By Marwa Al-Bahrawi Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff KUWAIT CITY, Dec 21: Minister of Health Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadhi has issued the executive regulations for Law No. 1/1999 and its amendments concerning health insurance for foreigners. The regulations make health insurance mandatory for obtaining or renewing residency permits, as well as for entry and visit visas, and specify the applicable fees. The regulations will come into effect on December 23, 2025. The health insurance fee is set at KD 5 for entry visas issued for the purpose of obtaining residency. This applies to eight categories:

* working in the public sector,

* working in the private sector,

* engaging in commercial or industrial businesses,

* family visa,

* students,

* foreign investors,

* temporary government contract,

* temporary work in the oil sector.

For visit visas, the fees are based on the private sector health insurance system and cover nine categories:

* government visit,

* business visit,

* family visit,

* private visit,

* visit for medical treatment,

* multiple-entry visit

* tourism visit,

* visit for sports activities,

* Visit for cultural or social activities.

* transit visa,

* entry visa for drivers of transport vehicles (trucks and buses),

* emergency entry visa,

* newly created entry visa.

* agricultural workers on farm plots,

* fishermen,

* camel and sheep herders,

* dairy company employees, and domestic workers.

The regulations exempt the first three domestic workers and those in similar categories, according to Article 20, when employed by Kuwaiti families. For each additional domestic worker starting from the fourth, a fee of KD 10 will apply.

* public sector employment (Article 17),

* private sector employment (Article 18),

* foreign partner (Article 19),

* foreign investor (Article 21),

* student visa (Article 23),

* self-sponsor (Article 24),

* foreign property owner (Article 25),

* religious figures, imams, and preachers of Husseiniyas (Article 31),

* children of Kuwaiti women who acquired citizenship through marriage to a Kuwaiti citizen,

* family visas for individuals other than spouse and children (Article 29),

* spouses and children of illegal residents who have obtained foreign passports, including retired military personnel,

* spouses and children of foreign martyrs,

* spouses and children of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) women,

* domestic workers sponsored by foreign families,

* domestic workers sponsored by diplomats.

The regulations also exempt nine categories from the prescribed fees, with the possibility of adding other categories through a ministerial decree.

They are:

* foreign women married to Kuwaiti citizens

* widows or divorcees of Kuwaiti citizens with children

* foreign children of Kuwaiti citizens

* parents of Kuwaiti citizens

* children of Kuwaiti women married to foreign men

* domestic workers of Kuwaiti families, up to a maximum of three individuals

* diplomatic missions and official delegations

* illegal residents (Bedoun), in coordination with the Central Agency for the Remedy of Status of Illegal Residents

* foreign newborns for four months, until they obtain a passport or leave Kuwait.

Also, children of Kuwaiti women holding residency permits under the aforementioned article are exempt from fees, as are widows or divorcees of Kuwaiti citizens holding residency permits under the same article. The start and expiry dates of health insurance are linked to the entry and residency visa dates issued by the Ministry of Interior and are not tied to passport validity.

If a residency permit is reissued due to an error and an exemption is granted by the Ministry of Interior, any already paid health insurance fees will be waived. The issuance of the executive regulations, aligned with Ministerial Resolution No. 2249/2025 of the Ministry of Interior governing foreigners’ residence, reflects the government’s commitment to legislative harmony between residency and health insurance procedures and to achieving financial and regulatory sustainability.

Dr. Hisham Kalender, Assistant Undersecretary for External Health Services at the Ministry of Health, considers the decision a remarkable achievement in the health reform journey, laying the foundation for a comprehensive and sustainable health insurance system. He believes that the implementation of the new system will generate annual State revenues exceeding KD200 million. He clarified that the reform plan aims to connect a resident’s health insurance status with his residency status within clearly defined regulatory frameworks.

He said this approach will lead to improvements in the quality of healthcare services, increase public revenues, and help reduce pressure on the Ministry of Health facilities. He added the plan is expected to create new opportunities for expansion in the private health insurance sector in order to achieve the integrated economic, regulatory and health goals. Meanwhile, Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Health Eng. Adel Al-Rashidi confirmed that health insurance procedures are carried out through the approved digital platforms, with more than two million transactions processed electronically each year.

He revealed the ministry is coordinating with its Interior counterpart during a transitional phase aimed at establishing a fully integrated electronic linkage between the two systems, which will strengthen intergovernmental integration and improve the overall experience for beneficiaries. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Hunaidi, Director of the Health Insurance and Guarantee Department, stated that the new fees were set following multiple technical and legislative assessments, particularly since the previous fee structure remained unchanged for nearly 25 years.

He added that these regulations are part of a broader reform package implemented by the Health Ministry over the past two years to modernize the health insurance system. He stressed that the new executive regulations, together with the amended Residency Law, constitute a unified framework for managing the affairs of residents and realizing economic, regulatory and health-related objectives, while ensuring ease of access to services, high service quality and financial sustainability. He pointed out that this measure is a continuation of the series of health reforms implemented by the Ministry of Health over the past two years, as part of a comprehensive review of existing policies, with the aim of keeping pace with developments in the health sector, improving healthcare services, and reinforcing the principles of governance and financial sustainability.

In other news, the Permanent Committee for Health Insurance Hospitals (Al-Dhaman) at the Ministry of Health held its meeting on Saturday in accordance with Ministerial Resolution No. 290/2025, issued on December 2, 2025. The meeting was attended by Minister of Health Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadhi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Committee Chairman Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, a representative of the Kuwait Investment Authority, representatives of Al-Dhaman Hospitals Company, and committee members from the Ministry of Health.

Also present were the Assistant Undersecretary for Private Medical Services Dr. Fatima Al-Najjar, the Assistant Undersecretary for External Health Services Dr. Hisham Kalender, the Director of the Technical Department, and the Director of the Health Insurance Department. During the meeting, they discussed several topics related to the operational procedures of the health insurance hospitals system and followed up on relevant organizational and technical aspects. Discussions also focused on the necessary institutional support and coordination to ensure the effective operation of health insurance hospitals, including completing the issuance of required licenses and streamlining procedures for transferring beneficiaries of health services for non-Kuwaiti beneficiaries to these hospitals in accordance with approved regulatory frameworks. These measures aim to ensure the smooth delivery, quality, and sustainability of services, in line with the strategic directions of the country’s health sector.

It is worth noting that the Health Insurance Hospitals Company (Al- Dhaman) is part of the Health Insurance Hospitals Company, established through a public-private partnership. Its goal is to create and operate an integrated healthcare system comprising a network of hospitals and primary healthcare centers.

The system aims to provide comprehensive and sustainable healthcare services to beneficiaries within health insurance programs, adhering to best professional practices and international standards. This contributes to developing healthcare infrastructure, improving the quality of services in Kuwait, enhancing financial sustainability, and alleviating the burden on the healthcare system.