Page 344 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

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PASSPORT DEPARTMENT

Passport control by the Bahrain Government was first introduced in 1347 (1928-29) and in the
following year the State began to issue its own passports in the form of books, valid for two years and
renewable up to eight years and travel papers for journeys inside the Gulf, the fee for the former was
Rs. 7-2 and for the latter Rs. 2. British Consular officers abroad, on behalf of the Bahrain Govern­
ment, issue visas for persons travelling to Bahrain and to Bahrain nationals travelling abroad. The
only country where Bahrain passports are not recognised is Persia, similarly Persian travel documents
for Bahrain issued by Persian authorities are not accepted by the Bahrain Government. Persians in
Bahrain are given special papers enabling them to leave Bahrain to visit their country and to return
to Bahrain. The passport situation vis-a-vis Persia is due to Persia’s fictitious claim to Bahrain.

The passport authorities keep detailed records of all persons entering and departing from the
State, these records are of much value to the police and since rationing was introduced they serve
as a check on temporary ration card holders, few if any of the people who hold ration cards take
the trouble to hand in their cards when they leave or to notify the rationing authorities of their
departure.

One of the objects of passport system is to prevent foreigners entering the country without
travel papers. The development of the oil industry in Bahrain attracted large numbers of workless
people from other parts of the Gulf, especially from Persia. Persian destitutes in large numbers
endeavoured to enter Bahrain to find work and to settle in the country. This was undesirable for
political and economic reasons. Arab Nakhudas, very often from Qatar, developed a profitable
trade in smuggling Persians into Bahrain, the Persians were carried in sailing dhows to out-of-the-way
points off the Bahrain coast where the boats anchored giving the passengers time to go overboard
into the sea, by the time the immigrants had reached shore the boat would be well away. Most of
the Persians had friends in Bahrain who hid them for some time until they could find witnesses to
prove that they were bom or bred in Bahrain or, at least, had lived for many years in the country.
The practice still continues and the Persian population, especially in Manama, steadily increases.
The length of coastline around the Bahrain islands makes it difficult for the authorities to prevent
illegal entries. Until now .there is no system of local registration of foreigners or Bahrain subjects
which would serve as an effective check on illegal immigrants. Occasional round-ups of unemployed
Persians result in a certain number of convictions against people who have entered the country without
passports but those who are caught are few compared to the number who evade the authorities.

In 1361 (1942) famine conditions existed on the Persian coast and more people than in previous
years attempted to enter Bahrain. In 1363 (1944) over 1,000 Persian labourers, carpenters, masons,
etc., were allowed to enter Bahrain on the condition that the Bahrain Petroleum Company guaranteed
to provide for their repatriation when they were no longer needed on the Company's construction
programme. During the same year over 700 Arabs from Qatar were registered as entering Bahrain
though the number which actually came was much greater.

During recent years a certain number of foreigners have became naturalised Bahrain subjects,
the majority of these were previously Persians, mostly long resident in Bahrain. Normally the
requisites for obtaining Bahrain Nationality are previous residence in the country for not less than
ten years, ownership of property and no police convictions. Changes of nationality are made public
by a Government proclamation in each case. In neighbouring countries, apparently, nationality can
be obtained without the applicant having to satisfy any conditions but when Bahrain Arabs produce
documents purporting that they have acquired another nationality, without residence in their new
country, such documents are not accepted by the Bahrain Government as a proof of a change of
nationality.

During 1365 (1946) 500 book passports and 2,167 travel passes were issued. Over 400 Shia
pilgrims travelled to the holy shrines in Persia and Iraq and about 100 persons made the Pilgrimage

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