The Kuwaiti government announced an updated residency regulation on November 23, 2025. The changes, which include higher visa fees, new stay categories, and tighter rules for dependents and domestic workers will take effect on December 23, 2025.
Key Changes
- Under the new law, visa fees have been raised across most categories.
- Entry visas, residency permits, renewals, and transfers now follow a clearer fee table aimed at simplifying procedures while increasing government revenue.
- Long-term residency schemes for investors and property owners also come with revised charges.
- The regulations also include updated penalty tables for overstaying visitors, with fines now calculated based on daily delays and capped depending on visa type.
- The executive regulations set detailed provisions for all categories of visas, including family visit visas, medical treatment visas, commercial and business visit visas, tourist visas, work visas (government, private, and oil sector), study visas, domestic worker visas.
- A KD10 fee is now imposed on every type of visit or entry visa, including tourism, family visits, medical treatment, business and entry visas issued for work or residency.
Most visit visas are valid for three months and can be renewed once for the same period, up to a total of one year. Multiple-entry visit visas may be valid for up to one year, with each stay limited to one month.
Residence Permit Changes
Residency permit fees have been updated to reflect the type of residency and the sponsor’s status.
- Government and private sector work permits will now cost Dh20 KD per year.
- Investor residencies are set at KD50 per year.
- Property owner residencies carry a Dh500 annual fee.
- Domestic workers sponsored by Kuwaiti families are charged Dh10 per year, while the newly introduced self-sponsor category, which applies to foreigners who can demonstrate independent income, requires a KD20 annual fee.
Kuwait Visa for Dependents
Fees for dependents also vary depending on the sponsor’s residency type:
- KD20 per dependent for government or private sector workers
- KD40 per dependent for investors or religious workers
- KD100 per dependent for property owners
Certain special categories benefit from reduced or waived fees, including children of Kuwaiti mothers, spouses of Kuwaiti citizens, and children of citizens, ensuring that families and vulnerable groups are not disproportionately affected by the new charges.
Temporary Residency and Departures
Temporary residency carries a KD10 monthly fee for most categories; for domestic helpers the temporary residency fee is KD5 per month.
Extensions of temporary residency cost KD10 per month. A departure/exit period fee of KD10 per month applies for foreigners cancelling their residency and preparing to leave the country. This type of residency is valid for three months and can be renewed for similar periods up to one year.
Investor and Property-Owner Rules
Investors who meet the ministry’s and investment authority’s conditions may obtain investor residencies with specified annual fees of KD50. Foreign real estate owners can obtain residency after proving property ownership; such residencies carry the KD50 annual fee and may come with extended validity and different family sponsorship rules.
Residency Procedures, Passports and Newborns
- Expats entering on entry visas must complete residency procedures in two months. Applicants must hold passports valid for at least six months; residency validity is no longer automatically linked to passport expiry.
- Newborns must be registered and residency procedures completed within four months of birth. Health insurance from the Ministry of Health is linked to residency granting.
- Foreigners without employment can obtain residency if they demonstrate a reliable source of income. Property owners may also obtain residency with proof of ownership.
- The new law updated fines for a number of violations, including failure to obtain residency after entry on a residency-type visa, overstaying visit visas, failing to notify birth registrations on time, and expiry of residency without departure.
Deportation from Kuwait
As per the new regulation in Kuwait, administrative deportation may be ordered even if a residency remains valid.
Grounds include lack of income in Kuwait, working for an employer other than the sponsor without approval, public security or morals concerns, or repeated criminal convictions as defined in the bylaws.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.