a price fixed for 3 years

See what your site loads before consent

A free scan lists the cookies and tools your site sets, and which of them run before a visitor chooses.

Scan my site now

Questions

Are cookie walls allowed in Bahrain?

No. Consent is void where the banner obliges the visitor to accept before browsing.

Does implied consent count?

No. Where consent is the basis you rely on, it must be express and given in writing or by electronic means. Continued browsing is not consent.

What are the penalties?

For the listed offences, up to one year in prison, a fine of BD 1,000 to BD 20,000, or both; doubled for a company. The Authority can also impose administrative fines and publish findings.

Who enforces the law?

The Personal Data Protection Authority, under the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf.

Do I have to notify the Authority?

Possibly. Some processing activities need prior notification to the Personal Data Protection Authority or its authorisation, so check whether yours is one of them before you start.