Kuwait revamps foreign residence laws

Foreigners can now stay in the country for two months without a residence permit but must start the process for regular or temporary residence during this time.

Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Acting Minister of Interior, issued a ministerial decision.

The decision amended some provisions of Ministerial Decision No. 957/2019 in the Executive Regulations of the Law on the Residence of Foreigners and its amendments.

The latest update includes an amendment to Article I of the Resolution. This revision affects Article 12 of Ministerial Decision No. 957/2019, which now specifies that foreigners entering the country under the provisions(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 14) of Article 4 can stay without a residence permit for up to two months from their entry date. However, they must begin the process of obtaining regular or temporary residence during this timeframe.

The normal residence data is confirmed by the civil card issued by the General Authority for Civil Information, while temporary residence, as provided for in Article 14 of this decision, is confirmed by its data according to the mechanism determined by the General Directorate of Residence Affairs.

The second article stipulates that the Undersecretary of the Ministry shall implement this decision, and it shall enter into force as of the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.