Visa requirements for Kuwaiti citizens

Visa requirements for Kuwaiti citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Kuwait. As of March 2024, Kuwaiti citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 104 countries and territories, ranking the Kuwaiti passport 54th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.^[1]

Kuwaiti citizens do not need a visa to enter other member states of the GCC.

Visa requirements map

Visa requirements

Country	Visa requirement	Allowed stay	Notes (excluding departure fees)
Afghanistan	Visa required[2]
Albania	Visa not required[3]	90 days
Algeria	Visa required[4]
Andorra	Visa required[5]
Angola	Visa required[6]
Antigua and Barbuda	Electronic Entry Visa[7]
Argentina	Visa required[8]
Armenia	Visa not required[9]	180 days
Australia	Visa required[10]		May apply online (Online Visitor e600 visa).[11]
Austria	Visa required[12]
Azerbaijan	eVisa / Visa on arrival[13]	30 days	eVisa also available.[14]
Bahamas	Visa not required[15]	3 months
Bahrain	Visa not required[16]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Bangladesh	Visa on arrival[17]	30 days
Barbados	Visa required[18]
Belarus	Visa not required[19]	30 days	Must arrive and depart via Minsk International Airport.
Belgium	Visa required[20]
Belize	Visa required[21]		US visa holders travelling to Belize, can stay up to 25 days
Benin	eVisa / Visa on arrival[22][23]	30 days / 8 days	Must have an international vaccination certificate.
Bhutan	eVisa[24]
Bolivia	Visa on arrival[25]	90 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa not required[26]	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period
Botswana	Visa not required[27]	90 days
Brazil	Visa required[28]
Brunei	Visa on arrival[29]	30 days
Bulgaria	Visa required[30]
Burkina Faso	Visa required[31]
Burundi	Visa required[32]
Cambodia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[33]	30 days
Cameroon	eVisa[34]
Canada	Visa required[35]
Cape Verde	Visa on arrival[36]
Central African Republic	Visa required[37]
Chad	Visa required[38]
Chile	Visa required[39]
China	Visa required[40]		Visa not required to  Hong Kong for 30 days Visa on arrival for  Macau
Cayman Islands	Visa not required[41]	up to 6 months
Colombia	eVisa[42]	90 days
Comoros	Visa on arrival[43]
Republic of the Congo	Visa required[44]
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Visa required[45]
Costa Rica	Visa required[46]		US visa holders (B1/B2, C1 or D) travelling to Costa Rica, can stay up to 30 days. Visa must be valid for at least 1 day from the day of arrival US visa holders (Greencard holder, F1, J1, H1B, G4, L1, EB-1) travelling to Costa Rica, can stay up to 30 days. Visa must be valid for at least 6 months from the day of arrival
Côte d'Ivoire	eVisa[47]	3 months	eVisa holders must arrive via Port Bouet Airport.
Croatia	Visa required[48]
Cuba	Visa required[49]		Tourist card can be purchased if holding valid visa of US, Canada, and Schengen member State
Cyprus	Visa required[50]
Czech Republic	Visa required[51]
Denmark	Visa required[52]
Djibouti	eVisa[53]	31 days
Dominica	Visa not required[54]	21 days
Dominican Republic	Visa not required[55]
Ecuador	Visa not required[56]	90 days
Egypt	Visa not required[57]	3 months
El Salvador	Visa not required[58]	90 days
Equatorial Guinea	Visa required[59]
Eritrea	Visa required[60]
Estonia	Visa required[61]
Eswatini	Visa not required[62]	30 days
Ethiopia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[63]	up to 90 days	Visa on arrival is obtainable only at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.[64] e-Visa holders must arrive via Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. e-Visa is available for 30 or 90 days.[65]
Fiji	Visa required[66]
Finland	Visa required[67]
France	Visa required[68]
Gabon	eVisa / Visa on arrival[69]		Electronic visa holders must arrive via Libreville International Airport.[70]
Gambia	Visa required[71]
Georgia	Visa not required[72]	1 year
Germany	Visa required[73]
Ghana	Visa required[74]
Greece	Visa required[75]
Grenada	Visa required[76]
Guatemala	Visa not required[77]	90 days
Guinea	eVisa[78]
Guinea-Bissau	eVisa / Visa on arrival[79]	90 days
Guyana	Visa required[80]
Haiti	Visa not required[81]	3 months
Honduras	Visa not required[82]	90 days
Hungary	Visa required[83]
Iceland	Visa required[84]
India	Visa required[85]
Indonesia	Visa on arrival[86]	30 days
Iran	Visa not required[87][88]	15 days
Iraq	Visa on arrival[89]		Visa on arrival when arriving at Al Najaf International Airport, Erbil International Airport or Sulaimaniyah International Airport or Basra International Airport.
Ireland	Visa required[90]
Israel	Visa required[91]		Confirmation from Israeli Foreign Ministry is required before a visa is issued.[92]
Italy	Visa required[93]
Jamaica	Visa required[94]
Japan	Visa required[95]
Jordan	Visa not required[96]	3 months
Kazakhstan	Visa not required[97]	30 days[98]
Kenya	Electronic Travel Authorisation[99]	3 months
Kiribati	Visa required[100]
North Korea	Visa required[101]
South Korea	Visa not required[102]	30 days
Kyrgyzstan	Visa not required[103]	60 days
Laos	eVisa / Visa on arrival[104]	30 days	17[Note 1] of the 31 border crossings are only open to visa holders.[105] e-Visa may be used to enter Laos through Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, 3 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 2] and in Boten (road and railroad).[106] Visa on arrival is available at Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, the 4 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 3] and 6 border crossings.[Note 4][105] Visa on arrival is extendable for an additional 60 days at the Department of Immigration in Vientiane.[107]
Latvia	Visa required[108]
Lebanon	Visa not required[109]	6 months
Lesotho	eVisa[110][111]
Liberia	Visa required[112]
Libya	Visa required[113]
Liechtenstein	Visa required[114]
Lithuania	Visa required[115]
Luxembourg	Visa required[116]
Madagascar	eVisa / Visa on arrival[117]	90 days
Malawi	eVisa / Visa on arrival[118]
Malaysia	Visa not required[119]	90 days
Maldives	Free Visa on arrival[120]	30 days
Mali	Visa required[121]
Malta	Visa required[122]
Marshall Islands	Visa on arrival[123]	90 days
Mauritania	Visa on arrival[124]		Available at Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport.
Mauritius	Visa not required[125]	90 days
Mexico	Visa required[126]		US visa holders travelling to Mexico for tourism, can be authorised to stay up to 6 months
Micronesia	Visa not required[127]	30 days
Moldova	Visa required[128]
Monaco	Visa required[129]
Mongolia	Visa on arrival[130]	1 month
Montserrat	eVisa[131]	1 year	eVisa is available for tourism only.
Montenegro	Visa not required[132]	90 days[133]
Morocco	Visa not required[134]	90 days
Mozambique	Visa on arrival[135]	30 days
Myanmar	eVisa[136]	28 days	eVisa holders must arrive via Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw or Mandalay airports or via land border crossings with Thailand — Tachileik, Myawaddy and Kawthaung or India — Rih Khaw Dar and Tamu. eVisa is available for tourism only.
Namibia	Visa required[137]
Nauru	Visa required[138]
Nepal	Visa on arrival[139]	90 days
Netherlands	Visa required[140]
New Zealand	Electronic Travel Authority[141]	3 months	Kuwait article 17 passports are unacceptable, and visas will not be endorsed in them.[142] International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy must be paid upon requesting an Electronic Travel Authority.[143] Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure.[144] Such travellers are not required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.[143]
Nicaragua	Visa not required[145]	90 days
Niger	Visa required[146]
Nigeria	Visa required[147]
North Macedonia	Visa required[148]
Norway	Visa required[149]
Oman	Visa not required[150]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Pakistan	Electronic Travel Authorization[151]		Electronic Travel Authorization to obtain a visa on arrival for tourism purposes.[152] Electronic Travel Authorization to obtain a visa on arrival for business purposes.[153] Online Visa eligible.[154]
Palau	Free Visa on arrival[155]	30 days
Panama	Visa not required[156]	90 days
Papua New Guinea	Visa required[157]
Paraguay	Visa required[158]
Peru	Visa required[159]
Philippines	Visa not required[160]	30 days
Poland	Visa required[161]
Portugal	Visa required[162]
Qatar	Visa not required[150]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Romania	Visa required[163]
Russia	eVisa[164]	16 days	e-Visa holders must arrive and departure via 29 checkpoints[165]
Rwanda	eVisa / Visa on arrival[166]	30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa not required[167]	3 months
Saint Lucia	Visa not required[168]	6 weeks
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa not required[169]	1 month
Samoa	Visa not required[170]	60 days
San Marino	Visa required[171]
São Tomé and Príncipe	Visa not required[172]	15 days[173][174]
Saudi Arabia	Visa not required[175]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Senegal	Visa not required[176]	90 days
Serbia	Visa not required[177]	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period
Seychelles	Free Visitor's Permit on arrival[178]	3 months
Sierra Leone	Visa on arrival[179]
Singapore	Visa not required[180]	30 days
Slovakia	Visa required[181]
Slovenia	Visa required[182]
Solomon Islands	Free Visitor’s permit on arrival[183]
Somalia	Visa on arrival[184]		Available at Berbera, Borama, Burao, Erigavo and Hargeisa airports.[citation needed] 30 days, available at Bosaso Airport, Galcaio Airport and Mogadishu Airport.[citation needed]
South Africa	Visa required[185]
South Sudan	eVisa[186]		Obtainable online[187] Printed visa authorization must be presented at the time of travel[187]
Spain	Visa required[188]
Sri Lanka	eVisa / Visa on arrival[189]	30 days
Sudan	Visa not required[190]
Suriname	eVisa[191]
Sweden	Visa required[192]
Switzerland	Visa required[193]
Syria	Visa required		According to the Law No. 2 of 2014 all visitors require visas prior to arrival.[194][195][196] According to the IATA database, visa may be obtained on arrival and is valid for 15 days.[197]
Tajikistan	Visa on arrival[198]	45 days	At Dushanbe International Airport. Visa also available online. E-visa holders can enter through all border points.[199]
Tanzania	eVisa / Visa on arrival[200]	90 days
Thailand	Visa not required[201]	30 days	Maximum two visits annually if not arriving by air.
Timor-Leste	Visa on arrival[202]	30 days
Togo	Visa on arrival[203]	7 days
Tonga	Visa required[204]
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa required[205]
Tunisia	Visa not required[206]	3 months
Turkey	Visa not required[207]	90 days within last 180 days
Turkmenistan	Visa required[208]
Tuvalu	Visa on arrival[209]	1 month
Uganda	eVisa / Visa on arrival[210]		May apply online.[211]
Ukraine	eVisa[212]	30 days
United Arab Emirates	Visa not required[213]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
United Kingdom	Electronic Travel Authorisation[214]	6 months
United States	Visa required[215]
Uruguay	Visa required[216]
Uzbekistan	Visa not required[217][218]	10 days	5-day visa-free transit at the international airports if holding a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country.[219]
Vanuatu	Visa not required[220]	30 days
Vatican City	Visa required[221]
Venezuela	Visa required[222]
Vietnam	eVisa[223]
Yemen	Visa on arrival[224]	3 months
Zambia	Visa not required[225]
Zimbabwe	eVisa / Visa on arrival[226]	3 months

Non-visa restrictions

Many countries have entry restrictions on foreigners that go beyond the common requirement of having either a valid visa or a visa exemption. Such restrictions may be health related or impose additional documentation requirements on certain classes of people for diplomatic or political purposes.

Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages.^[227] Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

Vaccination

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year^[228] to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.^[229]

Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.^[230][231]

Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.

However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens^[232][233] or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).^[234]

Some countries, such as Japan,^[235] Ireland and the United Kingdom,^[236] require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.

In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain,^[237] Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,^[238] Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru,^[239] Philippines,^[240] Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.^[241]

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.

Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.

Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.

Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives^[242] and South Africa.

Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States,^[243] routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

Persona non grata

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning entry into that country. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.^[244]

Israeli stamps

Kuwait,^[245] Lebanon,^[246] Libya,^[247] Syria,^[248] and Yemen^[249] do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017^[update]) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.^{[citation needed]}

Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

Biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.^[250]

Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan,^[251][252] Argentina,^[253] Brunei, Cambodia,^[254] China,^[255] Ethiopia,^[256] Ghana, Guinea,^[257] India, Japan,^[258][259] Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken),^[260] Malaysia upon entry and departure,^[261] Mongolia, Saudi Arabia,^[262] Singapore, South Korea,^[263] Taiwan, Thailand,^[264] Uganda,^[265] the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by domestic legislation),^{[266][267][268]} intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.^[269]

Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports^[270] and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.^[271][272]

See also

• Visa policy of Kuwait
• Kuwaiti passport

References and Notes

References

Notes