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 Kuwaitportal |
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. [1] All visitors (except Gulf Cooperation Council citizens) must hold a passport valid for 6 months.
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:
As of November 2023, use of GCC ID Cards for entry has been restored for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. [2]
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.
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: [3] [4]
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. [5]
Residents of GCC countries belonging to designated professions may also obtain a visa online.
Israel Israeli nationals (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. [6] 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. [7] Workers from Bangladesh and Pakistan are also scrutinized when applying for new visas. [8] Scrutiny also includes their medical tests from GAMCA/WAFID approved medical centers. [9] . Applicant have to declare FIT for travelling from these medical centers and have to attach that medical test result 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. [10] A visa restriction on nationals of Ethiopia was lifted in 2018. [11] [12]
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. [13] [14] [15] [16]
A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, areas within the country they may enter, the dates they may enter, the number of permitted visits, or if the individual can work in the country in question. Visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a territory and thus are, in most countries, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country. In each instance, a visa is subject to entry permission by an immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time. Visa evidence most commonly takes the form of a sticker endorsed in the applicant's passport or other travel document but may also exist electronically. Some countries no longer issue physical visa evidence, instead recording details only in immigration databases.
Visa requirements for Pakistani citizens are the requirements by other countries to obtain a visa before entry on an ordinary Pakistani Passport.
Visa requirements for Bahraini citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Bahrain. As of 2024, Bahraini citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 91 countries and territories, ranking the Bahraini passport 59th in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index.
Visa requirements for Bangladeshi citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Bangladesh by the authorities of other countries.
Visa requirements for Jordanian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Jordan.
Visa requirements for Swiss citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Switzerland.
The visa policy of Malaysia consists of the requirements for foreign nationals to travel to, enter, and remain in Malaysia. Most visitors to Malaysia are granted visa-free entry for a period of 90, 30, or 14 days respectively. However, nationals from some countries must first obtain a visa from one of the Malaysian diplomatic missions around the world before being allowed into the country.
The visa policy of Kosovo deals with the requirements which a foreign national wishing to enter Kosovo must meet to obtain a visa, which is a permit to travel to, enter and remain in Kosovo.
The visa policy of the United Arab Emirates allows citizens of certain countries to enter the United Arab Emirates without a visa. Citizens of certain other countries must obtain a visa from one of the UAE diplomatic missions. Alternatively, they may obtain an online visa through Smart Service or airlines.
Bangladesh requires all foreigners to obtain permission, specifically a visa, to enter its territory unless exempted. Visas are issued by Bangladesh diplomatic missions located throughout the world or, if applicable, on arrival in Bangladesh.
Visitors to Qatar must obtain a visa, unless if they are citizens of one of the GCC countries or if they are citizens of one of the countries eligible for a visa waiver on arrival.
Visitors to Yemen must obtain a visa from one of the Yemeni diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa countries whose citizens may obtain a visa on arrival. Until January 2010 Yemen had a visa on arrival policy for some 50 nations.
In accordance with Iraqi law, citizens of most countries require a visa to visit Iraq. However, visitors from certain countries are given a visa on arrival in select airports and certain countries are banned from entering Iraq.
Visa requirements for European Union citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other countries placed on citizens of the European Union. They differ among countries. The European Union has achieved full reciprocity with certain countries.
Visitors to Honduras must obtain a visa from one of the Honduran diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 3 months.
Visitors to Syria must obtain a visa from one of the Syrian diplomatic missions in advance, unless they are a national of a visa-exempt country or a country whose citizens are eligible to obtain visas on arrival or e-Visas online.
Visitors to Sudan must obtain a visa from one of the Sudanese diplomatic missions, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. All visitors must hold passports valid for a minimum of 6 months from the arrival date.
Visitors to Egypt must obtain a visa from one of the Egyptian diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries that are eligible for visa on arrival.
The British Overseas Territories maintain their own entry requirements different from the visa policy of the United Kingdom. As a general rule, British citizens do not have automatic right of abode in these territories.
Visa requirements for crew members are administrative entry restrictions imposed by countries on members of a ship or aircraft crew during transit.
