How to get a Residency Visa in Kuwait | ExpatWoman.com
 

How to get a Residency Visa in Kuwait

What is the Kuwait visa process & how can I get a residency visa for Kuwait, what documents do I need to apply for my Kuwait visa.

Posted on

17 July 2013

Last updated on 18 June 2017
How to get a Residency Visa in Kuwait

There is a lot of paperwork to sort out and the rules change quite frequently, so it is well worth enlisting the help of a "mandoub", who will be invaluable in knowing what to do, where to go, what to take and how much it all costs!


In order to help things run as smoothly as possible, it is worth keeping a file with at least the following inside :- Passport photographs with blue background, passports, visit visas, children's birth certificates and vaccination cards, degree certificates, marriage certificate and so on. The whole process can take some time and some people may need to leave the country and re-enter on another visit visa if the 90 days is coming to an end.

Residency Permits are required for all non- GCC citizens wishing to live in Kuwait. Foreigners need to be sponsored by a Kuwaiti company or a Kuwaiti citizen, then they can sponsor their dependants, if they earn over 250KD. There are 3 categories for the Permit: - Work, Dependant or Domestic and all applicants must have medical tests, fingerprints and security clearances.

If the man is the employee in Kuwait, he must complete his own Residency Visa first, before his wife and children. Ladies often find that they do not have to wait in the same long queues as the men and are treated very courteously in Kuwait. His children and parents may be sponsored, but in the case of sons, it is only until they reach 21. A working wife may in very exceptional circumstances sponsor her husband as a dependant. In order to work in Kuwait a dependant must be transferred to a Work Visa.

An application for the Kuwaiti work visa also requires a written medical report as well as a number of tests. It will more than likely be organised through your employer's PRO, and they will give you details of the relevant medical center or clinic you need to visit to conduct your medical. If this isn't the case, you can have a visa medical through your personal GP or doctors clinic.

If you are absent from Kuwait for more than 6 months without prior permission from the local authorities, for work, study or medical treatment, your residency permit will be cancelled.

You will need to have a Residence Application Form filled out and this must be signed by the sponsor you can download a copy here>> it is in Arabic so you will need to take it to a typing centre to get it filled in.

Required Documents:


Work permit issued from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor
Health insurance certificate
Disease-free certificate
Copy of the sponsor's signature authorization
Two (2) personal photos
Entrance visas used by employees in the civil sector to enter the country
Certificate of police record
Original passport of the sponsored and a copy

It can seem a bit complicated a process so your company should do this for you or you can use a mandoub also known as a PRO (public relations officer). Your HR department will be able to help you out.

You can visit Kuwait Government Website too to check out the latest information.