Kuwait Introduces New Standard Fee for Work Permit Transfers

Kuwait has made a big change to its labor market rules by introducing a single, standard fee for all work permit transfers. Before this change, some industries did not have to pay this fee because they were given special exemptions. Now, those exemptions are removed, and everyone must pay the same fee.

This new rule was announced on Thursday by Sheikh Fahd Al Youssef, who is the First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Kuwait. He shared this information through Ministerial Resolution No. 4 of the year 2025. This resolution cancels an earlier rule from last year (Article 2), which had allowed some specific sectors to avoid paying extra fees for transferring work permits. That rule was made because of the special needs for workers in certain industries, but now, Kuwait wants to treat all sectors equally.

The new fee is set at KD150 (Kuwaiti Dinars 150) for every work permit transfer. This fee applies to many different groups. These include companies owned by the government, health centers and hospitals that are licensed by the Ministry of Health, private universities and schools, and foreign investors who have permission from the Investment Promotion Authority. It also covers sports clubs, federations, public benefit groups, labor unions, charities, religious endowments, licensed farms, factories, shops, and small industries. No matter which sector you work in, if you want to transfer a work permit, you will now have to pay KD150. This means the government has removed any special discounts or exemptions that some sectors used to get.

Another important part of the resolution is that it removes the need for the Public Authority for Manpower’s Board of Directors to carry out a one-year study on how the 2024 decision affected the labor market. This means the new rules can start working immediately, without waiting for a long review or study. The government wants to move quickly with these new labor policies.

In a related but separate development, Kuwait has officially started issuing visas again to Pakistani citizens after almost 19 years of restrictions. This is a big change because many types of visas were banned for Pakistanis for a long time.

According to a report by an international news agency, Kuwait has lifted the ban on several visa categories for Pakistani nationals. Now, Pakistanis can apply for different kinds of visas such as work visas, family visas, visit visas, tourist visas, and commercial visas. This change is expected to open new doors for thousands of Pakistanis who want to work, do business, or visit Kuwait for tourism.

One special focus is on the medical sector in Kuwait. The country plans to hire around 1,200 nurses from Pakistan to support its healthcare system. The first group of nurses is expected to leave Pakistan soon to start their jobs in Kuwait. This shows how the Gulf state is looking to improve its medical services by bringing skilled workers from abroad.

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