Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, today announced the launch of Sijilat 3.0, in cooperation with the Information and e-Government Authority (iGA), Bahrain Post and Cisco, during a press conference held at the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) building.
Samir Abdullah Nass, BCCI Chairman, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, CEO of iGA, Dr. Zakaria Ahmed Al Khaja, Deputy CEO of iGA, and Nibras Mohammed Ali Talib, Assistant Undersecretary for Commercial Registration and Companies at MOIC, attended.
The commercial registration system “Sijilat” is an integrated electronic portal that aims to contribute to providing a commercial investment environment that attracts Bahraini, Gulf and international investors and facilitates the establishment of commercial projects and the completion of any requirements related to commercial activities.
The minister affirmed the ministry’s commitment to developing initiatives that boost the economic and commercial sector as part of the comprehensive development process under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the keen follow up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
The minister said that the launch of Sijilat 3.0 aims to further develop and improve the quality of services provided by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce by implementing the latest technologies that enable investors to manage their businesses easily and from anywhere in the world.
Improvements in the new system update include a collection of new e-services, which facilitate and reduce steps to access services by 60%.
Minister Fakhro indicated that the improved system uses modern programming techniques that suit the format of various devices, in addition to other new services.
One of the most notable services is the “automated guide,” which is an interactive tool and a proactive step that enables investors to access everything they need to establish their business and determine the appropriate structure of the commercial registration or its activity before starting it. It also provides the service of printing certificates for the CR, which allows businessmen and investors to obtain certificates and CR data through Sijilat, in addition to providing and improving 10 services for CR holders.
Sijilat 3.0 also included adding a “Dashboard” to display all commercial records, enabling investors to complete many transactions such as submitting a request for a new registration, deleting records, renewing and searching for active records, as well as searching for commercial activities, renewing commercial registration without a license, changing addresses, as well as adding a help page and a feature to inquire about transactions, the minister explained.
A collection of utilities was developed, including a cost and time period calculation tool; a tool for comparing activities; providing samples of documents required to facilitate the application process; illustrative videos on all services provided through the system; guide on business requirements and virtual customer service.
Fakhro added that the system’s technical infrastructure was developed by transferring it to cloud computing to increase speed and efficiency and ensure the quality of services.
BCCI Chairman affirmed that the launch of the improved Sijilat System came to improve the quality of services and that such initiatives achieve sustainability for the entrepreneurship and investment sector and maintain its growth and prosperity.
He added that increasing the volume of commercial and investment activities in Bahrain through facilitating the establishment procedures for investors and developing them continuously supports the BCCI’s objectives and commitment to providing the business environment with all means to create a well-rounded investment environment.
Nass noted Bahrain’s keenness to constantly keep up with the latest developments in the field of entrepreneurship, and to keep pace with the requirements of the labour market in light of global economic developments. He pointed out that Bahrain was one of the countries that took serious steps towards future sciences and investing opportunities for innovation and creativity to achieve the objectives of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
iGA CEO stressed that continuing to develop Sijilat affirms the government’s belief in its significant role as one of the factors that provide a conducive environment for various activities and businesses of the private sector and contributes to attracting Bahraini, Gulf and international investors.
Al Qaed expressed his appreciation to all the teams that worked on improving the new Sijilat system to include the new integrated and supportive electronic features and services that support the commercial sector and attract investors.
He affirmed that the Authority, under the support of General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Interior Minister and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communications Technology, is continuing to develop Sijilat in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and other concerned entities, and will continue the process of digital transformation of government services and systems.
The first version of Sijilat was launched in 2015 under the name ‘commercial registration’, making Bahrain the first country in the region to provide such a service. The first version of the system provided an e-link with commercial record licensees and a manual on the use of various Sijilat services, as well as adding the services of commercial companies, most important of which was issuing a CR.
In 2016, (Sijilat 2) was launched, featuring the service of issuing a CR without a license within 93 seconds only, in addition to including the National Classification of Economic Activities (ISIC4).
For more information or inquiries regarding Sijilat 3.0, contact the government services call centre on 80008001, or submit inquiries, observations and suggestions through (Tawasul), or through the e-mail of the Investor Relations Directorate IR@moic .gov.bh.
