How to Bring Your Widowed or Elderly Parents to Kuwait on a Dependent Visa

11/10/2025

How to Bring Your Widowed or Elderly Parents to Kuwait on a Dependent Visa

In Kuwait, many expatriates supporting their families face an emotional and legal challenge when it comes to sponsoring their elderly or widowed parents. While the country’s residency laws under Article 22 allow foreign residents to bring their spouse and children on dependent visas, extending the same privilege to parents remains a complex process. The Ministry of Interior considers such applications only under exceptional humanitarian circumstances, and approvals depend on strict eligibility criteria, including income level, housing adequacy, and individual case assessments by the Residency Affairs Department.
Kindly note that family visit visas and family residency (dependent) visas are different.
Below is a query for the Family Dependent Visa for the Surviving Mother

Question:
Dear Legal Team of Arab Times, Greetings of the day.
First of all, I am very thankful to your team that you are doing a great job for the Kuwait community as well as the expat community.
I am an expat resident in Kuwait having visa 18. I am living in Kuwait with my spouse and 9-month-old kid. For both of them, i am the visa sponsor and have a family dependent visa.
My father passed away in 2018, and I am the only son of my mother. So she became alone in India and was living alone. That's why I want to bring my mother also in Kuwait. Is it possible to get the residency for the mother?
Kindly guide me

Answer:
We understand your situation — and yes, this is a widespread concern among expatriates in Kuwait who wish to sponsor a surviving parent. Let’s go through it clearly and carefully based on the current Kuwaiti residency regulations (as of 2025).

Under Article 22 (Dependent/Family Visa), expatriates in Kuwait can sponsor their spouse and children, provided they meet the minimum salary requirement (currently KD 800 per month in most cases).

However, sponsoring parents (father or mother) is not automatically allowed under the regular dependent visa system. Parents are not considered direct dependents under the general family visa category.

Possible Exceptions (Special Approval Cases)

In exceptional humanitarian or compassionate cases — such as when the parent is widowed, elderly, and has no one else to care for them — the Ministry of Interior (General Department of Residency Affairs) may consider granting a residency permit for a mother, subject to discretionary approval.

For this, you must typically prepare and submit the following:

Required Documents:

Formal request letter explaining your situation — that your father has passed away and you are the only son responsible for your mother’s care.
Death certificate of your father (attested).
Proof of relationship — your birth certificate and your mother’s passport.
Proof that your mother is alone — e.g., an affidavit attested by Indian authorities and the Kuwait Embassy in India.
Copy of your civil ID, work permit, and salary certificate (showing sufficient income, ideally KD 1,000 or above for such humanitarian cases). (We had published this check this link)
Tenancy contract and electricity bill in your name (showing suitable housing).
Medical insurance for your mother.
Passport copy of your mother with sufficient validity.

The application must be submitted to the Residency Affairs Department in your governorate, and the Director or Assistant Director has the authority to review and approve or reject such cases.

Important Notes:

Approval is not guaranteed. Each case is evaluated individually, often based on humanitarian grounds and your salary/housing conditions.
Sometimes, the authorities issue your mother a temporary visit visa (extended periodically) rather than a full dependent residence.
If your salary or housing doesn’t meet requirements, the visit visa with periodic renewal may be your only option.

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