Kuwait — Residence Permit (Iqama): 6-Month Absence Rule
Summary
- Limit
- More than 6 months outside Kuwait without prior permission
- Domestic workers
- 4 months, unless permission is obtained in time
- Exempt
- Children of Kuwaiti mothers, property owners, Law 116/2013 investors, Art. 7-bis residents
- Way to extend
- Absence permit from Residency Affairs; the iqama must stay valid
- Effect
- The right of residence is forfeited
- Basis
- Decree-Law 114/2024, Arts. 13–14; MD 2249/2025, Art. 37 (amended by MD 1410/2026)
A Kuwaiti residence permit is forfeited if you stay outside Kuwait for more than six months without permission obtained in advance (Article 13, Decree-Law No. 114 of 2024; Article 37, Ministerial Decision No. 2249 of 2025), checked 9 October 2026. Domestic workers have four months. The Decree-Law repealed the 1959 Foreigners' Residence Law (Amiri Decree No. 17 of 1959); the regulations were published on 23 November 2025 and took effect one month later. The only ways past the limit are to belong to an exempt group or to get an absence permit from the General Department of Residency Affairs, before the six months end and while your iqama is still valid.
Article 37, line by line
Article 37 of the executive regulations, as amended in September 2026, has three parts.
- The limit. "A foreigner granted a residency permit may not remain outside the State of Kuwait for a period exceeding six months."
- The permit route. A foreigner with a valid residence permit may be granted permission to remain abroad for longer, on the terms and conditions set by the General Department of Residency Affairs.
- Domestic workers. Four months, unless permission to remain abroad is obtained from Residency Affairs before the four months end; otherwise the residence right is forfeited.
The exemptions are written into the first paragraph itself, so exempt residents are outside the six-month rule entirely rather than needing a permit. Note the order of events: Article 13 of the Decree-Law requires the permission to be obtained before the six months end, and Article 14 of the Decree-Law and Article 37 say the same for domestic workers' four months.
Counting the six months
- 1The count starts on the day you leave Kuwait and runs until you re-enter. Your exit and entry records at the border are what the Ministry of Interior will see.
- 2Six months from a 10 February departure take you to 10 August. The regulations do not spell out a counting method, so plan to be back, or to hold a permit, well before that date.
- 3Re-entering Kuwait ends the absence. The rule looks at one stay outside Kuwait and sets no yearly total, so the next departure starts a fresh count.
- 4Your iqama's own expiry date is a separate deadline. A residence permit that expires while you are abroad is a renewal problem, and the absence permit is only available while the permit is valid.
Kuwait has no personal income tax, so this is purely an immigration count. The neighbouring Gulf rules are similar but not identical: see the Qatar six-month rule, where a return permit can be arranged up to a year after departure, and the UAE residence visa rule.
Worked example
A family resident with a child at university abroad
Leena is on family residency sponsored by her husband in Kuwait, with an iqama valid until 30 June 2027. She flies to Kochi on 10 February 2026 to settle her son into his first year of university, and intends to stay until the end of the academic year. Six months from her departure take her to 10 August 2026.
In April, her husband takes the application form, his signature as sponsor, the university's enrolment certificate, authenticated as required, and two photographs to Residency Affairs, and the permit to stay abroad beyond six months is granted. She returns on 5 October 2026 on a still-valid iqama.
Her sister-in-law, who made the same trip without a permit and flew back on 1 September 2026, had been outside Kuwait for more than six months. Her residency had lapsed, and her sponsor had to apply for a new entry visa.
Exempt residents
- Children of Kuwaiti mothers. The exemption covers children of a Kuwaiti woman who did not herself acquire Kuwaiti nationality through marriage to a Kuwaiti.
- Property owners. Foreign owners of real estate in Kuwait.
- Licensed investors. People resident as investors under Law No. 116 of 2013 on the Promotion of Direct Investment who meet the criteria set by the Council of Ministers.
- Article 7-bis residents. Added by Ministerial Decision 1410/2026. Article 7-bis allows ordinary residency of up to ten years for people whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn under Article 13(4) of the Nationality Law (Amiri Decree 15/1959), and those who acquired it through them by dependency, who have regained their original nationality or acquired another.
These are the groups as Article 37 of the regulations lists them. Article 13 of the Decree-Law itself exempts "children of a Kuwaiti woman, owners of real estate and anyone who obtained residence as an investor", without the regulation's marriage qualifier or its reference to the Council of Ministers' criteria, and without the Article 7-bis group.
Dependants are not exempt in their own right. A spouse or child on family residency is subject to the six months unless they personally fall into one of these groups.
Staying away longer
Before the six months run out
The application goes to the General Department of Residency Affairs (the Ministry of Interior's immigration department). The government service page lists the form signed by your sponsor, a recent study certificate or a medical report from a health authority (authenticated by the Kuwaiti embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where applicable), and two 4×6 cm photographs on a blue background. The page still cites the 1987 regulations for the study certificate, so confirm current requirements with Residency Affairs before you rely on it.
Domestic workers
Permission from Residency Affairs must be obtained before the four months end; otherwise the right of residence is forfeited.
After a lapse
The old permit cannot be reactivated. Your sponsor applies for a new entry visa, and on arrival you go through the residence process again.
Frequently asked questions
No more than six months. Article 13 of the Foreigners' Residence Decree-Law (No. 114 of 2024) and Article 37 of Ministerial Decision No. 2249 of 2025, its executive regulations, say a foreigner granted residency may not remain outside Kuwait for more than six months. Under Article 13, the right of residence is forfeited unless permission from the Ministry of Interior is obtained before the six months end. It applies to every residency category unless you fall into one of the listed exemptions.
Four months. Under Article 14 of the Decree-Law and the third paragraph of Article 37, a domestic worker may not stay abroad for more than four months unless permission is obtained from the General Department of Residency Affairs before the four months expire; otherwise the right of residence is forfeited.
Article 37 of the regulations, as amended, lists four groups: children of a Kuwaiti mother who did not acquire Kuwaiti nationality through marriage to a Kuwaiti; owners of real estate in Kuwait; investors resident under the Direct Investment Promotion Law (No. 116 of 2013) who meet the Council of Ministers' criteria; and, since Ministerial Decision 1410/2026, people resident under Article 7-bis of the regulations: those whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn, and those who acquired it through them by dependency, who have regained their original nationality or acquired another. Article 13 of the Decree-Law words its own exemption more broadly: children of a Kuwaiti woman, owners of real estate, and anyone who obtained residence as an investor, with no marriage qualifier and no reference to Council of Ministers criteria.
Apply to the General Department of Residency Affairs for a permit to stay outside Kuwait for more than six months. The Ministry of Interior's service page asks for the application form signed by your sponsor, a recent certificate from an educational institution or a medical report from a health authority (authenticated by the Kuwaiti embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where applicable), and two photographs. Article 37 adds a condition: your residence permit must remain valid. Article 13 of the Decree-Law requires the permission to be obtained before the six months end.
There is nothing left to renew. To come back you need a new entry visa sponsored by your employer or family sponsor, followed by the full residence process in Kuwait. Check your residency status before you fly back.
Ministerial Decision 2249/2025 was issued on 9 November 2025, published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm on 23 November 2025, and came into force one month after publication, replacing the 2019 regulations (MD 957/2019). Article 37 was amended by Ministerial Decision 1410/2026, published in Kuwait Al-Youm on 6 September 2026 and in force from that date, which added the Article 7-bis exemption.
This rule is tracked automaticallyin
Bounded
- Automatically tracks your days for this rule
- Warns you before an absence puts your status at risk
- Counts arrival and departure days correctly
- Runs alongside your other visa, tax, and residency rules
Sources
- LawsKW — Ministerial Decision No. 2249 of 2025, executive regulations of the Foreigners' Residence Decree-Law (Arabic text, Art. 37)
- Kuwait Government Online — Permit to Stay Outside of Kuwait Exceeding 6 Months (Ministry of Interior service; archived 10 June 2026)
- Mesfer Law — Decree-Law No. 114 of 2024 on Foreigners' Residence (Arabic text, Arts. 13–14)
- LawsKW — Ministerial Decision No. 1410 of 2026 amending MD 2249/2025 (Arabic text; Kuwait Al-Youm no. 1807, 6 September 2026)
Related rules
For information only. This page is a plain-English summary of publicly available rules, not tax, legal, or immigration advice. Rules change and depend on your personal circumstances — always confirm with the official source above and a qualified professional before acting.