Before planning of going to Kuwait either for business, vacation, or to meet a relative, you need to apply for a visit visa first. Just last August 5 (Sunday), however, the Director General of the General Department for Residency Affairs, Major General Abdullah Al-Hajri, had released a circular to inform all residency affairs departments in all governorates to announce that all types of visit visa (dependent, commercial, and tourist) will only be valid for up to a month only, and could no longer be applied for extension starting August 5, 2018.
Prior to this update, Kuwait visit visas may be valid for 3 months, 6 months, and even up to a year (for multiple visit visas). Also, an application for visit visa extension for up to a month or two can be accommodated by the Immigration Department if the application is filed prior to the expiration of the document. The visa update is influenced by the government’s goal to improve residency and immigration protocols in the country.
‘Visit’ Visas in Kuwait Valid for up to 1 Month only, No Extensions
Another means to extend a visit visa in the country prior this update was by obtaining a second visit visa during the person’s stay in the country. Cross-border trips were also one of the simpler ways back then to get a second visit visa.
In other related news, the Assistant Undersecretary for Citizenship , Passport and Residency Affairs at the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Major General Sheikh Faisal Al-Nawaf visited the headquarters of the Citizenship, Passport and Residency Affairs Sector and shared instructions to finalize the preparation and issuance of e-passports, and to properly handle all transactions for guests, under the directives of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior retired Lieutenant General Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah and Undersecretary of Ministry of Interior Lieutenant General Essam Al-Naham.