Latest news with #SheikhFahadAlYousefAlSabah
UAE Moments
2 days ago
- Business
- UAE Moments
Kuwait Grants Visa-on-Arrival Access to All GCC Foreign Residents
In a major policy shift aimed at boosting tourism and regional mobility, Kuwait has announced that all foreigners residing in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are now eligible for a tourist visa on arrival at all entry points. The decision, issued Sunday by Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah and published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm, takes immediate effect. The new visa will be valid for 90 days and is open to residents of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain, provided their GCC residency permit is valid for at least six months. This move replaces 2008 regulations that limited visa-on-arrival eligibility to specific professional categories such as doctors, engineers, judges, and executives. With the change, more than 25 million foreign residents in the GCC can now visit Kuwait with ease. Kuwait has long allowed nationals from many European, North American, select Latin American, and major Asian countries—including China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore—to obtain visas on arrival. The announcement is part of a wider effort over the past 15 months to ease visa restrictions for foreigners. The country has relaxed family visit rules, enabling expatriates to bring close relatives such as spouses, children, and parents for up to one month. It has also simplified procedures for hotels to sponsor visitors and for companies to secure business visas for foreign partners. The reform is expected to significantly boost tourism, business travel, and cultural exchange within the Gulf, positioning Kuwait as a more open and accessible destination in the region.
Gulf Business
3 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Business
Kuwait opens tourist visa-on-arrival to all GCC residents
Image: Getty Images Kuwait has lifted its long-standing restrictions on tourist visas for foreigners living in other Gulf states. Under a ministerial decision issued Sunday by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, any foreign national holding a valid Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residency for at least six months can now receive a tourist visa upon arrival. The new regulations, published in the official gazette The decision repeals a 2008 rule that limited visa-on-arrival eligibility to specific professions such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, judges, university professors, and business executives, while also barring entry to those with travel documents other than passports. Previously, foreign residents in GCC states who did not meet these criteria — including service workers and their families — were excluded from obtaining a tourist visa at the border. Read: With the change, foreign residents across the GCC meeting the six-month residency requirement can now travel more easily to Kuwait for tourism purposes.
Arabian Business
4 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Business
Kuwait announces new visa for expats in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman
Kuwait has announced new visa on arrival rules for expat residents living in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The new visa was announced by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al Yousef Al Sabah. The tourist visit visa is offered to residents of GCC countries and is designed to boost tourism from neighbouring countries. Kuwait visa on arrival Ministerial Decision No. 1386 of 2025 was published in the official gazette Kuwait Al Youm and is effective immediately. Further details were shared of the major new visa offering: Applicants must have a valid residence visa for a GCC country with a minimum of six months left to run The visit visa will be available upon arrival at ports of entry across Kuwait Local media reports in the country said that the move takes precedent over Decision No. 1228 of 2008, which previously governed the entry of GCC residents into the country under similar provisions. The Ministry of Interior said that new regulations follow Decree Law No. 114 of 2024 concerning the residence of foreigners.
