Kuwait begins residency transfer for Palestinian travel document holders

Dubai: Kuwait has begun a new phase in regulating the residency status of Palestinians holding travel documents, with procedures under way to transfer their residency permits to Palestinian passports.

The General Department of Residency Affairs is notifying those concerned through the Sahel application, directing them to visit the Palestinian Embassy to obtain a Palestinian Authority passport before transferring and renewing their Kuwaiti residency permits.

Palestinian Ambassador to Kuwait Rami Tahboub said the embassy was coordinating with the relevant Kuwaiti authorities to complete the process.

He said affected residents would have three months to transfer their residency permits, with about 8,700 holders of Palestinian travel documents expected to benefit. The procedures will also cover Palestinians who have already obtained Palestinian passports since they became available.

The embassy has begun preparations to handle an expected increase in applications and facilitate both passport issuance and residency transfers.

Tahboub said the embassy had contacted the Palestinian Ministry of Interior to accelerate passport issuance for Palestinians living in Kuwait because of its direct link to residency and travel procedures.

Work is also under way on a project that would allow Palestinian passports to be printed at the embassy in Kuwait, reducing the issuance period to no more than one week, the ambassador said.