A certain lack of information has led a lot of our Indian community people astray regarding the procedure of getting visit/family visa for your loved ones. I will be sharing my own experience and what procedures I had to follow to get visa for my wife.

If your salary is below 450k.d and you want to get family visa for your wife, sorry but there is no way you can get it legally and I highly disregard people who want to approach through waasta, don't waste your time and money. Better get your wife a job over here and let the company get the visa for her. Don't fall for visa traders, unless you want to make your life miserable.

For visit visa, minimum salary is 250k.d still and same as mentioned above that don't fall for waasta’s and visa traders.

: First of all make sure you have the following documents before approaching the Jawazat (Farwaniya Jawazat is shifted to Riggae for residency matters)

1. VISA FORM

2. Passport copy of your own (First page & last page). Since new procedure has removed iqama page. You then just require your civil id copy.

3. Passport copy of your wife (First & Last page)

4. Izne Amal copy (Work Permit). Ask your company to provide it.

5. Relationship Affidavit. (This document can be typed from the typing centers located all over Kuwait). Get the affidavit to Indian embassy, 7 KD is the price of the stamp they will put, from there directly go to the Liberation tower (Ministry of Interior), there you need to put 5 KD stamp on back of the affidavit and get it signed on the 2nd floor office.

Get all the above documents to the typing center, now many typing centers and forums have claimed that you require Marriage certificate with MOFA attestation from India, even I was falsely informed by various typing centers, thanks to a certain typing center, who firmly said not required. And actually, I didn't require it while submission of papers at Jawazat, as my name was in my wife's passport and has her surname changed to mine.

For others who don't have spouse names in either of their passports it seems you may have to get the marriage certificate attested from MOFA, INDIA. Usually that attestation is sufficient but you may never know if the officer at Jawazat will ask for attestation from Kuwait as well, so get the stamping done similarly as you've done for the Relationship affidavit.

Marriage certificate in any case not required if you're just applying for visit visa.

Get the visa form typed and make sure there are no typos in the form or else the visa will be rejected.

Rental agreement not required in either case in Farwaniya Jawazat, not sure about other Jawazat.

Once all papers are set. Get to the Jawazat as earliest as possible as per their work hours, probably reach before 1-2hrs if you don't want to waste your whole day there.

Make sure you always sit in the first row of chairs; the token number will be distributed row-wise regardless you were first there to come and you’re sitting in the last row.

 Maintain silence, avoid bringing unwanted people or relatives with you, if you don’t know Arabic, no problem. Officers over there are English literate and will speak to you in English if wanted. 

There are at least 12 counters in the visitors hall and most of them will have officers stationed. Roll call will be done for your token number, make sure you are there and be on the exact counter in time. If you’re a habitual late comer, they won’t entertain you. Better go home.
If by any chance the officer over there asks you to get sign from the high-level officer or Colonel, don’t try in any case to intimidate them, be humble always if you want to get your work done. If for any reason the colonel rejects your application humbly ask him or the allotted officer at counter to provide a reason, no argument whatsoever will be of any fruition; instead you will be removed from the visitor’s hall.

Visa office is located on the first floor and residency on ground. Always ask around with your compatriots if you don’t know the way, no harm in asking.
Once application is taken from you for checking by the officer, you have to sit nearby the respected counter to wait for the officer to call you back. If everything checks out, you will be handed the Entry Visa paper printed on an official Ministry paper in blue color, you have to sit and make sure first that the officer has mentioned all the details on the visa properly, don’t hurry in checking.

 Once verified, buy a 3k.d stamp from nearby kiosk, stamp is for both visit & family visa. Stick it in the marked bracket at the back of the visa, officer will scan the stamp and put an MOI seal over it. Congratulations!!, now send this visa back home and wait for your loved ones to visit you.

by Juzer Bhinderwala