Kuwait will require all foreign residents and visitors to hold health insurance starting December 23, under new regulations that set fees, exemptions and coverage rules linked to visa types and residency status.
Health Insurance for Entry and Visit Visas
Under the new rules, foreigners applying for residency must pay a health insurance fee of 5 Kuwaiti dinars for eight types of visas. These include employment visas for both government and private sector jobs, as well as commercial, industrial and oil-sector employment.
For visit visas, fees will follow the private sector health insurance system. Nine types of visit permits are covered, including tourism, treated visits, cultural visits and social visits. An additional 1-dinar fee applies to transit visas, transport drivers’ entry visas, emergency visas and a newly introduced visa category.
Residency Permits and Sector-Specific Fees
Health insurance for residency permits is set at 100 dinars for ten categories. These include government and private sector employees, foreign partners and investors, students, self-sponsored foreigners, property owners, certain former stateless residents (Bedouns) who now hold foreign passports, religious figures such as imams and preachers of Husseiniyas, and newly established residency categories.
Some private sector workers are eligible for reduced fees. Agricultural workers, fishermen, camel and sheep herders, and dairy company employees will pay 10 dinars under Article 18 of the law.
Domestic workers sponsored by Kuwaiti families are exempt from fees for the first three workers. A 10-dinar fee applies starting with the fourth worker.
Family Reunification and Special Cases
Family reunification visas carry a 100-dinar health insurance fee, depending on the sponsor’s residency status. Coverage applies to families of government and private sector employees, foreign partners and investors, students, self-sponsored residents, property owners and religious figures. It also includes children of Kuwaiti women who obtained citizenship through dependency.
The regulations include specific provisions for spouses and children of former illegal residents sponsored by foreign families or diplomats.
Exemptions and Key Clarifications
The regulations grant full health insurance fee exemptions to nine categories, with the option for additional exemptions through ministerial decisions:
Foreign women married to Kuwaiti citizens
Widowed or divorced Kuwaiti women with children
Foreign children of Kuwaiti citizens
Parents of Kuwaiti citizens
Children of Kuwaiti women from foreign husbands
Up to three domestic workers sponsored by Kuwaiti families
Diplomatic missions and official delegations
Bedouns, in coordination with the Central Agency for Illegal Residents
Foreign newborns, exempt for four months until a passport is issued or the child leaves the country
Additional clarifications state that exemptions apply only if the foreigner holds the specific residency permit outlined in the regulations. Health insurance coverage is linked to the visa’s issuance date and duration, not the passport’s validity.
If a residency permit is reissued due to an administrative error and an exemption applies, any previously paid fees will be refunded.
Related topic：
