A VISAS AND PERMITS

Nearly all nationalities, except GCC citizens, require visas to enter Kuwait. An application for a visa must be sponsored by a Kuwaiti individual or company. Technically, the visa application is made by the sponsor who is responsible for the visitor while s/he is in Kuwait.

Foreigners who desire to visit Kuwait for a short period need a visitor's permit to be procured by the applicant's sponsor.

A non-GCC national whose country has a visa abolition treaty with Kuwait which allows Kuwaitis to enter their country without a visa, may be granted reciprocal entry rights in Kuwait. However, these nationals may require an 'entry permit'; they may also require a sponsor.

Visit visas may be obtained from Kuwaiti Consulates abroad by producing a supporting letter from a Kuwaiti sponsor, or the Kuwaiti sponsor can obtain the visa in Kuwait using a faxed copy of the visitor's passport. Visitors to Kuwait can also procure a visa by filling an application at any office of Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) in the world. This will take about two working days. The sponsor can then fax a copy of the visa to the visitor, enabling her/him to travel to Kuwait. The entry will be stamped in the passport on arrival, when the Kuwaiti sponsor presents the original at the airport. The actual visit visa consists of two sheets of paper; one is taken up on arrival; the other must be retained to be handed in when the visitor is leaving. Hotels can also arrange visit visas for businesspersons but they take about a week or more to do so. Persons in Kuwait on a visit visa are not allowed to work.

An application form stating the reason for the visit should be completed and submitted to the Embassy along with two passport size photographs of the candidate. The application must also be accompanied by two letters - one from the sponsor (containing an invitation) and the other, a letter of introduction from the candidate's organisation.

If a month's stay is insufficient and needs to be extended, then the Immigration Department must be contacted to request an extension (three months initial visa is under consideration). Alternatively, you can also travel to one of the neighbouring GCC countries and re-enter Kuwait on a new visitor's visa. If the date of exit expires you might be required to pay a fine (KD10 per day) as a penalty before the exit stamp is issued. This fine cannot be paid at the point of departure. It must be paid at the relevant Immigration Department.

Kuwait has also agreed in principle to issue multiple entry visas to certain categories of people such as businesspersons, which allows the holder to enter the country any number of times within a specified 12-month period for up to one month stay per visit.

Rules and Regulations

New Passports and Other Documents


If an expatriate's passport expires before his residence visa runs out, then the residence visa can be transferred to the new passport. There is a fee of KD10 for the transfer. When an expatriate applies to her/his Embassy for a new passport her/his old passport will probably be cancelled. Four photographs, copies of all the documents used to obtain the original residence visa, a letter from the sponsor, as well as the old and new passports should be taken to the Passport Office in Shuwaikh, where a typed application (with a 500 fils fees) should be presented. Provided everything is in order, the visa may be stamped in the new passport there and then. The expatriate's new passport should be obtained before the expiry date on the old passport, as once the old passport has expired the expatriate's residence visa has technically expired also and he no longer has legal residence in Kuwait.

Transit Visa

A transit visa, valid for a maximum stay of seven days, can be obtained from a Kuwaiti
Consulate abroad or from a Port Authority in Kuwait. The applicant must have a valid entry visa for his next country of destination.

No Objection Certificate

A visitor can also enter Kuwait on a No Objection Certificate (NOC). The certificate is issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (for domestic employees) or by the Chamber of Commerce (for businessmen). This has to be arranged in advance by the Kuwaiti sponsor or employer. The NOC can be arranged for in the following ways:

Prior to arrival

The Kuwaiti Consulate or Embassy based in the employee's country is sent the intimation to issue the NOC which is collected by the employee. S/he can then enter Kuwait directly for employment. A residence visa is then issued once the s/he has entered the country.

After the employee's arrival

The employee enters Kuwait on a Business visa, after which an application is made for an NOC for employment. Once this is obtained the person has to leave and re-enter Kuwait with the NOC.

Residence Visas
Employees

Once the employee has arrived on an NOC, the process of stamping the residence or the 'Iqama' starts. This can, in some instance, take weeks. The formalities have to be completed within 60 days of entry, otherwise a daily penalty fee of KD 2 will be levied. It is important to note that after a person has entered the country on an NOC, he or she cannot leave the country until the residence permit has been issued. Also he or she will not be able to drive a vehicle in Kuwait until a valid Kuwaiti Driving Licence is issued, unless, of course a temporary licence is obtained in the interim. One can only apply for a Driving Licence once the Residence Visa has been obtained and the Civil ID has been issued.

Spouses and dependants

Expatriate employees working for the Government sector whose monthly salaries are not less than KD 450 per month (a lowering of the salary limit is under consideration) are granted a residence permit for their spouses and children. The employee acts as the sponsor and has to pay the following annual fees for the family:

Similarly, the salary limit for employees in the private sector is KD 650. The rates for the residence fees are the same as above except that the KD 100 fee is limited to two children and not three --from the third child onwards the fees go up to KD 200 each for the first year.

Employees are allowed to sponsor one domestic servant, provided both parents are working and there is a necessity to have someone to look after the children.

Application for a Visit Visa 

Visit visas and entry permits are valid for entry within 90 days of issue and then for a stay of up to 30 days only after entry, A visit visas costs KD 3/- . Entry permits are free.
A visit to Kuwait must be sponsored by a Kuwait individual or company, or a resident foreigner who is relative of the visitor while he or she is in Kuwait.
To obtain a visit visa for a business, visitor, a Kuwait sponsor or company will require:
· Visa application and security from completed by the sponsor
· Copy of the visitor's passport
· Copy of the sponsor's signature as registered for business purposes
· Copy of the letter of invitation from the sponsor to the business visitor stations the purpose of the visit.
To obtain a visit visa for a relative, a resident foreigner will require:
· Visa application and security form completed by the sponsor
· Copy of the visitor's passport
· Original and copy of the sponsor's passport
· Original and copy of the sponsor's civil ID
· Original and copy of the sponsor's work permit (Private sector empolyees)
· Recent salary certificate from the sponsor's employer
· Authenticated proof of the family relationship. Usually the sponsor of a relative is expected to be earning at least KD 450 per month if he works for the government and at least KD 650 if he work in the private sector.
Normally a visitor goes to a Kuwait embassy to have his visa processed and passport stamped before travelling to Kuwait. However a Kuwait sponsor can use a faxed copy of the visitor's passport to obtain the visa in Kuwait. The sponsor then faxes a copy of the visa to the visitor (to enable him to travel to Kuwait) and meets him at the airport with the original visa. The sponsor deposits the visa papers at a special counter in the arrival hall and the visitor must pick these up at a similar counter inside the immigration area in order to complete entry formalities.

Either way, obtaining a visit visa takes about two working days, Hotels can also arrange visit visas for business but they take about a week to do so, naturally enough, expect the visitor to stay with on arrival.

Extension of Visit  

The fine for staying more than 30 days on a visit visa is KD 10 a day. A visitor whose visa has expired is not allowed to leave until the fine has been paid, The fine must be paid at the immigration Department in Shuwaikh during government working hours and not at the airport. Fines however may be paid a few days in advance and, unless this is done, the flight out is invariably missed.
An expatriate may obtain two one-month extension to a visit visa or temporary residence provided application is made to the immigration Department before the visa has expired. A pleasant solution for visitors wishing to extend their stay is to obtain a second visit visa in Kuwait, travel to Bahrain on a morning flight and re-enter Kuwait in the evening round trip

(40 minuets flying time) only costs about KD 45.

Multiple Entry Visas   

Multiple entry visits visas, which allow holders to enter the country any number of times within a 12-month period, may be available to business sponsored by the ministry of defence.
American citizen (but not other Westerners) can sometimes obtain multiple entry visit that are valid for up to 10 years and allow an indefinite number of entries.

Transit Visas  

A transit visa, valid for a maximum stay of 7 days, can be obtained from a Kuwait Consulate abroad or from a Port Authority in Kuwait. The fee is KD 2. The applicant must have a valid visa for his next country of destination and, unless he is working on a ship or airline, a confirmed onward ticket. Bone fide international truck drivers and their helpers may obtain multiple entry transit visas.

Vaccinations 

As a general rule, vaccination certificates are not required, though travelers arriving from areas infected by cholera and yellow fever may need proof of inoculation. Persons from areas where there has been an outbreak of certain communicable diseases may be obliged to undergo a medical examination a few days after arrival. The latest position should be checked with Kuwait consulates aboard before traveling.
Kuwait is as diseases-free as Europe and North America and no Particular precautions are recommended, though up-to-date medical advice should be obtained before traveling.

Address in Kuwait 

When entering Kuwait, a visitor fills in s entry from at the airport, on which he states where he is going to stay. For a business visitor this will probably be a hotel. Hotel Managers are obliged to inform the ministry of the interior wherever an expatriate checks in or out and do so routinely. A visitor who changes his address in Kuwait must inform the Immigration Department within 48 hours of doing so.

Employment  

A person in Kuwait on a visit visa may not take up employment, for which he or she must have a work permit and a residence visa.

Banned Items

It is strictly forbidden to bring into the country weapons, drugs and any kind of alcohol. There are no restrictions on currency taken in or out of the country.

Vaccination

No vaccination certificates are legally required for entry into Kuwait. However, passengers arriving from infected areas may be required to report for medical examination within a few days of their arrival. Vaccination certificates against cholera and yellow fever may be required for travellers from areas infected by these diseases. The latest position should be checked with Kuwaiti Consulates before travelling.