COVID-19: Kuwait mulls resuming family, tourism visas

Cairo: Kuwait is studying the possible reopening of family and tourism trips to the country in March after a suspension of more than a year due to the new coronavirus-related travel restrictions, a local newspaper has reported.

The Interior Ministry is awaiting a report from the Health Ministry on the extent of the pandemic stabilisation situation in Kuwait to take a decision allowing reissuance of such visas amid a recent decline in virus infections and numbers of ICU patients in the country and overcoming a wave of the Omicron variant of the disease, Al Qabas said, citing security sources.

“Despite the Council of Ministers’ decision to issue all types of visas to expatriates, visas of family and tourism visits are still on hold,” the sources added.

Reissuance of family and tourism visas for expatriates’ children and spouses will contribute to boosting economic activities and is based on humanitarian grounds because it will help in reunion of some families whose members are residing in the country as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan association with family gatherings approaches, they added.

Ramadan starts this year in April. Foreigners make up nearly 3.5 million of Kuwait’s overall population of around 4.6 million.