Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday (November 23) an updated residency regulation and introduced higher visa fees, new stay categories, and tighter rules for dependents and domestic workers. The updated regulation is one of the most extensive reforms to Kuwait’s immigration system in years and will take effect on December 23, 2025.
Under the new law, visa fees have been raised across most categories. The interior ministry confirmed the KD800 minimum salary requirement for family residence and hiked fees to sponsor dependents other than spouses and children to KD300 a year.
Entry visas, residency permits, renewals, and transfers now follow a clearer fee table aimed at simplifying procedures while increasing government revenue. Long-term residency schemes for investors and property owners also come with revised charges.
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The regulations also include updated penalty tables for overstaying visitors, with fines now calculated based on daily delays and capped depending on visa type. The executive regulations set detailed provisions for all categories of visas, including:
Family visit visas
Medical treatment visas
Commercial and business visit visas
Tourist visas
Work visas (government, private, and oil sector)
Study visas
Domestic worker visas
New visit visa fees in Kuwait
A KD10 fee is now imposed on every type of visit or entry visa, including tourism, family visits, medical treatment, business and entry visas issued for work or residency.
Most visit visas are valid for three months and can be renewed once for the same period, up to a total of one year. Multiple-entry visit visas may be valid for up to one year, with each stay limited to one month.
Residency fees in Kuwait
Residency permit fees have been updated to reflect the type of residency and the sponsor’s status.
Government and private sector work permits will now cost Dh20 KD per year, whereas investor residencies are set at KD50 per year, while property owner residencies carry a Dh500 annual fee.
Domestic workers sponsored by Kuwaiti families are charged Dh10 per year, while the newly introduced self-sponsor category, which applies to foreigners who can demonstrate independent income, requires a KD20 annual fee.
Kuwait visa for dependents
Fees for dependents also vary depending on the sponsor’s residency type: KD20 per dependent for government or private sector workers, KD40 per dependent for investors or religious workers, and KD100 per dependent for property owners.
Certain special categories benefit from reduced or waived fees, including children of Kuwaiti mothers, spouses of Kuwaiti citizens, and children of citizens, ensuring that families and vulnerable groups are not disproportionately affected by the new charges.
The overhaul aims to modernise Kuwait’s residency framework and align it with the country’s evolving social and economic needs. The new regulations introduce comprehensive rules governing all types of entry visas and residency permits.
Domestic helper’s visa in Kuwait
Household size determines how many domestic helpers a family may hire:
Families of up to six members: Up to three helpers.
Families of six to nine members: Up to four helpers.
Families of more than nine members: Up to five helpers.
Annual residency renewal fees for domestic workers under Kuwaiti family sponsorship are KD10 per worker.
Additional domestic helpers incur stepped fees: For Kuwaiti families, the first additional helper costs KD50, then increases by KD50 for each further extra helper.
For expat family sponsors the base for two helpers is KD50 per year, while the first additional helper is KD400 per year, the second KD500 per year, and so on.
For diplomats the first two helpers are KD10 per year, the first additional helper KD100, the second KD200, etc.
The rule also underlines the age limit of house helps. Domestic helpers must be between 21 and 60 years old unless the minister grants an exemption.
Temporary residency and departures
As per the law (article 14), temporary residency carries a KD10 monthly fee for most categories; for domestic helpers the temporary residency fee is KD5 per month.
Extensions of temporary residency cost KD10 per month. A departure/exit period fee of KD10 per month applies for foreigners cancelling their residency and preparing to leave the country. This type of residency is valid for three months and can be renewed for similar periods up to one year.
Investor and property-owner rules
Investors who meet the ministry’s and investment authority’s conditions may obtain investor residencies with specified annual fees of KD50. Foreign real estate owners can obtain residency after proving property ownership; such residencies carry the KD50 annual fee and may come with extended validity and different family sponsorship rules.
Residency procedures, passports and newborns
Expats entering on entry visas must complete residency procedures in two months. Applicants must hold passports valid for at least six months; residency validity is no longer automatically linked to passport expiry.
The Ministry of Interior also extended the duration within which a visa for a newborn must be applied. Newborns must be registered and residency procedures completed within four months of birth. Health insurance from the Ministry of Health is linked to residency granting.
Foreigners without employment can obtain residency if they demonstrate a reliable source of income. Property owners may also obtain residency with proof of ownership.
The new system requires most applicants to complete procedures through approved platforms, including:
Sponsors are responsible for ensuring all documents are submitted before entry, and any errors may lead to delays or rejection.
Stricter fines for violations and overstays
The new law updated fines for a number of violations, including failure to obtain residency after entry on a residency-type visa, overstaying visit visas, failing to notify birth registrations on time, and expiry of residency without departure.
The new schedule includes daily fines (for example, daily late-payment rules of KD2 per day in early stages, rising to higher daily rates in later stages) and caps that depend on the violation type, with settlement ceilings running into the hundreds or low thousands of dinars.
Deportation from Kuwait
As per the new regulation in Kuwait, administrative deportation may be ordered even if a residency remains valid.
Grounds include lack of income in Kuwait, working for an employer other than the sponsor without approval, public security or morals concerns, or repeated criminal convictions as defined in the bylaws.
Ajanta Paul
Staff Writer
Ajanta Paul is a Senior Editor on the Digital team. A natural leader and newshound, she thrives in breaking news and high-pressure situations — and enjoys reporting on community issues that matter to UAE residents.
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