Information and Services

Entry Visa

Australian citizens do NOT need to apply for a visa to travel to the Kuwait as it will be granted on arrival.

All passengers must be in position of a return ticket

The concerned authorities in the state of Kuwait shall reserve the right to refuse admitting any person into the country without explanation.

• ■ Passenger should not be black listed in the state of Kuwait.
• ■ Passenger should be holding a passport valid for more than six month from the date of travel to Kuwait.
• ■ Passenger should register his residence address in Kuwait when applying for the visa at visas counter at the airport.

This visa is valid for ONLY 30 days

Fees

Australian

■ ONE ENTRYAUD $75 (KWD 15) ■ TRANSITAUD $25 (KWD 5)

Transit Visas

Transit visas are valid for a maximum stay of 7 days. In addition to the general requirements, applicants for a transit visa will require:

■ A copy of travel tickets confirming date of arrival, departure and carrier flight numbers.
■ A copy of visa for entry into the final destination country.

The following countries shall be granted the entry visas to the state of Kuwait upon their arrival to Kuwait international airport

The United States of America, The United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, NewZealand, Japan, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal Ireland, Greece, Finland, Spain, Monaco, The Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Brunei Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Poland.

Applicants other than the above 33 nationals must apply entry visa prior to their departure. There are two ways to obtain entry visa. One is to apply entry visa at the Embassy ( Conditions to apply ) and the other way is to apply N.O.C. (No Objection Certificate) through a sponsor in Kuwait.

Extension of Visit

There is a FINE for staying more than the permitted visa period, without extending the visa, A visitor whose visa has expired is not allowed to leave until he has paid the fine, which must be paid at the Immigration Department in Shuwaikh during government working hours and not at the airport. Fines however may be paid a few days in advance and, unless this is done, the flight out is invariably missed.

According to new regulations visitor to Kuwait will be issued one month visit visa which may not be extended for any further period.

To live in The Kuwait, you must have an iqama, i.e. a residence permit. A person discovered without a valid iqama is fined and deported

There are different types of iqama, which are allotted article numbers in the immigration regulations. The three main types are work visas, domestic and dependent visas, all of which require a sponsor. An expatriate may however sponsor his own residence, with or without being permitted to work, provided he has lived in Kuwait for many years and has substantial financial means

Note

A person in Kuwait on a visit visa is not permitted to take up employment. Work visas are iqamas granted under articles 17 (for public sector employees) and 18 (private sector employees) of the immigration regulations. To obtain residence on a work visa an offer of employment must first be accepted .

Entry Visa Application

Work Visa

The Embassy of the State of Kuwait would like to advise that the following requirements are required to be sent to the Embassy in Canberra for obtaining work visa:

• A complete physical examination for contagious or disabling diseases including HIV, Viral Hepatitis B, Viral Hepatitis C and a pregnancy test for women. Find attachment with the required tests.(All the lab results and a letter from the doctor required to be sent) for everyone over the age of 12 years old, click here for Essential Vaccination by Age
• A police clearance certificate (Name Check) certified by the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia (This certificate will be used in Kuwait for getting you residency visa) this Certificate only for applicants who are 18 years and over.

The Police Clearance has to be obtained after getting the NOC from Kuwait

The original visa document – (No Objection Certificate NOC) (Arabic copy) obtained by the sponsor from the immigration in Kuwait .

• Bank cheque of AUD 70.00 payable to the Embassy of Kuwait ($ 35.00 for a visa and $ 35.00 for certifying the Police Clearance).
• Copy of passport. (Only a photo copy not the original)
• Two (2) passport size photographs.
• Self Addressed Pre-paid Envelope.

Note: Processing the visa application by the Embassy would take two working days

Once he has entered Kuwait on the entry visa, the employee is required to undergo medical tests and obtain a fingerprint certificate before he can process his residence visa.

Medical Tests

The medical tests are taken at the Ports & Borders Health Division, Gamal Abdul Nasser Street, in Shuwaikh, just west of KISR but before the Chest Hospital is reached. Requirements are passport, copy of NOC, a single photograph and a KD10 revenue stamp. Revenue stamps are available from post offices, or from private traders outside the test area who charge a small premium over the nominal value of the stamp.

To take the tests, a pink card must be obtained from a reception window. There is no system of appointments and most people must queue for the various procedures. These include blood tests for serious infectious diseases, such as AIDS, and a chest x-ray. A meningitis vaccination is also given. It takes about a week for the results, which are given in the form of a certificate from the Ministry of Public Health, to come through. Persons found to be infected with epidemic diseases are deported.

Photographs

Personal head-and-shoulder type photographs are needed in Kuwait on innumerable occasions. Passport-size photographs are usually acceptable, but the circumstances in which photographs will be needed are not entirely predictable and it is best to stock-up before beginning immigration procedures. The regulation sizes for official purposes are

• Passport-Size 4.0x5.0cm (maximum)
• 3.5 x 4.5cm (minimum)
• Civil ID Card 3.0 x 4.0cm
• Driving Licence 2.0 x 3.0cm

For a civil ID card the overall length of the face must be within a range of 2.2 to 2.5cm, while for a driving licence the overall length of the face must be within a range of 2 to 2.25cm. The photograph for a civil ID card must show the face without spectacles, but if a person habitually wears spectacles then the photographs for a driving licence must show them being worn.

Health Insurance Scheme

From April 10, 2000 Ministry of Health has imposed health insurance on expatriates. No new residence is stamped or old renewed unless the expatriates have paid the state health insurance premiums, The duration of expatriates’ residence is linked directly to the period covered by health insurance. One year health insurance paid entitles only one year residence permit.

Fingerprinting & Security Clearance

To have fingerprints registered, an employee’s passport, copy of the passport, four photographs and a letter from the Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour are required. An application form must be completed in Arabic and there are always freelance typists around who will do so for a small fee.

It takes about a week for the finger-prints to be processed and the security clearance certificate to be issued by the Criminal Evidence Department of the Ministry of the Interior. The certificate is picked up from the same place.

Application for Residence

The actual application for an iqama (residence) is made at the Immigration and Passport Department of the Ministry of the Interior in Shuwaikh (the jawazaat or ‘passport office’), just off the Airport Road near the Q8 compound between the 3rd and 4th Ring Roads. First time applicants for residence must bring along the following documents in the form of both originals and photocopies:

• declaration on the prescribed form completed and signed by the sponsor.
• passport .
• work permit .
• NOC
• medical certificate
• security clearance (fingerprint) certificate .

Four passport size photographs are also required. A maximum of five years residence can be granted. there is Application fees for Residence , If the sponsor is a government organisation then, by law, the employee must bear the cost. If the sponsor is a private company the cost is a matter of negotiation between the sponsor and the employee.

Renewing Residence

After the initial residence has expired it can be renewed, provided the expatriate intends to continue under the same sponsor. Renewal is a fairly simple matter. Applications are made at the jawazaat in Shuwaikh and the process should be started a month before the expiry of the current residence.

Medical tests are not required on renewal. However the employee’s work permit must first be renewed with the Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour. The application for renewal must be supported by

• the employee’s passport and a copy of it,
• the renewed work permit, and
• a copy of the sponsor’s signature as required for business purposes.

Normally the sponsor or his official a representative will attend at the jawazaat to renew the employee’s iqama. Where the employee does so himself, he must have a letter from his sponsor authorising him to do so.

Dependent Visa

Once he has obtained his own residency, a male employee may sponsor his wife and children to live with him in Kuwait. Permission to sponsor wife and children is granted only to those who meet the minimum salary condition.

A working wife cannot sponsor her husband as a dependent. Sons over 21 years cannot be sponsored as dependants, though adult daughters and parents may. Dependent family members may not work without transferring to a work visa under Kuwaiti sponsorship. This transfer is now allowed after one year. Earlier it was three years.

An entry visa for a dependent is obtained from the jawazaat (Passport Office) in Shuwaikh. An application form must be typed in Arabic and bilingual typists are available for a charge of 500 fils. The following supporting documents are required:

• sponsor’s salary certificate .
• copy of the sponsor’s civil ID .
• copy of the dependent’s passport .
• authenticated marriage certificate or child’s birth certificate .

The marriage certificate and child’s birth certificate must be authenticated by the sponsor’s embassy and certified by the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Once they have entered the country the formalities for a dependent’s iqama (art 22) are similar to those for a work visa. The dependent must be medically tested and fingerprinted. The photographs and documents required are the same as shown on page 39. The sponsor’s declaration is an undertaking by the family supporter that he will maintain the dependent

New Born Baby

When a baby is born to expatriates in Kuwait, the parents must obtain a dependent’s iqama for the child. There is no minimum salary requirement and the father of child born in Kuwait can sponsor his infant’s residence irrespective of his salary level.

But first the parents must obtain a birth certificate for the child. The hospital where the child was born will provide a notification of the birth. This must be taken to the registry of births in the governorate in which the birth took place to obtain the official birth certificate. The hospital will provide the address. The additional documents required to obtain the birth certificate include: application form duly completed, photocopies of parents’ passport and civil IDs, and authenticated marriage contract. The birth certificate is usually ready to be picked up at the registry after about a week.

When the notification is being submitted at the registry, the parents will be asked to write down the proposed first name of the child. For expatriates who do not speak Arabic the name will be written phonetically in Arabic.

To obtain residence the baby’s name must first be added to the parent’s passport or a separate passport must be obtained for the infantt. To obtain a passport for the child, different embassies have different rules, but most non- Arabic embassies require a certified translation of the child’s birth certificate while some require the birth certificate to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait.

Once a passport has been procured or the child has been added to one of its parent’s passport, the procedures for obtaining the child’s residence are the same as for any dependent. An infant born in Kuwait however is not required to undergo medical tests and fingerprinting. The documents required include the originals and copies of the father’s passport, the civil IDs of both parents, marriage certificate, work permit and letter of employment indicating salary. The application for the infant’s residence must be made within 60 days of the birth to avoid a fine of KD 200.

Where the father works in the private sector, the administrative fee for the new-born infant is KD100 in the first year for the first and second child, and KD200 in the first year for the third and subsequent children. But if the father works in the public sector, there is no charge in the first year for the first three children.

Kuwait Police Clearance

The Kuwaiti Police Clearance Certificate (P.C.C):

• Request letter .
• Fill the Consent Form. Click here to print it.
Original Finger Print Report from Australia attested by Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) [Finger Prints Report can be obtained at any local Police Station and the attestation of the report can be done at DFAT branch .
• Copy of the Passport .
• Copy of the Kuwaiti Residence (if available) .
• Please enclosed (2) photocopy of all documents.
• Two (2) passport size photographs .
• Bank cheque of AUD 70.00 payable to the Embassy .
• Self Addressed Pre-paid Envelope .

Once the documents are received, the P.C.C will be under process right away and once the P.C.C is received from the Kuwaiti government, you will be sent the original P.C.C immediately.

Please note that the processing of the P.C.C can take between 10-12 weeks. For any further queries, please feel free to contact the Embassy on the below mentioned details.

Power of Attorney

• Original power of attorney must be attested by(Australia or New Zealand department of foreign affairs
• Bank Cheque AUD 35.00 is payable to the embassy of the state of Kuwait
• Self addressed pre-paid envelope

Legalization Fees

Commercial and Others Legalization LATEST ANNOUNCEMENT

As of 17 March 2003, the PAI (Public Authority for Industry, Kuwait) have implemented the International Conformity Certification Program (ICCP) as a conformity assessment and verification procedure applied to specific Imported Regulated Products at the respective countries of origin, to ensure their compliance with the applicable Kuwaiti Technical Regulations and Mandatory Standards. Full guidelines for Exporters can be obtained from the website at http://www.pai-iccp.com/

ANNOUNCEMENT

As of 20 November 2000, payment for documents submitted to the embassy for legalization must be made in cash or bank cheque payable to 'EMBASSY OF THE STATE OF KUWAIT'. The following are the charges per endorsement.

Legalization Requirements

All documents authenticated by The Department (Ministry) of Foreign Affairs & Trade in Australia or The Chamber of Commerce.( Each document has to be authenticated individually).

Note

Only commercial documents(such as Certificate of Origin, Commercial Invoice, Packing List and any certificate attached to those documents ) can be certified by the Chamber of Commerce, other certificates issued by the Australian Authorities or companies (such as Certificate of Registration of a Company, Agency/Authorization, Certificate of Incorporation, Distribution Agreement or Commercial Power of Attorney…) has to be authenticated by The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade.

Photocopy of all documents.

A pre-paid self-addressed return envelope.(Applicants from outside Australia are advised to buy International coupons and attach it to the self-addressed return envelope in order to be able to use it as a return postage. Alternatively, we can contact the applicant by e-mail to arrange the collection of the documents by a courier upon the completion of the legalization process).

The process of the legalization would take up to (4) working days.

Payments per document:

• Certificate of Origin (C.O.) AUD $105.00 per copy
• Commercial Invoice: AUD $70.00 per copy
• Packing list: AUD $105.00 per copy
• Others documents and Certificates: AUD $35.00 per copy