WORKING IN KUWAIT

Except for inhabitants of Gulf Cooperation Council member states, every immigrant must first get a work permit before starting work in Kuwait. Only after the expat has received a valid job offer is a work permit provided.

After the immigrant accepts the offer, the Kuwaiti employer acts as a sponsor and submits an application for a work visa to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, together with the employee’s passport and a NOC from the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Criminal Investigation.

The employee can then apply for an entrance visa at the Kuwait Embassy in his or her home country by presenting a copy of the work permit that he or she acquired from the sponsor, as well as the employer’s NOC and a copy of the authorized signatory, as well as registering for business purposes. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kuwait will provide a copy of his work permit to the Embassy. If the sponsor’s nation does not have a Kuwait Embassy, the work permit and NOC should be submitted to the Ministry of Interior in order to receive an entry visa.

After obtaining the visa, the Kuwaiti employer (sponsor) is solely responsible for all administrative tasks such as providing housing, opening a bank account, and so on. In the event that the expatriate employee violates the contract, the sponsor is equally liable.

In Kuwait, what are the typical working hours?

In Kuwait, the working week might last anywhere from 40 to 48 hours, depending on the company’s policies. The regular operating hours are 8.30 or 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Summer and winter are identical in terms of timing. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims who fast during the day are only allowed to work for 6 hours. Many businesses follow this legislation, but only a few make this option available to all employees.

If your organization works a five-day week, Thursday or Saturday will be another day off, as Friday is a popular holiday. Foreign corporations prefer Saturday since taking Thursday would result in a reduction in the number of equivalent working days to international ones. Due to the fact that school’s “weekend” includes Thursday and Friday, some employers insist on Thursday as a day off.