Visit visas and entry permits are valid for entry within 90 days of issue and then for a stay of up to 30 days only after entry, A visit visas costs KD 3/- . Entry permits are free.

A visit to Kuwait must be sponsored by a Kuwait individual or company, or a resident foreigner who is relative of the visitor while he or she is in Kuwait.

To obtain a visit visa for a business, visitor, a Kuwait sponsor or company will require:

   Visa application and security from completed by the sponsor
    Copy of the visitor's passport
   Copy of the sponsor's signature as registered for business purposes
   Copy of the letter of invitation from the sponsor to the business visitor stations the purpose of the visit.
To obtain a visit visa for a relative, a resident foreigner will require:
    Visa application and security form completed by the sponsor
    Copy of the visitor's passport
   Original and copy of the sponsor's passport
    Original and copy of the sponsor's civil ID
    Original and copy of the sponsor's work permit (Private sector empolyees)
    Recent salary certificate from the sponsor's employer
    Authenticated proof of the family relationship

Usually the sponsor of a relative is expected to be earning at least KD 450 per month if he works for the government and at least KD 650 if he work in the private sector.

Normally a visitor goes to a Kuwait embassy to have his visa processed and passport stamped before travelling to Kuwait. However a Kuwait sponsor can use a faxed copy of the visitor's passport to obtain the visa in Kuwait. The sponsor then faxes a copy of the visa to the visitor (to enable him to travel to Kuwait) and meets him at the airport with the original visa. The sponsor deposits the visa papers at a special counter in the arrival hall and the visitor must pick these up at a similar counter inside the immigration area in order to complete entry formalities. Either way, obtaining a visit visa takes about two working days, Hotels can also arrange visit visas for business but they take about a week to do so, naturly enough, expect the visitor to stay with on arrival.

The fine for staying more than 30 days on a visit visa is KD 10 a day. A visitor whose visa has expired is not allowed to leave until the fine has been paid, The fine must be paid at the immigration Department in Shuwaikh during government working hours and not at the airport. Fines however may be paid a few days in advance and, unless this is done, the flight out is invariably missed.

An expatriate may obtain two one-month extension to a visit visa or temporary residence provided application is made to the immigration Department before the visa has expired. A pleasant solution for visitors wishing to extend their stay is to obtain a second visit visa in Kuwait, travel to Bahrain on a morning flight and re-enter Kuwait in the evening round trip ( 40 minuets flying time ) only costs about KD 45.

Multiple entry visits visas, which allow holders to enter the country any number of times within a 12-month period, may be available to business sponsored by the ministry of defence.
American citizen (but not other Westerners) can sometimes obtain multiple entry visit that are valid for up to 10 years and allow an indefinite number of entries.

A transit visa, valid for a maximum stay of 7 days, can be obtained from a Kuwait Consulteabroad or from a Port Authority in Kuwait. The fee is KD
2. The applicant mustr have a valid visa for his next country of destination and, unless he is working on a ship or airline, a confirmed oward ticket. Bone fide international truck drivers and their helpers may obtain multiple entry transit visas.