Visit visa duration

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My brother-in-law will enter Kuwait on 1st March 2016 at 9 am on a family visit visa which is valid for “1 month”. He is booked on Kuwait Airways to leave on March 31, 2016 at 9 pm.

Kindly let me know whether the one month mentioned on the visa is a calendar month or is actually 30 calendar days.

Further, what is the penalty if he leaves one day late and can the same be paid at the airport?

Name withheld
Answer: In this regard it is very important to understand one thing— while at the bottom of the visit visas it is clearly mentioned that the visitor is allowed to stay in the country for “one month”, the Immigration Department considers the one month to be “30 days” and not the calendar month. So, in your case, your brotherin- law will be required to leave the country by 30 March midnight and not a minute beyond that or you will be required to pay a fine of KD 10 per day that he overstays.

Please also understand that this fine has to be paid at the Immigration Department in your area and not at the airport in this regard. Payment at the airport is “sometimes” allowed during amnesty for residence violators.

The fine can be paid even in advance if you know that the overstay is going to occur. Having said the above, it is important to remember — although you have not asked a question in this regard — the visitor could end up being blacklisted for at least a year if he overstays. The same sanction could also be applied to the sponsor and he may not be allowed to get a visit visa for anyone for one year. So, the best thing in this regard would be not to overstay and leave the country before the end of the 30th day.

This news has been read 8794 times!