To Work in Kuwait

  OBTAINING AN ENTRY VISA

All foreigners living and working in Kuwait must hold current residence permits, work permits, and civil identification cards; all non-Kuwaiti dependents, including children, must maintain valid residence permits. The school assists foreign-recruited employees in obtaining essential government permits and documents. The process to be followed is outlined in the checklist below. However, due to ever growing demand for these permits, it is advisable to be prepared to receive new instructions at any time.

As soon as possible after accepting the school’s employment offer, please send the following documents by international air mail (Federal Express or DHL) to the school’s address in Kuwait (allow three (3) weeks for delivery to Kuwait). You may wish to transmit copies via fax, as approved or requested by school officials. The school cannot apply for your visa until checklist items 1 - 4 (listed below) are in Kuwait. Therefore, send items 1- 4 immediately, with other designated items following without delay. Please note that expenses incurred in completing there requirement are the responsibility of the employee and will not be assumed by the school.

Permission to work for US Department of State and military spouses is arranged by the US Embassy.

1. An Application for Teaching Position with a photograph attached. On the back of the picture, please print your parents’ complete names and the complete name of your paternal grandfather (even if these individuals are deceased).

2. A Current Teaching Certificate. Mail or fax a clear photocopy, but hand-carry the original with you to Kuwait. If you do not have your original upon arrival, the school will not be able to complete your work visa.

3. Your college or university diploma(s) clearly showing your earned degree(s) (B.A., M.Ed., etc.). Mail for fax a clear photocopy, but hand-carry the original with you to Kuwait. If you do not bring the original, the school will not be able to complete you work visa.

4. A clear photocopy of the identification pages of your current passport. If necessary, obtain or renew your passport to ensure that it is valid for a minimum of six months.

Checklist items 5-8 are for use in processing and obtaining your Kuwait visa while you are in the USA (before you depart for Kuwait). (See Phase III below.) Obtain these documents as indicated, but do not send them to Kuwait. Instead, hold them for submission to the Kuwait Embassy or Consulate together with your passport and the two original copies of your work visa, which you shall receive from the school a few weeks before your departure.

5. A current certificate or letter from your local police authority certifying that you are a law-abiding citizen and have no criminal record. Do not request this document more than 90 days before you will submit your papers to the embassy.

6. A current certificate or statement, dated not more than 3 months prior to your planned arrival in Kuwait, and signed by a medical doctor, certifying the he/she has examined you and found you physically and emotionally fit for travel to and residence in Kuwait.

7. A certificate or statement dated within three months of your arrival in Kuwait and signed by a medical authority, confirming that you have tested negative for HIV (AIDS). (Kuwait’s Ministry of Health currently requires that you be tested again for HIV after your arrival. You will also be required to have a chest x-ray in Kuwait as a part of the residency requirements.) Canadians will require a Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C test in addition to the HIV test.

8. Two completed copies of the Kuwait Visa Application Form obtainable from the Kuwait Embassy in Washington, D.C. or from the Kuwait Consulate in New York. (see addresses in Phase III) Include two passport-sized photos. This can be requested from the embassy at any time.

Checklist items 9-13 are currently required in Kuwait after your arrival. You may receive time-specific instructions for mailing, faxing, or even hand-carrying these items to Kuwait with you. But, if you receive no further instructions, plan to bring them with you when you come.

9. A signed Uniform Contract for Teachers. One copy of the contract, prepared in both Arabic and English languages, will be provided to you.

10. Twenty-four (24) color, non-glossy, current passport photos (3 cm x 4 cm) AND twenty-four (24) color, non-glossy, current passport photos (2.5 cm x 3 cm). The number and sizes of the photos are extremely important. If you find it difficult to obtain pictures of these sizes prior to your departure, you may have them produced upon arrival in Kuwait, where prices are generally lower than in the US or Canada. The school can arrange for all teachers who do not have pictures to go as a group and have them taken. Most teachers have found this cheaper and quicker to do in Kuwait. The school will aid you with this process.

11. Complete, official college or university transcripts, showing all graduate and undergraduate courses completed.

12. Professional references and supervisory evaluations from professors and employers, both past and present. One of each is sufficient.

13. Certificates or letters verifying each year of full-time, full-year contract teaching and identifying your professional position, assignment, and/or duties. Salaries are based on documented, full-time contract teaching.

14. An original or certified copy of your birth certificate.

Items 15, 16, and 17 are recommendations. In the past, Kuwait ministries have required documents 15 and 16 for various reasons. Neither is currently required, but you may find it helpful, even necessary, to have these with you in Kuwait at some point. These should not be sent to the school but should remain with you.

15. An International Health Certificate, obtainable from your medical doctor or clinic, recording appropriate inoculations. You will find it helpful to keep this health card with you in all your international travels, particularly in the developing world. While Kuwait currently requires Hepatitis A/B, you are advised to confer with your medical doctor about any injections or precautions that he/she may recommend. It is universally advisable to maintain immunity to typhoid, diphtheria, tetanus, and polio. You may wish to check with the US Department of State (202-647-1512) or the Kuwait Embassy, both in Washington, DC for changes in health requirements.

16. An original or certified copy of you marriage certificate, if applicable.

An original or certified copy of your divorce decree, if applicable.

17. An international driver’s license. Obtaining a Kuwaiti driver’s license may take some time (eg. Up to 3 months). Applications can only be made after you obtain a civil ID. Check with AAA for more assistance.

Upon receipt of all required documents from the checklist above, the school will begin work to obtain your entry visa, a rather tedious process involving several Kuwaiti ministries and requiring a minimum of ten (10) weeks. Therefore, it is imperative that you send all required documents as soon as possible. You may want to consider FedEx or DHL as a means of ensuring that documents arrive at the school quickly. (See note later for which address to use for such services.)

As soon as AAG obtains your visa from the ministry in Kuwait, it will be forwarded directly to you together with detailed instructions. From the date printed on your visa, an additional 3 - 4 weeks may be required for Kuwait’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to transfer your name and visa verification to the Kuwait Embassy or Consulate in the US or Canada. Only when you have confirmation from the Embassy or Consulate that your name is cleared for visa issuance will you send the following documentation to them to obtain the visa stamp in your passport. Ensure that the Embassy or Consulate has your name on an approved work visa before proceeding.

1. Your current and valid passport
2. Both copies of the official Kuwait Work Visa **
3. Police Report (checklist item #5)
4. Medical Report (checklist item #6)
5. Original HIV test (checklist item #7)
6. Two completed Visa Application forms with photos (checklist item #8)

** The school will obtain your work visa for you. It will be sent to you ASAP

The Embassy of Kuwait
2940 Tilden Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 966-0702

Kuwait Consulate
321 East 44th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 973-4318

The Embassy of Kuwait
333 Sussex Dr., Ottawa
Ont. Canada KIN 1J9
(613) 237-6785 Fax (613)-780-9905

**Some teachers have noted that documents sent via priority mail seem to be processed and returned more quickly. This means not only sending it via expressed mail but including a pre-paid expressed mail return envelop.

Plan to arrive in Kuwait in early-August, preferably no later than August 20th. Professional in-service meetings and teacher orientation will take place before school starts. Prior to August 15th, the school will not be prepared to meet new employees at the airport and take them to their housing unit, but will be unable to provide personalized support until after August 15.

Several days prior to departure for Kuwait, each employee is requested to fax complete flight information to the school’s business manager. Given this information, a school representative will be waiting at the airport to assist those who have passed through immigration (the first requirement for new arrivals in Kuwait), collected their baggage (the second thing that must be done), and passed through customs (the third - hopefully - last step before departing Kuwait’s international airport). School representatives cannot enter the customs or immigration areas to assist with these tasks. Upon exiting the customs hall and entering the arrivals area, school employees will be welcomed and taken to their apartments. If, upon arrival, you are not recognized and greeted by a school representative, proceed straight ahead through the arrivals hall to the information desk, identified by a large white sign. At the information desk, one of three things should occur:

1. You will find someone from the school who is also looking for you
2. You will request that a school representative be paged for you.
3. You will be directed to a local telephone where you may call the school or one of the individuals listed under Important Phone Numbers. Personnel at the Information Desk speak English and will assist you.

Every attempt will be made to have your apartment ready when you arrive. There will be "survival" groceries, linens, dishes, etc., to get you by for a day or two. (See Housing Section)

As soon as possible, after arrival, foreign-recruited employees need to meet with the school’s cashier to discuss:

1. The relocation allowance (also known as the settling-in allowance) of KD 120 is available in part or total upon arrival. (this money will be made available to you immediately upon your arrival so that you will be able to make purchases before salary is paid.)
2. Reimbursement for excess baggage (receipts are necessary) allowance can also be arranged during orientation.

Upon arrival in Kuwait, passports and entry visas of new employees must be submitted to the principal’s secretary, who will keep them for approximately 6 - 8 weeks until all paperwork is completed for Kuwait residency, and, for those who wish to obtain one, a Kuwait driving license. New employees and their dependents should plan no trips from Kuwait during the period required to obtain a valid residence permit.

Approximately two weeks after documents are submitted to the secretary, two afternoons from 3:30 - 5:30 PM will be required for blood tests and chest x-rays. Fingerprints, also required for residency, will probably be done on a school day morning from 7:30 - 11:00 AM. Approximately three weeks after completing the medical and fingerprints, the results will be ready for submission to the Ministry. Then, if all goes well, residence permits will be stamped in passports, allowing new residents to travel freely from Kuwait and to obtain a Kuwaiti driving license.

After obtaining residence permits, paperwork for obtaining a Kuwaiti driving license will be started. Again, one school day morning, 7:00 - noon, will be used to complete government blood typing and vision testing. When the results of these tests are available, your US/Canadian driver’s license must be legally translated into Arabic, certified as legal and valid by your national Embassy (there is a fee) and Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and processed by the traffic department, all at an approximate cost (to the employee) of KD 50 - 75, depending on years of validity, age of the applicant, etc. The school pays no fees associated with obtaining a Kuwaiti driving license but does employ school personnel to assist teachers in completing ministry requirement. This process takes planning. School personnel can only assist on a time available basis and teachers must discuss with their respective principal when they will be away from school.

The State of Kuwait requires all residents to obtain a Civil ID Card. The principal’s secretary will assist employees in preparing essential paperwork, processing the application, and, when possible, collecting the card from the Civil ID Authority.

The school will assist school employees in establishing banking services. Salaries are paid by the end of each month and will be deposited into Kuwait bank accounts only. Automatic teller cards for local banks, US dollars and foreign currency bank drafts, and electronic transfer of funds nearly anywhere in the world are easily obtained. No restrictions or limitations on the transfer or exchange of funds currently exists in Kuwait.

ATM cards and US credit cards will work in some (not all) local ATM machines. Be aware, however, that both the local and your own banks will very likely charge you.

National Bank of Kuwait Watani cards (local ATM) (which most staff use) will work outside of Kuwait at any machine which has the PLUS system.

Kuwait is still very much a cash society. Employees should be prepared to deal in cash most of the time. In larger businesses, credit card are usually accepted.

Money should be brought to Kuwait in the form of cash or traveler’s checks. Cashier’s checks, bank drafts, personal checks or other instruments theoretically can be cashed in Kuwait, but the process can be long and fees expensive.