Your Questions Answered

It is possible to study the zone of agricultural land (AG) after obtaining approval from Agriculture and Marine Wealth Affairs in order to extract land from the agricultural areas domain. Also, the land entrances should be located on approved roads, and they must not be affected by the detailed plan.

Land zoned as special projects (SP) are not restricted by specific construction zoning regulations. This allows the private sector to submit proposals for the projects. Each project will be considered and agreed upon separately by the “Special Nature Projects Review Committee”.

The Authority continues to gradually plan unplanned areas in line with the technical requirements of re-planning and its accordance with many standards that need to be followed in coordination with the relevant governmental service entities. This requires many procedures and preparations that take some time to prepare for planning.

Areas that are under the Implementation Stage (IS) zone are the areas that have been planned before some adjustments took place at a later date. The land owner should consult with the Urban Planning and Development Authority to complete the procedures for updating the title deed in order for the land zone to be updated according to the approved plan for the area.

Land adjustment is to modify the dimensions of the land in accordance with the construction zoning regulations, so as to enable the land owner to optimize construction.

Purchase of corner applications are submitted to the municipality of the specific area according to the procedures. The application is then submitted to the Corners Purchases Committee.

Building permits can be obtained for land that are under an approved zoning according to the approved zoning maps.

Approved Zoning Maps can be obtained through the website in high quality and can be printed in different sizes.

It is not possible, and you must comply with the construction zoning regulations contained in prime ministerial edict No. 28 of the year 2009 with respect to determination of zoning regulations for construction in various areas of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Complaints shall be submitted to the Complaints Committee located in the Municipal Affairs headquarter building in accordance with the procedures in place.

All the Authority's legislations are available on the website.

The Green Belt Plan has been restructured into two phases. The first phase (Sehla and Bilad AlQadeem) has been approved. The second phase is in its final stages (Burhama and Salhiya).

This is done to assess the impact of the project on the surrounding road network and to ensure that the project is compatible with the infrastructure and traffic of the region and the general environment. The study is also carried out to find appropriate solutions to possible traffic problems that may arise from the proposed project.

Yes, there are specific criteria and there are consultancy offices approved by the Authority (You can view list of consultancy offices through “About The Authority” menu on UPDA official website). The consultant office appointed to prepare the study shall coordinate with the concerned section within the Authority.

The “Bahrain National Detail Land Use Plan“ is a map of the existing and future land use of the Kingdom. It contains the main road network, services and uses. This plan aims to unify different planning programmes across various governmental entities.

Land uses are permissible uses of the land for construction, whether residential, commercial, industrial, etc. Zoning, on the other hand, is linked to Urban Legislation that is related to Zoning Regulation for Construction, which determines setbacks, building ratios, number of floors, permissions and prohibitions and the land’s status (whether in the implementation or study phase). The zoning maps are directly linked to the building permit system.

Work is being carried out in accordance with the approved strategic structural plan of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the land use specifications disclosed as part of the preparation and approval of the general and detailed plans, which convey the classifications, by the relevant entities after obtaining the necessary approvals from the Higher Committee for Urban Planning.

The GIS can be used through the issuance of maps that are based on urban analysis, testing of construction policies and the development of land-use modelling programmes.

Different kinds of roads: hierarchical, main, arterial, distributor and local. Different components of electricity: generation, distribution and conversion. Different sources of water: desalination, distribution and storage. Different sewage-related services: pumping stations and water treatment plants.

A frozen land is a plot of land that is zoned according to approved zoning maps but has been temporarily frozen under a building permit system because of its impact on services, road network or other factors. You can inquire about the reason for the freeze by referring to the relevant section within the Authority.

It is the land resulting from the division plan by prepared by the Property Sorting Authority of the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf.

According to Decree No. (165) of 2018 amended some of the provisions of the Executive Regulation of Decree-Law No. (3) of 1994 on the Division of Land for Reconstruction and Development issued by Decree No. (56) of 2009.

Article (12) states that roads in different subdivision projects should not be less than the following:

• 25 meters in Investment Apartment Block Areas “A” - zone (BA).
• Road widths within the Industrial Manufacturing Projects “A” & “B” – zones (DA) & (DB) shall be determined in coordination with the related authorities.
• 20 meters in all construction zoning areas in the Kingdom except as mentioned in items (A) and (B) of the article. Road width may be reduced or increased if justified by a technical explanation.

The timeframe depends on the type of application and the need for coordination with internal or external parties.

Every Monday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You can contact the Customer Service Centre regarding the receipt or delivery of any attachments on weekdays.

Yes, according to the decree on collection of land subdivision fees.

Yes, it is possible to study the prospect of dividing a land according to the existing building, as long as a As built structural drawing is provided based on the existing building. The As built structural drawing must be approved by the surveying office.

Business centres arise from dividing administrative offices into small offices so that each office has its own address. These offices are leased by the developer to overseas companies to facilitate running their businesses in Bahrain. These business centres are licensed under the following conditions after submitting the application to the “Special Nature Projects Review Committee” in accordance with the established procedures.

Business Centre Requirements:

Zonings allowed for business centres are: BA, BB, BC, BD, SP

• Executive offices must constitute 70% of the floor area.
• The office space should not be less than 25 square meters.
• A car park must be provided for every 70 square meters to serve existing and proposed activities. Additionally, common services must be provided, such as reception, a meeting room, a kitchen, a printing room, bathrooms, etc., in order to serve the centre, such that the proportion of services constitutes 30% of floor space.
• The construction zoning regulations of the area in terms of building ratios must be applied.
• The requirements of all relevant official and service entities must be fulfilled in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.