With the Ministry of Interior’s decision to scrap the use of residence stickers on the passports of expats now in full effect, a number of expats have expressed difficulty completing their travel procedures as some countries allegedly lack full knowledge on the new decision.
The initiative, which was launched by the government last March 10, sanctioned the replacement of residence sticker on the passports of expats with the Civil ID to digitize and introduce an integrated security service system that can be accessed online for more convenient transactions, as well as to address the issue of abuse brought about by the kafala system.
Lack of Info on Sticker Replacement Pose Challenge to Expats Leaving for Kuwait
However, despite the shift which has already put into place for more than a month now, immigration agencies from other countries apparently have not been fully informed of the decision as well as its implementation outside of Kuwait, as shared in a report by the Arab Times Online.
The decision for the cancellation of residence stickers will support the government’s bid to remain in step with the latest global technologies in accordance with the strategy of the security institution for the electronic mechanization of all the services provided to citizens and residents to make this process more efficient and convenient for all.
However, there have been reports that some of the expats who left their countries had encountered problems related to the cancellation of residence stickers which ultimately disrupted their entry procedures.
The issue at hand had been due to the lack of coordination between responsible authorities to facilitate the entry and exit of expats in their respective countries.
And while embassies from various countries have welcomed the decision, they consider the step as an internal matter and a new organized effort of the e-government which the state seeks to implement across all levels.
However, despite information already shared to the embassies operating in Kuwait, the foreign ministries of their respective countries were not fully instructed of the decision taken by the Ministry of Interior and how this would be put into effect across all ports to facilitate regular operations without any complications.
At this point, stronger coordination between embassies and their respective foreign departments in their home country must be implemented so as not to further aggravate the situation by which expats themselves are still adjusting to. Any form of complication in the process must be addressed right away as this could result in delays and disruption in the immigration process of the countries involved.