Visa policy of Kuwait
{{short description|Policy on permits required to enter Kuwait}}
{{Politics of Kuwait|expanded=Foreign}}
Under normal circumstances, visitors to Kuwait must obtain a visa unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries eligible for visa on arrival/eVisa.{{Timatic Visa Policy|country=KW|access-date=1 April 2017}} All visitors (except Gulf Cooperation Council citizens) must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
Visa policy map
Visa exemption
= Ordinary passports =
Citizens of the following GCC countries do not require a visa to visit Kuwait and may use national ID Cards to enter the country for an Indefinite Period Of Stay:
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As of November 2023, use of GCC ID Cards for entry has been restored for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries.{{cite web | url=https://www.ivisa.com/kuwait/blog/kuwait-visa-policy#:~:text=Bahrain%2C%20Oman%2C%20Kuwait%2C%20Saudi,at%20any%20port%20of%20entry | title=Kuwait visa policy }}
= Non-ordinary passports =
In addition to GCC Countries which are already visa exempt, Holders of diplomatic, official & service passports of Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cyprus, China, Egypt, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Laos, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vietnam and just diplomatic passports of Armenia, Estonia, France, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Spain and Uzbekistan do not require a visa for 30 days.
Visa on arrival/eVisa
Citizens of the following 53 countries and territories may obtain a visa valid for 3 months on arrival to Kuwait if arriving by air or they may obtain an eVisa before arrival:
{{Timatic Visa Policy|country=ET|access-date=1 April 2017}}
{{cite web | url=https://evisa.moi.gov.kw/ |title=eVisa Application}}
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A visa can also be obtained on arrival valid for one month for those holding a confirmation from a transporting carrier and are travelling for tourism purposes.
Passengers arriving by sea or land must obtain a visa in advance.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kuwait/entry-requirements|title=Entry requirements - Kuwait travel advice - GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-03-19}}
Residents of GCC countries belonging to designated professions may also obtain a visa online.
Admission Refused
=Israel=
Nationals of {{flag|Israel}} (including dual citizens traveling on another country's passport) are banned from entering and transiting in Kuwait. Kuwait also refuses entry to any passport with evidence of travel to Israel.{{cite web |url=https://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?SpecData=1&VISA=&page=visa&NA=IL&AR=00&PASSTYPES=PASS&DE=KW&user=KLMB2C&subuser=KLMB2C |title=Visa information |access-date=2023-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311225215/https://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?SpecData=1&VISA=&page=visa&NA=IL&AR=00&PASSTYPES=PASS&DE=KW&user=KLMB2C&subuser=KLMB2C |archive-date=2017-03-11}}
=Ethiopia=
Previously, nationals of {{flag|Ethiopia}} were also refused entry and transit until 2018. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2140157/kuwait-recruit-ethiopians-after-philippines-bans-workers
Regulations
In recent decades, Kuwait has enacted certain measures to regulate the issuance of new visas for foreign labor. For instance, workers from Georgia and Morocco are subject to heightened security when applying for entry visas, and an outright ban was imposed on the entry of domestic workers from Guinea-Bissau and Vietnam.{{cite web| title = Citing Security Concerns, Kuwait Bans Entry to These Nationalities| work = Al Bawaba| access-date = 8 November 2018| date = 8 November 2018| url = https://www.albawaba.com/business/citing-security-concerns-kuwait-bans-entry-these-nationalities-1210600}} Workers from Bangladesh and Pakistan are also scrutinized when applying for new visas.{{cite web| title = Kuwait Re-Activates Ban on Bangladeshi Workers| work = Al Bawaba| access-date = 8 November 2018| date = 5 March 2018| url = https://www.albawaba.com/news/kuwait-re-activates-ban-bangladeshi-workers-1097934}} Scrutiny also includes their medical tests from GAMCA/WAFID approved medical centers.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamcamedicalstatus.org|title=Medical Test for GCC Visa|website=gamcamedicalstatus.org|access-date=8 August 2024}} GAMCA medical fit report{{Cite web |title=GAMCA Medical Appointment At Approved Centres For Visa |url=https://gamcamedicalappointments.com/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=GAMCA Medical Appointments |language=en-US}} declares the applicant is fit to travel. So its a must to attach that medical test report with visa application. In April 2019, Kuwait added Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the list of restricted countries. According to Migrant Rights, the visa restrictions are put in place mainly due to the fact that these countries lack embassies and labour corporations in Kuwait.{{cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/70-of-domestic-workers-in-kuwait-have-expired-contracts-1.75626878#:~:text=Ban%20on%20new%20recruitment%20of%20domestic%20workers&text=In%20April%202019%2C%20Kuwait%20added,bringing%20the%20total%20to%2020|title = 70% of domestic workers in Kuwait have expired contracts| date=2 December 2020 }} A visa restriction on nationals of Ethiopia was lifted in 2018.{{Cite news|url=http://news.kuwaittimes.net/ethiopians-kuwait/|title=No Ethiopians to Kuwait - Kuwait Times|date=2014-09-13|work=Kuwait Times|access-date=2018-03-19|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url= https://gulfbusiness.com/kuwait-lifts-ethiopian-domestic-worker-ban/|title=Kuwait lifts Ethiopian domestic worker ban|date=2018-04-04|work=GulfNews|access-date=2021-02-07|language=en-US}}
After President of the United States Donald Trump's Executive Order 13769, which banned the entry of nationals from Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Syria, and Yemen into the United States, several Western news sites published stories claiming a similar visa ban in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that they currently ban nationals from those countries from entering Kuwait.{{Cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/kuwait-knocks-down-bogus-claim-following-trumps-latest-misstep|title=Kuwait knocks down bogus claim following Trump's latest misstep|work=MSNBC|access-date=2018-03-19}}{{cite web|url=http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2590228&language=en|title=KUNA : Kuwait denies reports entry visa ban of certain nationalities - Politics - 03/02/2017|website=www.kuna.net.kw|language=en|access-date=2018-03-19}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.alraimedia.com/ar/article/foreigns/2017/02/03/742849/nr/nc|title="سبوتنيك" الروسية: الكويت سبقت ترامب في منع دخول 5 جنسيات|access-date=2018-03-19}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/visa-pakistani-family-no-ban-restrictions/|title=Visa for Pakistani Family - No ban only "restrictions" - ARAB TIMES|date=2016-07-06|newspaper=ARAB TIMES|access-date=2017-02-08|language=en-US}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.kuwaitembassy.us/page/eligibility-for-visa-upon-arrival List of countries whose citizens can obtain Visas upon arrival at all Kuwaiti ports of entry], Embassy of the State of Kuwait - Washington, DC
- [https://evisa.moi.gov.kw/evisakgo/home_e.do State of Kuwait Ministry of Interior e-Visa]
{{Visa policy by country}}
{{Visa Requirements}}