Coronavirus: Kuwait again extends visas during COVID-19 pandemic

Kuwait has extended again residency and visit visas for an additional three months from September 1 for those currently in Kuwait, local media Kuwait Times reported on Wednesday.

The country’s Ministry of Interior had previously extended visas until August 31 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that had caused borders to shut and made travel in some cases impossible.

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In early August, Kuwait banned commercial flights to 31 high-risk countries, including Pakistan, Egypt, the Philippines, Lebanon, and Sri Lanka.

International flights to Kuwait resumed August 1.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched the “Kuwait-Musafer” app to assist travelers flying to and from Kuwait amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While the country grapples with the pandemic, it is also seeking to lower the number of expats in the country and has issued several new rules for expat workers. Last week Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower announced a decision banning the visa transfer of government workers to the private sector, and placing restrictions on transferring dependent visas to private sector work visas.

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In another move, the country announced it would no longer issue work visas to individuals over the age of 60 without a degree, and those individuals were given until the end of the year to leave the country.