RIYADH, 27 June 2006 — Residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states will now be given on-arrival visas at the Kuwait International Airport to visit the country for tourism and business purposes.
“The new rule applies to foreigners who hold resident permits in GCC states,” said Maj. Gen. Thabet Al-Muhanna, Kuwait’s assistant undersecretary for support and security services at the Interior Ministry.
Foreign residents from GCC states of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE will be granted visas at the point of entry, Muhanna said. Other nationals can obtain visas from any Kuwaiti diplomatic mission.
“This is a new rule introduced by the Kuwaiti immigration authorities. We anticipate a good flow of traffic from expatriates in the Kingdom in the coming months,” Baqar Hussein, Kuwait Airways sales manager in Riyadh, told Arab News.
According to the requirement of the Kuwaiti immigration authorities, expatriates in the GCC region can make use of the “visa on arrival” facility, provided they fulfill certain conditions.
Besides the professional qualifications, visa-seekers should hold valid passports and residence permits valid for more than six months from the date of arrival in Kuwait. They will be given tourist visas for a period of less than three months on a payment of five dinars (about SR65).
Visitors to Kuwait should hold a return air ticket from the country of origin and the Kuwaiti government should not have blacklisted their names.
Hitherto in the region, only the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have been issuing such visas for Gulf residents. In 2004, Kuwait scrapped prior visa requirements for citizens of 34 countries from North America, most of Western Europe, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia.
