KUWAIT CITY, 14 March 2004 — Kuwait yesterday scrapped prior visa requirements for citizens of 34 countries.

The new decision became effective immediately and applies to nationals from North America, most of Western Europe, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

“Entry visas will be provided to citizens of these nations upon arrival at various terminals without the need of a Kuwaiti sponsor,” Maj. Gen. Thabet Al-Muhanna, Interior Ministry assistant undersecretary, said in the decision.

The new measure is “consistent with the openness policy,” being adopted by the emirate, and is aimed at “promoting the domestic economy,” he added.

The new facility applies to citizens of the United States, Canada, France and Britain, in addition to Italy, Germany, Portugal and several other European nations, besides Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore.

All of eastern Europe, Arab countries and south Asian nations are excluded from the new measure, which also provides for multiple entry visas upon request.

Previously, all visitors to the emirate were required to obtain visas valid for one month from the immigration department through a sponsor in Kuwait before being allowed to board the plane. A majority of foreigners visited the emirate in the past either on business visas issued through companies in Kuwait or on family visas issued by relatives who are legal residents.

Kuwait has already adopted a number of measures aimed at opening the emirate to foreign investment and relaxed conditions for foreign guest workers to be able to bring in their families.

Kuwait in October started implementing the Foreign Direct Investment Law which provides lucrative incentives for foreign capital, and also allowed foreign banks to operate in the emirate. The Parliament is considering a key amendment to the taxation law to cut income tax on profits of foreign firms from the current 55 percent to a maximum of 25 percent.

But local analysts still criticize the government for slow-paced political and economic reforms and insist the emirate must accelerate steps to liberalize the economy and pass privatization legislation.