Justice Ministry launches online ‘Travel Ban Services’

Manama, Nov.12 (BNA): The Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments launched today a new online service in cooperation with the Information and eGovernment Authority that aims to assist citizens and residents to easily obtain information concerning their legal status in relation to travel bans before considering traveling outside Bahrain. The new service follows the directives of the Executive Committee - chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister; and was established in coordination with the General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Resident Affairs (GDNPRA) along with the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications. "The new service will provide citizens and residents easy access to a highly secured and regularly updated centralized system so as to confirm that they are not banned from travelling by any court order starting from July 2008. This will spare individuals from incurring any unnecessary costs associated with travel arrangements should there be a ban in place," said Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al-Khalifa. The new online services will also allow individuals the ability to settle any outstanding financial claims online without resorting to court order in order to lift the travel ban, which will effectively streamline the process and reduce procedural costs. In addition, once all dues are settled through the online system, a text message (SMS) is immediately sent to the individual confirming that the travel ban has been lifted. The General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Resident Affairs will be notified to ensure that all issues are resolved with immigration authorities at any ports of departure, including Bahrain’s International Airport. "This new portal reflects Bahrain’s landmark technological strides as it links four government entities and seven other government authorities into a single system, delivering better and timely service to citizens and residents of Bahrain, while also reducing spending – moving in line with the directives of the Kingdom’s leadership," stated Mr. Mohammed Ali AlQaed while commending the new online initiative. The new Travel Ban Service is available on www.bahrain.bh and is currently only accessible in Arabic, with the English language version obtainable soon online.