Question & AnswerQ&A (POEA Advisory No. 05)
Law No. 121/1959 of the State of Kuwait governs the issuance and renewal of residency visas of expatriates, including Filipinos, in Kuwait.
The validity of the residence visa (Iqama) is limited to the validity of the expatriate's passport. The visa cannot be valid beyond the passport's expiration date.
If the passport is valid for two (2) years or more, the residence visa is valid for two (2) years. If the passport is valid for one (1) year but less than two (2) years, the residence visa is valid for one (1) year. If the passport is valid for less than a year, no residence visa will be issued or renewed.
A valid residence visa stamped on an expired passport is automatically expired, which causes the visa holder to be considered overstaying.
Penalties include a fine of KD2 per day per person for overstaying, a maximum of three months jail term with fines ranging from KD300 to KD600, and a travel ban preventing renewal of residence visa or departure without paying fines.
Filipino expatriates are advised to monitor their passport validity and apply for renewal if validity is less than a year to avoid penalties and maintain legal residence and employment.
They should apply for passport renewal and may also apply for a validity extension of their current passport to maintain legal residence while waiting for a new passport, which takes around 60 days to process.
The validity of passports can only be extended until 25 November 2015 due to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) deadline to phase out non-machine readable passports in compliance with e-Passport standards.
They must inform the MOI's Residency Affairs Department to update their passport information and have their employers transfer the residence visa from the old passport to the new or extended passport.
They must follow the same procedure of advising their employers to transfer residence visas to the new passports and update personal data with MOI's Residency Affairs Department to ensure legal stay.