Accountants and corporate service providers in Manama

Who the Manama firms work for

Foreign investors are the client group named most often in Manama, by six firms, followed by entrepreneurs with four, with start-ups close behind. Small and medium-sized businesses, established enterprises and local companies appear too. Single profiles name GCC nationals, international companies, founders already based in the UAE, and investors from the UK, the USA, India, Pakistan and Nigeria. In all, 14 of the 31 say they focus on foreign clients.

The sectors they name are spread thin. Retail is mentioned by two firms. Holding structures, freelance consultants, SaaS and digital services, engineering, automotive, financial services and financial institutions, natural resources, real estate and construction, hospitality and logistics, technology, media and telecoms, professional services and the not-for-profit sector are each named by one. If your business sits in one of those niches, ask the firm for an example of similar work rather than assuming every practice covers it.

Company forms handled in Manama

The W.L.L. is the form Manama profiles mention most, and partnerships come next with six. Five firms handle branches of foreign companies and five handle representative offices, the two routes a parent company abroad often weighs against a new W.L.L. Three mention a single person company and three a free zone company. A closed shareholding company, a joint stock company and a holding company each appear once. The Bahrain guide sets out the legal steps for each form, and the page on company formation in Bahrain covers how to pick a provider.

Services in Manama

Thirty of the 31 offer company formation and 28 offer tax compliance. Twenty-six keep the books, 24 handle VAT and 20 offer audit. Twelve help with residency and visas and 11 run payroll. Eight assist with bank accounts and eight offer corporate secretarial work, and all of the Bahrain firms offering either service are in Manama. Four provide a virtual office, again every one on the Bahrain list.

English is offered by 26 firms in Manama and Arabic by five. Two Manama practices work in Russian, and one each lists Hindi, Tamil or Malayalam. Fourteen firms state a founding year: the oldest dates from 1987 and the median from 2016. Two publish their prices.

The licences declared in Manama are varied. They include approval or registration with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to provide company registration services, a licence for incorporation work as a professional body, accreditation as a VAT tax agent, a trust service licence from the Central Bank of Bahrain, sponsor status on the Bahrain Investment Market and registration as a law firm. Ask any firm for the licence that covers the exact work you are buying and check its number with the issuing body.

Choosing among 31 Manama firms

With this many options, narrow the list by what you need in the first year. If you are opening a branch, short-list the five firms that name branches of foreign companies and ask how they handle the audited financial statements a branch must deposit under the Commercial Companies Law. If you need a residence permit and a bank account as well as a W.L.L., the corporate service providers are the natural first call. If you already have a company and need monthly books, VAT and an audit, compare the accounting firms and the five practices in large networks.

Seef has three firms of its own, all accounting practices, and is worth adding to the comparison for payroll and audit. One request through Accountanty can reach suitable firms in Manama and Seef together.