I recently brought my wife to Kuwait on a dependent’s visa and have not yet stamped her residence. I have got a very good job offer and I want to quit my job and come back on the new visa.

(1) Do I need to stamp my wife’s residence before I cancel my residence or can she exit the country with me without stamping the residence? If so how long can she stay in Kuwait from her date of entry without stamping the residence?

(2) In case I stamp her residence and I cancel my residence and exit the country and come on a new visa, does her residence still remain valid and can she stay in the country after my visa is cancelled?

(3) In either case, the scenario is I do not want my wife to go out of Kuwait as I will immediately come back on a new visa and later I will transfer her residence. So, please advise the easiest way out of this situation.

Name withheld

Answer: If you are planning to get your residence cancelled, then it is better not to get your wife’s residence stamped because once your residence is cancelled, her residence will also have to be cancelled. Her residence will not remain valid once yours is cancelled.

Your wife can stay in the country for 60 days without getting her residence stamped. But you still need a paper from the Immigration Department in your area for her to leave the country. It is a routine procedure.
The best thing for your would have been to get a local transfer. In that way your wife would not have to leave the country.