Kuwait Service Centres

Yes for most cases through the PACI portal or Sahel app at KD 5 per year of validity plus a KD 2 online service fee. The new card prints in 3 to 10 working days and can be collected at a PACI centre or couriered. Visit a PACI service centre when fresh biometrics are needed (every five years, or after a hand injury), a name correction requires human review, a newborn registration is required, or the card is more than 60 days expired in which case in-person filing is mandatory.

Kuwait charges KD 2 per day for residence overstay from the day after expiry. There is no formal grace period — unlike Oman (30 days), Qatar (90 days) or the UAE (30 days), Kuwait applies the fine immediately. A flight delayed past midnight on the residence expiry date triggers KD 2 the next morning. Tourist overstay is KD 10 per day from day 31 of an expired visit visa. The fine compounds without cap and must be cleared at MOI Kuwait or Sahel before any exit, renewal or sponsorship transfer.

At PAM Shuwaikh headquarters or PAM Hawalli branch with the worker's Civil ID, current and new employer references and a sponsor release after the three-year minimum service with the original sponsor. Earlier transfer is possible when the original employer's commercial registration is closed, the worker has Tahweel WPS evidence of wage breach or the title is on the published PAM-allowed transfer list. PAM saturation rules block transfers into certain economic activities regardless of salary. The transfer fee is KD 50 plus the new work-permit fee.

For domestic workers and some categories yes — the sponsor must authorise travel on the Sahel app, and a refusal blocks Sahel before any fee is paid. For Article 18 private-sector workers and Article 22 family residence, routine exits do not require sponsor authorisation, though the sponsor can flag specific files. Sponsor disputes are escalated through PAM (for labour cases) or the Domestic Labour Department under MOI (for household workers). Tahweel WPS evidence of wage arrears is the strongest ground for unilateral exit.

All PACI, MOI Kuwait and PAM service centres are closed on Friday. Saturday is closed at most centres except PACI South Surra headquarters, which operates Saturday afternoon for selected services. Working week is Sunday to Thursday with hours typically 07:30 to 14:30 at PACI and PAM and slightly extended at MOI residence directorates. Ramadan reduces all hours to roughly half. The Sahel app and PACI portal run uninterrupted seven days for online filings.

Article 22 requires KD 500 monthly salary in most cases, with PAM-published profession-title restrictions excluding labour categories (drivers, cooks, general workers, agricultural labourers) regardless of salary. Sons sponsored as dependants age out at 21 (26 if studying full-time at university); unmarried daughters can remain on the file. Wife and minor children at KD 500 salary. Parental sponsorship requires KD 500 minimum and MOI approval, generally restricted to white-collar profession codes. Salary must be paid through Tahweel WPS to count.

Original passport (six months minimum validity), current Civil ID and a coloured photocopy, current residence visa stamp or page, sponsor's Civil ID copy or trade-licence copy, the Sahel or KNET payment receipt for the relevant fee (KD 10 per year Article 18, KD 100 per year Article 22 dependant), a passport-style photograph on a white background, and the Tahweel WPS record for the last three months. Family files add notarised marriage and birth certificates with home-country MOFA plus MOFA Kuwait attestation.

File the dispute at PAM Shuwaikh or PAM Hawalli with documentary evidence: attendance records, Tahweel WPS transfers showing salary paid, witness statements and the worker's Civil ID and passport. The dispute is escalated to the labour office for review; successful disputes restore the Civil ID and residence but the worker typically needs a new sponsor within the country's grace window. Tagheeb reports cancel the work permit and the residence and trigger fines until lifted. Wathim's GCC desk runs tagheeb disputes end to end.

No. PACI, MOI Kuwait and PAM service centres are designed for residents, citizens and employer-sponsored cases. Tourist visa issues (extensions, lost passports, residence questions) are handled at Kuwait International Airport immigration counters and through the eVisa portal at evisa.moi.gov.kw. The eVisa scheme covers many nationalities at KD 3 for a tourist visa with multiple-entry options. Visit-visa extensions for tourists already in Kuwait can be filed at MOI Kuwait residence directorates with the sponsor's authorisation through Sahel.