The Embassy of the State of Kuwait would like to advise that the following requirements are required to be sent to the Embassy in Canberra for obtaining work visa:

- A complete physical examination for contagious or disabling diseases including HIV, Viral Hepatitis B, Viral Hepatitis C and a pregnancy test for women. Find attachment with the required tests. (All the lab results and a letter from the doctor required to be sent) for everyone over the age of 12 years old, click here for Essential Vaccination by Age.
- A police clearance certificate (Name Check) certified by the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia (This certificate will be used in Kuwait for getting you residency visa) this Certificate only for applicants who are 18 years and over.

The Police Clearance has to be obtained after getting the NOC from Kuwait, and to be Authenticated from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia. 

The original visa document - (No Objection Certificate NOC) (Arabic copy) obtained by the sponsor from the immigration in Kuwait.

- Bank cheque of AUD 210.00 payable to the Embassy of Kuwait ($175.00 for a visa and $35.00 for certifying the Police Clearance).
- Original passport. 
- Two (2) passport size photographs.
- Self Addressed Pre-paid Envelope.

Note: Processing the visa application by the Embassy would take s from 2- 4 working days

Once he has entered Kuwait on the entry visa, the employee is required to undergo medical tests and obtain a fingerprint certified before he can process his residence visa.

Medical Tests

The medical tests are taken at the Ports & Borders Health Division, Gamal Abdul Nasser Street, in Shuwaikh, just west of KISR but before the Chest Hospital is reached. Requirements are a passport, copy of NOC, a single photograph and a KD10 revenue stamp. Revenue stamps are available from post offices, or from private traders outside the test area who charge a small premium over the nominal value of the stamp.

To take the tests, a pink card must be obtained from a reception window. There is no system of appointments and most people must queue for the various procedures. These include blood tests for serious infectious diseases, such as AIDS, and a chest x-ray. A meningitis vaccination is also given. It takes about a week for the results, which are given in the form of a certificate from the Ministry of Public Health, to come through. Persons found to be infected with epidemic diseases are deported.

Photographs

Personal head-and-shoulder type photographs are needed in Kuwait on innumerable occasions. Passport-size photographs are usually acceptable, but the circumstances in which photographs will be needed are not entirely predictable and it is best to stock-up before beginning immigration procedures. The regulation sizes for official purposes are

- Passport-Size 4.0x5.0cm (maximum)
- 3.5 x 4.5cm (minimum)
- Civil ID Card 3.0 x 4.0cm
- Driving Licence 2.0 x 3.0cm

Health Insurance Scheme

From April 10, 2000, Ministry of Health has imposed health insurance on expatriates. No new residence is stamped or old renewed unless the expatriates have paid the state health insurance premiums, The duration of expatriates' residence is linked directly to the period covered by health insurance. One year health insurance paid entitles only one-year residence permit.

Fingerprinting & Security Clearance

To have fingerprints registered, an employee's passport, a copy of the passport, four photographs and a letter from the Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour are required. An application form must be completed in Arabic and there are always freelance typists around who will do so for a small fee.

It takes about a week for the fingerprints to be processed and the security clearance certificate to be issued by the Criminal Evidence Department of the Ministry of the Interior. The certificate is picked up from the same place.

Application for Residence

The actual application for an iqama (residence) is made at the Immigration and Passport Department of the Ministry of the Interior in Shuwaikh (the jawazaat or 'passport office'), just off the Airport Road near the Q8 compound between the 3rd and 4th Ring Roads. First-time applicants for residence must bring along the following documents in the form of both originals and photocopies:

- declaration on the prescribed form completed and signed by the sponsor.
- passport.
- work permit.
- NOC
- medical certificate
- security clearance (fingerprint) certificate.

Four passport size photographs are also required. A maximum of five years residence can be granted. there are Application fees for Residence, If the sponsor is a government organisation then, by law, the employee must bear the cost. If the sponsor is a private company the cost is a matter of negotiation between the sponsor and the employee.

Renewing Residence

After the initial residence has expired it can be renewed, provided the expatriate intends to continue under the same sponsor. Renewal is a fairly simple matter. Applications are made at the jawazaat in Shuwaikh and the process should be started a month before the expiry of the current residence.

Medical tests are not required for renewal. However, the employee's work permit must first be renewed with the Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour. The application for renewal must be supported by

- the employee's passport and a copy of it,
- the renewed work permit, and
- a copy of the sponsor's signature as required for business purposes.

Normally the sponsor or his official a representative will attend at the jawazaat to renew the employee's iqama. Where the employee does so himself, he must have a letter from his sponsor authorising him to do so.

Dependent Visa

Once he has obtained his own residency, a male employee may sponsor his wife and children to live with him in Kuwait. Permission to sponsor wife and children is granted only to those who meet the minimum salary condition.

A working wife cannot sponsor her husband as a dependent. Sons over 21 years cannot be sponsored as dependants, though adult daughters and parents may. Dependent family members may not work without transferring to a work visa under Kuwaiti sponsorship. This transfer is now allowed after one year. Earlier it was three years.

An entry visa for a dependent is obtained from the jawazaat (Passport Office) in Shuwaikh. An application form must be typed in Arabic and bilingual typists are available for a charge of 500 fils. The following supporting documents are required:

- sponsor's salary certificate.
- copy of the sponsor's civil ID.
- copy of the dependent's passport.
- authenticated marriage certificate or child's birth certificate.

The marriage certificate and child's birth certificate must be authenticated by the sponsor's embassy and certified by the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Once they have entered the country the formalities for a dependent's iqama (art 22) are similar to those for a work visa. The dependent must be medically tested and fingerprinted. The photographs and documents required are the same as shown on page 39. The sponsor's declaration is an undertaking by the family supporter that he will maintain the dependent

New Born Baby

When a baby is born to expatriates in Kuwait, the parents must obtain a dependent's iqama for the child. There is no minimum salary requirement and the father of a child born in Kuwait can sponsor his infant's residence irrespective of his salary level.

But first, the parents must obtain a birth certificate for the child. The hospital where the child was born will provide a notification of the birth. This must be taken to the registry of births in the governorate in which the birth took place to obtain the official birth certificate. The hospital will provide the address. The additional documents required to obtain the birth certificate include application form duly completed, photocopies of parents' passport and civil IDs, and authenticated marriage contract. The birth certificate is usually ready to be picked up at the registry after about a week.

When the notification is being submitted to the registry, the parents will be asked to write down the proposed first name of the child. For expatriates who do not speak Arabic the name will be written phonetically in Arabic.

To obtain residence the baby's name must first be added to the parent's passport or a separate passport must be obtained for the infant. To obtain a passport for the child, different embassies have different rules, but most non- Arabic embassies require a certified translation of the child's birth certificate while some require the birth certificate to be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait.

Once a passport has been procured or the child has been added to one of its parent's passport, the procedures for obtaining the child's residence are the same as for any dependent. An infant born in Kuwait, however, is not required to undergo medical tests and fingerprinting. The documents required include the originals and copies of the father's passport, the civil IDs of both parents, marriage certificate, work permit and letter of employment indicating salary. The application for the infant's residence must be made within 60 days of the birth to avoid a fine of KD 200.

Where the father works in the private sector, the administrative fee for the new-born infant is KD100 in the first year for the first and second child and KD200 in the first year for the third and subsequent children. But if the father works in the public sector, there is no charge in the first year for the first three children.