Kuwait grants tourist visas on arrival for GCC residents

Dubai: Kuwait will now allow foreign residents of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to obtain tourist visas upon arrival, under a new policy announced Sunday by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef.

The decision, published in the official gazette Kuwait Alyoum, permits any foreign national living in a GCC member state with a valid residency permit of at least six months to enter Kuwait on a tourist visa issued directly at the port of entry.

The measure, which took effect immediately, repeals a 2008 regulation governing the entry of foreign residents from other Gulf states for tourism purposes.

According to the Interior Ministry, the change is intended to streamline travel for the large expatriate population living across the GCC and to align Kuwait’s entry rules with regional trends.