KUWAIT (Kashmir English): Kuwait has introduced a new scheme to grant regular residency permits to visitors against a KD150 fee so as to update the country’s residency procedures.
Under amendments to the executive regulations of the Foreigners Residence Law, visit visas would be converted into regular residency permits.
The changes were published in Sunday’s edition of the official gazette, Kuwait Alyoum, through Ministry of Interior Decision No. 1091 of 2026, which amends provisions of Ministerial Decision No. 2249 of 2025 governing the law’s executive regulations.
Amendment to Kuwaiti law
The amendment adds a new clause to Article 39, requiring applicants to pay KD150 when converting a visit entry visa into a regular residence permit, in accordance with Article 16 of the regulations.
The Ministry of Interior clarified that domestic workers and individuals in equivalent categories would be exempt from the fee under the provisions of Article 20 of the executive regulations.
It said that the relevant authorities had been instructed to implement the amendments within their respective jurisdictions, with the new rules taking effect immediately.
