21/12/2025
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21/12/2025
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KUWAIT CITY, Dec 21: Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi has issued the executive regulations for Law No. 1 of 1999 and its amendments concerning health insurance for foreigners. The regulations mandate the payment of health insurance fees for all residency and visit visas, clearly defining the applicable amounts.
The regulations will take effect on December 23.
Health Insurance Fees for Entry VisasThe regulations set a health insurance fee of 5 dinars for eight types of entry visas issued for the purpose of obtaining residency, covering the following categories:
- Government sector
- Private sector
- Commercial or industrial activities
- Family / Dependent Visa
- Students
- Foreign investors
- Temporary government contracts
- Temporary work in the oil sector
For visit visas, health insurance fees are determined in accordance with the private sector health insurance system and apply to the following nine types of visit entry permits:
- Government visits
- Business visits
- Family visits
- Private visits
- Medical treatment visits
- Multiple-entry visits
- Tourist visits
- Visits for sports activities
- Visits for cultural or social activities
A health insurance fee of 5 dinars also applies to the following four types of entry visas:
- Transit (passage) visas
- Entry visas for drivers of transport vehicles, including trucks and buses
- Emergency entry visas
- A newly introduced entry category
The regulations set the health insurance fee for residency permits at 100 dinars for the following 10 categories:
- Employees in the government sector (Article 17)
- Employees in the private sector (Article 18)
- Foreign partners (Article 19)
- Foreign investors (Article 21)
- Foreign students (Article 23)
- Foreigners who sponsor themselves (Article 24)
- Foreigners who own property (Article 25)
- Former Stateless (Bedouns) granted residency for the first time after obtaining foreign passports, including retired military personnel previously classified as illegal residents, and families of foreign martyrs (Article 30)
- Religious figures, including imams and preachers of Husseiniyas (Article 31)
- Newly established residency categories
A reduced health insurance fee of 10 dinars applies to private-sector work permits under Article 18 for the following categories:
- Agricultural workers on farms
- Fishermen
- Camel and sheep herders
- Employees of dairy companies
The regulations exempt domestic workers and those in similar roles sponsored by Kuwaiti families from health insurance fees for the first three workers, in accordance with Article 20. A fee of 10 dinars will apply for the fourth domestic worker and beyond.
Family Visa FeesA health insurance fee of 100 dinars is required for joining family members, depending on the sponsor’s residency status, for the following categories:
- Government sector employees (Article 17)
- Private sector employees (Article 18)
- Foreign partners (Article 19)
- Foreign investors (Article 21)
- Students (Article 23)
- Self-sponsored foreigners (Article 24)
- Property-owning foreigners (Article 25)
- Religious figures, including imams and Husseiniya preachers (Article 31)
- Children of Kuwaiti women who obtained citizenship by dependency through marriage to a Kuwaiti citizen
- Family members other than spouses and children (Article 29)
- Wives and children of former illegal residents who obtained foreign passports, including retired military personnel
- Wives and children of foreign martyrs
- Foreign spouses and children of Gulf citizens
- Domestic workers sponsored by foreign families
- Domestic workers sponsored by diplomats
The regulations provide exemptions from health insurance fees for nine categories, with the possibility of adding further exemptions by ministerial decision. The exempted categories include:
- Foreign women married to Kuwaiti citizens
- Widowed or divorced Kuwaiti women with children
- Foreign children of Kuwaiti citizens
- Parents of Kuwaiti citizens
- Children of Kuwaiti women from foreign husbands
- Domestic workers for Kuwaiti families, limited to a maximum of three individuals
- Diplomatic missions and official delegations
- Bedouns, in coordination with the Central Agency for Illegal Residents
- Foreign newborns, who are exempt for four months until a passport is issued or the child leaves the country
The regulations also highlight several key observations:
- Only foreigners who are children of Kuwaiti citizens and hold the specified residency permit are exempt from fees.
- The exemption for widows or divorcees applies only to those who hold the designated residency status.
- The validity of health insurance coverage is linked to the issuance date and duration of the entry or residency visa issued by the Ministry of Interior, not the passport’s validity.
- In cases where a residency permit is reissued due to an administrative error and an exemption is granted by the Ministry of Interior, any previously paid health insurance fees will be refunded.
