29/09/2024
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29/09/2024
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KUWAIT CITY, Sep 29: With the deadline looming for Kuwaiti citizens to complete biometric fingerprinting ending on 30th September, banking sources stated that the timeframe for freezing the accounts of Kuwaitis who fail to comply will be after 30 days. Initially planned for the end of December, the new plan will now impose a "freeze" on the accounts of non-compliant citizens and their bank balances starting November 1.
The Ministry of Interior has urged citizens to complete their biometric fingerprinting before the September 30 deadline, warning that failure to do so will result in the suspension of civil ID cards and all government and banking transactions immediately after the deadline.
According to banking plans, starting October 1, all electronic services and payments for customers who have not completed the biometric process will be suspended. This includes blocking access to account balances, preventing the generation of account statements, halting money transfers, and stopping payments through online services." Essentially, any electronic transactions involving account balances will be frozen for those who have not completed the biometric fingerprinting.
Sources indicated that on October 15, all bank cards—including K-Net, Visa, and MasterCard—of non-compliant customers are expected to be deactivated, preventing both withdrawals and deposits. During this time, customers will need to visit their bank in person to access their funds. However, after November 1, even in-person withdrawals will be blocked.
Despite the account restrictions, the sources added that any payments due from customers during the freeze period, such as loan repayments or government dues, will still be deducted in favor of creditors.
To encourage compliance, banks have been sending reminder messages to customers based on their civil ID numbers and the biometric fingerprint database provided by the Public Authority for Civil Information, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior. This effort is aimed at prompting citizens to complete the biometric fingerprinting before the deadline passes.
