Kuwait has introduced a KD150 fee for converting eligible visit visas into regular residency permits under a new ministerial decision issued by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef.

The decision amends Article 39 of Ministerial Decision No. 2249/2025 by adding a new provision that sets the conversion fee at 150 dinars, while domestic workers and similar categories are exempt from the charge.

Published in the latest issue of the official gazette Kuwait Alyawm, the decision states that the fee applies to visit visa conversions carried out under Article 16 of the Executive Regulations of Kuwait’s new Foreigners’ Residence Law, which permits such conversions only in specific cases.

Under the regulations, a visit visa may be converted into a regular residency permit in the following five situations:

• Visitors holding a government visit visa to a ministry, public authority or government institution, provided they hold a university degree or possess specialized technical qualifications and receive approval from the Director General of the General Administration of Residency Affairs.
• Domestic workers and similar categories, who are exempt from the KD150 conversion fee.
• Individuals who entered Kuwait on a family visit visa or tourist visa and later become eligible to join a family member under a residency permit.
• Persons who entered Kuwait on a work entry visa, began residency procedures, but had to leave the country due to unavoidable circumstances for a period not exceeding one month before returning to complete the process.
• Other exceptional cases approved by the Director General of the General Directorate of Residency Affairs.

The new regulations also allow eligible applicants to convert their visit visas to residency permits without leaving Kuwait, subject to approval by the General Directorate of Residency Affairs and compliance with the conditions set out in the executive regulations.