Renewal of Residence Visa in Kuwait only for one year: Ministry of Interior

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior has suspended granting of residency to expatriates for two years or more and will settle to one year, a Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai reported on Wednesday. The suspension will mostly affect the foreign family members of citizens including foreign wives, half- Kuwaiti children, non-Kuwaiti mothers, and families of expatriates.

The reason for granting residence for one year was due to the impacts of the pandemic, stating that 'granting residence to expatriates in these categories for more than a year requires medical examinations and review of security restrictions and other technical matters.' However, the report said the suspension of residency will exempt private work visa holders in Kuwait who have official work permits for two years or more.

Only 400 expatriates have applied to the residence departments to settle their situation, since the beginning of the deadline on December 1st until yesterday.

According to sources, the Ministry of Interior has granted a one-month opportunity for violators of the residency law to adjust their status or leave the country. The Ministry has launched a platform to book appointments before their visit to the respective governate. However, reports convey that response of the violators or their sponsors revised in the past days are very less.

Currently, those who are outside the country are permitted to renew their visas for one year through the sponsor. The authorities are trying to prevent the visa holders from not travelling back to Kuwait after the renewal of their residence visas.

As a relief in the pandemic era, the ministry has allayed the rule of cancellation of visas after six months. People from the country who have been on vacation for more than six months can come to Kuwait without any trouble. The only restriction is that those in 34 banned countries cannot travel directly and should stay in a non-barred country for two weeks before entry.