Nayef Khalifa Al Thawadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Courts Affairs and Enforecements at the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, announced that from Tuesday February 3, cheques with insufficient funds can be enforced through the "Open Execution File Using Executive Document" service on the Bahrain National Portal (bahrain.bh), in cooperation with the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA).

Al Thawadi explained that Ministerial Decision (6) of 2026, which regulates the rules and procedures for enforcing cheques returned for lack of funds, has been issued. It treats the cheque as an enforceable document under the amendments made to the Commercial Law, meaning no court case is needed. Enforcement requires a 2% enforcement fee on the cheque amount, capped at a maximum of BD 1,000. The fee is collected automatically when the enforcement request is opened.

He added that the decision specifies the documents needed to accept an enforcement request, including: A power of attorney if applicable, notice to the drawer to pay, a bank statement confirming insufficient funds, a clear copy of the cheque from both sides, and payment of the required fee. If the required documents are not provided, the request will be rejected and the fee will not be refunded.

This new regulation aims to improve the efficiency of enforcing bounced cheques, strengthen confidence in cheques as a payment tool, protect creditors’ financial rights, and support stability in commercial and civil transactions.