Daijiworld Media Network - Kuwait (MS) 

Kuwait, Oct 23: According to the new bylaws on residency passed by the interior ministry of Kuwait, it is allowed to convert the visit visas into residency visas in certain cases. This was announced by interior minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah on Tuesday, October 22. 

The new bylaws were published in the official gazette of the country Kuwait Al-Youm on Monday and they got implemented from Tuesday. 

Residency visas can be given to those who hold visit visas in the following cases as per the gazette notification: 

*Dependents arriving on family or tourist visit visas

*Visitors of ministries and public authorities (with government visit visas) holding university degrees

*Domestic helpers

*Holders of vallid residency visas who have not stayed out of Kuwait for more than six months and have to enter on visit visa

*Those who enter for work and start procedures to get residency but have to leave for a maximum of one month

*Cases subject to the residency affairs directorate's judgment 

There is no change in the fee that is charged for residency except the change in rules. Dependent residency and other rules remain unchanged. Now a fee of three KD has to be paid to obtain a visa on arrival. Earlier this was free of cost for some nationalities. 

KD 10 per person needs to be paid as fee for spouses and children annually. The charges for relatives, other than wife and children, including parents is KD 200 per year. 

Couples who are already living in Kuwait are exempted of the minimum monthly salary of KD 500 for sponsoring family from overseas counties on dependent visas. Expatriates working in certain occupations like judges, doctors, engineers, teachers, journalists and many others are exempted from the minimum salary condition. 

Any expatriate, whose residency visa is cancelled is allowed to stay in the country for three months on temporary residency before leaving. According the new bylaws tourists can now stay in Kuwait for three months. Multiple entry visa is now valid for one year at an additional cost of just one KD per month.