On February 5, 2024, Kuwait’s Ministry of the Interior announced the resumption of visit visas for family, commercial and tourist purposes, effective February 7, 2024.
Key Information
- A family visit visa is issued to the parents, spouse or children of foreign national workers earning a monthly salary of at least KD 400, and to other relatives if the foreign national worker earns at least KD 800 per month.
- A commercial visit visa can be issued at the request of a Kuwaiti company or institution to foreign nationals with university or technical qualifications, for purposes in line with the company’s field of activity.
- A tourist visit visa can be issued to nationals of 53 countries either directly on arrival at the port of entry or online via the Ministry of Interior website (the list of eligible nationalities is also at this link).
- The tourist visit visa can also be issued to residents of Gulf Cooperation Council countries with professions specified in the Ministerial Resolution no. 2030/2008 and its amendments.
- Finally, the tourist visit visa can be issued by hotels and companies connected to the Residency Affairs Department’s system.
Violations of the WPS requirements can lead to administrative penalties including a warning, suspension from work permit services and a fine of OMR 50, which can be doubled.
Erickson Insights and Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.