Permanent Residency in Kuwait for Indian

A permanent residence is a type of permit that allows individuals to live and work in a country for an extended period. Kuwait permanent residency can be obtained in different ways, such as work, family reunification visas, etc., which can be applicable from 3 months to 10 years.

The residence visa in Kuwait is called Iqama, which is a mandatory requirement for all expatriates. This residence permit allows employees in the civil sector to live and work in the country for a defined period.

After its expiry, individuals can renew their residency permit. There are different types of iqamas, which are work, domestic and dependent. All of these iqamas require a sponsor. However, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council do not need to have a Kuwait residence visa.

General Kuwait Permanent Residence Requirements

• Applicants need to have a valid employment offer and sponsor in Kuwait.

• Applicants must have good health conditions as set by the immigration official.

• Applicants must not have any criminal record against them.

• They must have sufficient funds in their account for the entire duration of their stay in the country.

• Applicants must have a valid passport with two years of validity from the time of arrival.

Dependent Residence Requirement

• Dependent residence sponsors need to earn 450 KD (₹121331) monthly under the Article 17 visa.

• Dependent residence applicant sponsors need to earn 650 KD (₹175256) monthly under the Article 18 visa.

• Both working parents can sponsor their dependent children if they have a combined salary of a minimum of 350 KD monthly.

• Parents cannot sponsor their children above 21 years for residence.

• A dependent visa applicant can only work in the country once they convert their visa into a work type.

Domestic Visa Residence Requirements

• This is the permit for resident expatriates to bring full-time domestic helpers outside Kuwait. The general requirement for this:

• The age of domestic help should be between 20 to 50 years.

• A male sponsor who is hiring domestic helpers needs to have a wife.

• The domestic visa is not applicable to family or any immediate relative member.

• Help needs to pay a residence fee, which is 200 KD (₹53924) for the first year and 10 KD (₹2696) for the succeeding years.

• Passport with a validity of 2 years.

• Duly signed and completed visa form issued by the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Coloured passport-size photographs with designated size and background.

• No objection and character certificate issued by the Criminal Investigation Department.

• Health certificate issued from the local doctor and lab reports for syphilis, malaria, hepatitis B & C, chest X-ray for tuberculosis, etc.

• Copy of HIV test results.

• Copy of entry permit.

• Copy of security clearance and fingerprints.

• Any additional document needed for Kuwait PR for Indians.

Documents Required for Dependent Residence

• Dependent applicants must have a marriage certificate.

• The dependent must have a childbirth certificate if they have kids.

• A document to prove the sponsor’s income level.

• Valid passport of dependent.

Documents Required for Domestic Visa

• Copy of certificate of salary for sponsor and wife.

• Copy of house rental agreement.

• Copy of passport of sponsor and wife.

• Copy of Civil ID of both sponsor and wife.

• Copy of domestic help passport.

• Domestic helper passport-size photographs.

• Copy of work contract of domestic helper.

The process to obtain the IQAMA is broken down into several steps.

1. Initiation - The first step to acquire residency in Kuwait is through the Iqama process for which applicants need to have a valid work visa. These iqamas are granted under Articles 17 (for public sector employees) and 18 (for private sector employees) of the immigration regulations. Applicants need to have a job offer letter and sponsorship from the employer.

2. No Objection Certificate (NOC) - The next steps involve obtaining an NOC from the General Administration of Criminal Investigation at the Ministry of Interior in Kuwait. The process needs to be done by the sponsor. The authority will verify that there are no criminal cases and no security objections against the applicant. This process will take around 3 to 9 weeks.

3. Work Permit Application - Once the ministry has granted the security clearance to the applicant then the work or employment permit application can be submitted to the Kuwaiti Labour Office. This process takes around 3 to 4 weeks.

4. Immigration Medical - After submitting the work permit application, applicants need to undergo a medical exam from the authorised medical practitioner under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and obtain a certificate stating that the applicant is in good health and free from any contagious disease. The immigration medical process takes around 1 day to 2 weeks.

5. Entry Visa Application - After that, applicants need to carry out the entry visa application process at the Kuwaiti diplomatic post in their country of residence. The Kuwait visa for Indians under the work category may take around 1 to 2 weeks. To acquire the visa, the applicant needs to carry out the procedure and pay the visa fees.

6. Entry to Kuwait - Once the applicant has got approval on the work permit from an immigration official, they can enter the country. The applicant needs to carry the work entry permit, which will be endorsed at the point of entry. The applicant can start working in the country after this step. However, they need to complete the entry and post-arrival formalities within 60 days of work permit issuance.

7. Local Immigration Medical - The applicant needs to go through the local medical examination within the week of arrival in the country. The medical examination will include blood tests for infectious diseases like AIDS and chest X-rays. Further, a vaccination for meningitis is also given to applicants.

8. Fingerprint and Security Clearance Application - All resident applicants need to submit their fingerprints to the authorities and obtain a security clearance certificate.

9. Work permit Endorsement - After obtaining the medical and security clearance certificate, applicants need to fill out the work and residence permit (Iqama) application with the Immigration and Passport Department of the Ministry of the Interior.

This has to be done within 30 days of the arrival. Applicants need to submit their passports for the residence permit endorsement. Once it is done, the applicant can collect the passport from the authorities. The process may take around 2 to 3 weeks.

10. Blood Group Certificate - After getting the residence permit endorsement, applicants need to give a blood test at an authorised clinic and obtain a blood group certificate.

11. Civil ID Card - Lastly, the applicant needs to fill out the local identity card application at the Public Authority for Civil Information. It should be done within 10 days of issuance of residence permit. Once the card is approved, applicants can collect it from the PACI office.

Note: A dependent residence can be obtained by a male employee for his wife and children. There is a salary restriction which needs to be fulfilled for obtaining a dependent residence. As per the law, a wife cannot sponsor her husband on a dependent visa. The process of dependent residence and domestic visa is similar to the process mentioned above.

Permanent Residency in Kuwait can be obtained by meticulously following the set process. The Kuwait permanent residence is valid for 10 years. However, individuals can apply for the extension after its expiry. Individuals with a residence permit for Kuwait can live and work in the country. However, the Kuwait PR eligibility needs to be cleared before obtaining the permit.

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