By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 4 min read
What is the King Fahd Causeway, and where does it start and end?
The causeway is a 25 km road link across the Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The King Fahd Causeway Authority says it was inaugurated in 1986 by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz and Sheikh Isa bin Salman, and describes it as the only land link between the two kingdoms. The agreement to build it was signed in Manama in 1981.
On the Saudi side it starts near Al Khobar. For anyone driving from the UAE, it is the last stage of the road to Bahrain. The long part comes first: the E11 to Al Ghuwaifat, then Saudi roads north to the coast.
| Leg | Distance | Without traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Dubai to Al Ghuwaifat | about 453 km | 3 h 58 min |
| Downtown Dubai to Manama, over the causeway | about 837 km | 8 h 21 min |
| Central Al Khobar to Manama | about 52 km | 43 min |
OSRM measured these on OpenStreetMap data on 17 October 2026. They exclude queues at the border stages. Our Dubai to Manama route and the UAE to Bahrain page give the full leg breakdown.
How much is the toll, and how do you pay?
Wikipedia gives the car toll as SAR 35 or BHD 3.5, and SAR 50 or BHD 5 for a large bus. It takes those from a 2015 Arab News report. Treat them as dated. The causeway authority oversees toll collection and lists no figure on the pages we read. It points drivers to its Jesr app.
The authority’s terms describe three ways to pay online:
- E-Wallet: a registered balance you top up.
- E-JESR Prepaid: a one-time pass bought without registering. It lets the car pass the toll gates without stopping.
- JESR Plus: a ticket bought without registering, under its own terms.
The plate is read automatically, and the fee is deducted from the balance. If the platform fails, cash and other gate channels remain. Money paid through the platform is non-refundable, so buy the ticket for the right vehicle.
Immigration and customs on Passport Island
The border station sits on embankment No. 4, called Passport Island or Middle Island. Saudi officers and Bahraini officers work there side by side. Wikipedia says that since 6 March 2017 a one-stop crossing has combined passport control, car clearance and customs in a single post.
Going into Bahrain, expect this order:
- Toll gates on the Saudi approach.
- Border station on Passport Island: Saudi exit, then Bahrain entry with passports, visas and the car’s papers.
- Customs inspection, then the Bahrain half of the causeway.
Each passenger needs a Saudi visa for the earlier stages and a Bahrain visa or exemption for this one. Our guide to Ghuwaifat and Batha covers the Saudi entry.
How long does the crossing take, and when are queues worst?
We have no fixed crossing time. The authority publishes a live average through the procedures area in each direction on kfca.sa, with a traffic scale from light to heavy. Check it from Al Khobar before you commit to the road.
We have no official source that names the worst days. Weekends and public holidays in either country are the sensible guess, but that is judgement, not data. Allow extra time on holiday dates, and see our UAE holiday border queue calendar for the UAE side.
Documents and insurance for cars entering Bahrain
- Passports: the Saudi tourist regulations require 6 months of validity for the Saudi leg. Keep the same margin for Bahrain.
- Bahrain visa: the NPRA eVisa portal decides, through an eligibility page, whether you get an eVisa or a visa on arrival. A traveller who does not qualify needs a guarantor, such as a hotel or a Bahrain travel agent. Visa on arrival, the portal warns, does not assure entry.
- Car insurance: the authority sells Bahrain vehicle insurance in the Jesr app, to be bought before departure.
- Car papers: registration and, for a car not in your name, the owner’s written permission. Our UAE land border checklist covers these.
With Assure, we confirm the car’s papers and permits per trip before the quote is final. For visas across the whole Gulf, see the GCC road trip visas guide.
Is the causeway open today, and where can you check?
Open the King Fahd Causeway Authority’s site, kfca.sa, or its Jesr app. The Customer Experience Center, 800 4000 999, is listed as available 24 hours. We found no closure notice on the authority’s pages on 17 October 2026.
One secondary source reported a closure in April 2026. We could not confirm it from an official page, and we do not repeat it as fact. Because we cannot see the causeway’s status from Dubai, we check it for your date when we quote the trip.
Driving the causeway with a chauffeur
Assure drives from Dubai to Bahrain on request, confirmed per trip. Because the trip is more than 8 hours at the wheel, we plan a second driver or an overnight stop at Al Khobar. Send your passengers’ nationalities and dates on WhatsApp. For the Saudi leg, see our UAE to Saudi Arabia transfers, or the Dammam and Al Khobar route if you stop there. Cross-border transfers lists every country we drive to, and intercity transfers covers the emirates.
Photos in this guide
The King Fahd Causeway curving across the Gulf towards Bahrain, seen from a tower on the shoreMohamed Ghuloom / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
A long stretch of the King Fahd Causeway on concrete piers over calm water, with cars on the carriagewayGreens n cornbread / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Cars approaching the Kingdom of Bahrain gantry signs on the causeway, with lanes marked for trucks and diplomatic passportsDerivator2017 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
