KUWAIT CITY, Jul 7: With Kuwait opening up to expatriates under the guidelines and requirements announced by the Ministry of Interior, Kuwait has seen a significant increase in the entry of visitors from various nationalities over the past four months. The procedures for submitting visit requests have been streamlined, resulting in an average of 8,700 visit visas issued per week across the six governorates. These visas fall into three categories: family, tourism, and commercial.

Brigadier Mazid Al-Mutairi, Assistant Director General of the General Administration for Residency Affairs, provided a breakdown of the average weekly visa issuance: approximately 2,000 business visit visas, 2,900 family visit visas, and 3,800 tourist visit visas were issued.

Al-Mutairi further stated that the decision to open all types of visit visas was directed by the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef. The visas are available to all nationalities under specific rules and regulations, which require sponsors to adhere to set conditions and visitors to respect the country’s laws.

He noted that during the recent period, visa holders have largely adhered to the duration of their visits, departing once their period ended. This compliance indicates a high level of awareness and respect for Kuwait's laws among both visitors and sponsors, resulting in a very low percentage of violations, reports Al Rai.

Al-Mutairi highlighted the steps taken by the Residence Affairs Investigations Department when a visitor does not comply with the visa duration. Initially, a notification is sent via the "Sahel" application to the sponsor, followed by an SMS text message. If the violation persists, the sponsor is contacted after five to seven days and asked to review the case with the Residence Affairs Investigations Department.

He emphasized that strict measures are enforced on violating sponsors, starting with warnings and potentially leading to a ban on sponsoring visit visas. In severe cases, the visitor may be arrested, and penalties imposed on the sponsor.

Al-Mutairi stated that visit visas are granted smoothly within 15 to 30 minutes if the application meets the conditions. Sponsors can visit the Residence Affairs Department according to their residential address, and decentralization is promoted to avoid unnecessary complications for those seeking visit visas.

Regarding the nationalities most frequently entering Kuwait, Al-Mutairi revealed the top seven: Americans, British, Turks, Jordanians, Egyptians, Indians, and Syrians.

He concluded by stating that while Kuwait remains open to visitors under established standards, strict measures are enforced on both sponsors and visitors who violate the laws. The Residence Affairs Investigations Department has a clear plan to ensure compliance and accountability.