Kuwait tightens visit visa-to-residency conversion rules

New regulations restrict family and employment residency conversions for visit visa holders.

Kuwait City: Kuwait has tightened the rules for converting visit visas into residency permits, with hundreds of expatriates reportedly having their applications rejected after failing to meet the revised eligibility criteria, Arab Times reported, citing a security source.

According to the report, the rejections came after many expatriates applied for residency conversion believing the updated provisions applied to all visit visa holders. Authorities clarified that the facility is available only to eligible applicants and that each case is reviewed individually.

Officials said conversions under Articles 17, 18, 20 and 22 are not open to all expatriates or nationalities. Applications are assessed by the General Department of Residency Affairs, while certain categories also require clearance from senior Ministry of Interior officials.

Family reunification

Under the revised regulations, eligible residents may convert family visit visas into Article 22 (family/dependent) residency for their wives, sons under the age of 18 and unmarried daughters under 21.

Applicants must earn a minimum monthly salary of KD800 and pay a KD150 conversion fee, in addition to health insurance and residency stamp charges.

Humanitarian exemptions

The regulations also provide exemptions for certain humanitarian cases.

These include applications for children under five whose mothers already hold valid residency in Kuwait. Wives whose previous residency expired less than one year earlier may also qualify, subject to payment of the prescribed fees and approval from the Director General of Residency Affairs.

Employment residency restrictions

Visit visas issued to spouses and children cannot be converted into Article 18 employment residency, authorities said. They may only be transferred to Article 22 family residency if the prescribed conditions are met.

Employment residency conversion remains limited to applicants who entered Kuwait on government-issued visit visas and possess recognised academic qualifications or specialised technical expertise. Certain domestic worker categories are also covered under existing regulations.

The report added that expatriates who entered Kuwait on a work visa, initiated residency procedures and later left the country involuntarily for no more than one month may return on a business visit visa to complete the process, subject to official approval. Business visit visas may also be converted into employment residency only in cases permitted under the regulations and with approval from senior Ministry of Interior officials.

This comes after Kuwait introduced a KD150 fee on Sunday, August 2, for converting visit entry visas into regular residency permits under amendments to the executive regulations of the Foreigners Residence Law. The amended rules took effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette, while domestic workers and equivalent categories were exempt from the fee.

Authorities said all applications will continue to be assessed in line with the ministerial decree and Kuwait’s labour market requirements.