[VIDEO] Public Advisory for Filipino Community in Kuwait from Philippine Embassy Kuwait

The Philippine Embassy wishes to inform the Filipino Community in Kuwait that the Ministry of Interior (MOI) is now implementing Law No.121/1959,which governs the  issuance and renewal of residency visas to foreign expatriates, Including Filipinos, in Kuwait.

The said law stipulates that the validity of the residence visas (Iqama) of foreign workers/residents in Kuwait will be limited to the validity of their passports such as the following:

1. Holders of passports valid for two years or more will get a residence visa valid for two (2) years.
2. Holders of passport valid for one (1) year but less than two (2) years will get a residence visa valid for one (1) year.
3. Holders of passports valid for less than a year shall not be issued a residence visa or cannot renew their residence visa ;and
4. Valid residence visas stamped on expired passport shall be automatically expired causing the visa holders to overstay.

The same law also stipulates that following penalties will be imposed to those who will violate the law:

1. A fine of KD2 per day per person;
2. A maximum of three (3) month jail term with a minimum fine of KD300 and a maximum fine of KD600 and
3. Travel Ban – an overstaying worker shall not be allowed to renew his/her residence visa or travel out of the country without paying the fine.

To continue their legal residence the employment in Kuwait and avoid the above penalties, all Filipino expatriates in Kuwait are hereby advised to monitor and observe the validity of their passports. If the validity of their passports is less than a year, they are advised to file their applications for the renewal of their passports at the Embassy immediately. Simultaneously, they may also file applications for the extension of the validity of their passports to ensure that their passports are valid while waiting for the release of their new passport.

Please note that the release of new passports at the Embassy takes about sixty (60) days from the date the passport applications were filed.

Please note further that the Embassy may extend the validity of the passports only until 25 November 2015. The deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICIAO) for all countries to phase out all non-machine readable passports from the circulation and discontinue the extension of the validity of passports in compliance with its global standards, which require all countries to fully implement their respective e-Passport system and renew expired or expiring passports.

Passports filled in the morning for validity extension will be released in the afternoon. In this regard the MOI’s Residency Affairs Department should be informed of the extension of the validity of their passports so that their passport information on the MOI’s system could be properly amended.

They should also advise their employers to transfer their residence visas from their old to new passports and update their personal data or information in the system of the MOI’s Residency Affairs Department. This procedure should also be followed by those who renewed their passports in the Philippines or any places outside Kuwait.

Check below video :

Source : Philippine Embassy of Kuwait