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Visa application requirements for Kuwait

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Entering this small but rich Arab Emirate is relatively easy. There are many types of visa that can be applied for in order to enter Kuwaiti soil.

The easiest to obtain is the Visit Visa. Typically, nationals from the USA, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Spain, Monaco, the Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea and China are granted automatic Visit Visas without much formality.

However, nationals apart from those mentioned above need to apply for a formal Visit Visa which can be obtained through any Kuwait Airways offices. The Kuwaiti airline has online facilities that could process the visa with blessings from the Ministry of Interior. Visit Visas are valid up to 90 days of issue and applicants can stay up to 30 days upon entry. Entry permits are free but the Visit Visa will cost about KD 3.00. For nationalities other than those mentioned above, a Visit Visa will not be approved if an individual is not sponsored by a Kuwait-based company or resident or a relative of a resident foreigner. To secure a Visit Visa, an application form accomplished by the sponsor (individual or company), a copy of the visitor’s passport, a copy of the sponsor’s signature as registered for business related purposes and a copy of a letter of invitation from the sponsoring party. For a visiting relative of a resident foreigner, original and copy of sponsor’s passport, civil ID and sponsor’s work permit and latest salary slip from the sponsor’s employer.

Multiple Entry Visas are reserved for people doing business with the Ministry of Defense. So far, only Americans have been known to be given Multiple Entry Visas.

Another type of visa is the Transit Visa which is usually valid for 7 days only. This is usually given to trans-border truck drivers and those stopping over while waiting for their connecting trip to the next country of destination.