We've got the low down on what you need to do and the regulations you need to follow in order to gain a work permit for employment
8 September 2014
| Last updated on 4 July 2017
Work permits are only issued if the expatriate has a vaild employment offer. The employer then acts as a sponsor for the expat employee while she is working in Kuwait.
In short, the following is the process required before entry to Kuwait when Employment is endorsed:
1. The sponsor will receive a work permit for the employee and he will then send it to the employee who needs to get it verified by the local Kuwait embassy. The employee also needs to get a medical certificate from a doctor which will be recognized by the Kuwait Embassy. If no embassy is available then the sponsor must get the paperwork verified by the Ministry of Interior in Kuwait and forward it onto the employee.
2. If the new employee is currently on a Visit Visa then he will need to go home to obtain the medical certificate or obtain it in Bahrain.
3. Further tests will be carried out at a visa medical, to ascertain whether the employee might have any of a number of infectious diseases.
4. Then you need to get your residency certificate and security clearance this will include having your fingerprints taken at a designated fingerprinting department.
5. Next the residence application can be submitted and a residency permit issued.
6. After this you will want to sort out the paperwork for spouses and dependent children if applicable. In summary women can be sponsored indefinitely by a male spouse but male children can only be sponsored until the age of twenty one. All family members will also have to undergo similar clearance procedures. A sponsor must also have a minimum salary of KD 250 per month although there is a list of professions available that waive this rule.
7. Every resident will also require a Civil ID Card and this must be obtained within thirty days of receiving your residency permit. It will then be valid for two years. You will need to apply for this from the Public Authority for Civil Information office and they can give you details of all the documentation you will require. The processing will take approximately ten days.
If you are an employee seeking information regarding starting an application for a work permit, please visit the Kuwait Government Online.
