Bahrain sets a maximum of 40 to 80 km/h inside cities and 60 to 120 km/h outside cities and on circular roads for private cars, with signs fixing the number on each road. Smart cameras able to detect speeding entered service in a first phase from 1 February 2026. Bahrain’s Traffic Law also bans devices that detect or warn of speed-measuring equipment, so read the legal section below before you travel.
| Road type | Cars |
|---|---|
| Inside cities, excluding circular roads | 40 to 80 km/h |
| Outside cities and circular roads | 60 to 120 km/h |
| Minimum inside cities | 20 km/h |
| Minimum outside cities and on circular roads | 50 km/h |
What are the speed limits in Bahrain?
The limits are set in Article 44 of the Implementing Regulation of the Traffic Law, as replaced by Ministry of Interior Decision No. 134 of 2017. Inside cities, excluding circular roads, the maximum for private cars and motorised bicycles is 40 to 80 km/h. Outside cities and on circular roads it is 60 to 120 km/h. Other vehicles have 30 to 50 km/h inside cities and 30 to 80 km/h outside them.
The regulation also sets minimums for private cars: 20 km/h inside cities and 50 km/h outside cities and on circular roads. Faster vehicles keep to the left lane and slower vehicles to the right. The regulation says drivers must follow the signs showing the limits on each road.
Speeding is an offence under Article 39 of the Traffic Law, Law No. 23 of 2014. Decree-Law No. 30 of 2025 also lists failing to reduce speed in populated areas, at bends and junctions, and near hospitals, schools, places of worship and pedestrian crossings.
What kinds of speed cameras does Bahrain use?
Bahrain uses smart cameras that record several offences at once. Gulf Daily News reported in November 2025 that the Interior Ministry project covers 500 cameras across the country. The Ministry of Interior announced a start date of 1 February 2026 for the first phase, according to News of Bahrain. The cameras can detect speeding, running red lights, driving in the emergency lane, holding a phone, not wearing a seat belt and a child in the front seat.
The head of the General Directorate of Traffic said in August 2026 that the first phase was complete, News of Bahrain reported. We found no count of cameras working today, and no official statement on average-speed enforcement.
Are speed camera apps legal in Bahrain?
Devices are prohibited, and apps are unclear. Article 47, item 16 of the Traffic Law, Law No. 23 of 2014, makes it an offence to have in a vehicle, or use in it, devices that detect or warn of the locations of speed-measuring devices, or that affect how they work, and the devices are seized and confiscated; Decree-Law No. 30 of 2025 did not change this item. The law does not name phone apps and we found no ruling on them, but an app that warns of camera locations, Ghost included, may fall within this wording, so do not assume it is allowed. Checked on 30 October 2026; check locally with the General Directorate of Traffic.
What should visiting drivers know?
- Speeds are in km/h, and the sign fixes the limit within the ranges above.
- Remove any radar detector before you enter Bahrain. Under Article 47 the device itself can be seized and confiscated.
- Keep right if you are slower, as the regulation requires.
- Slow down near schools, hospitals and crossings, even when the posted limit has not changed.
Crossing a border? The rules differ in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
