Kuwait vote on 5-year residency for expats

Foreign investors and expats in Kuwait could soon be granted long-term residency visas in the country.

The chairman of the parliamentary committee Saadoun Hammad confirmed in a statement to the National Assembly Media Centre that the committee approved the proposal and it will be referred to the Assembly for voting.

The nation’s Interior and Defense Affairs Committee has revealed that it has discussed proposals to amend the Foreigners Residency Law.

The articles of the bill include raising the maximum residency period for expats working in the country to five years. Once the residency period expires, expats will either have to leave the country or renew their residency application.

Fines for overstaying Kuwait’s residency permits and visit visas will be doubled from KD 2 to KD 4 per day.

The proposed rules also indicate that sponsors or employers will need to bear the costs of deportation of expat workers.

For foreign investors, the residency visa is likely to extend to 15 years, if the Kuwait Assembly accepts the committee’s proposals.

People who own real estate properties in Kuwait will potentially be offered 10-year visas. Children whose mother is a Kuwaiti national married to a non-Kuwaiti could also be offered the 10-year visas, according to the committee’s latest proposals.