Kuwait’s e-permit exit rule: Expat workers need employer’s nod to fly out; how to obtain it?

Kuwait started implementing a brand new digital exit allow system for expatriate workers within the personal sector, in a transfer that marks a serious shift within the nation’s labour and journey insurance policies.From July 1, 2025, all international staff underneath Article 18 of the Foreigners’ Residence Law should obtain prior approval from their employer to journey overseas. The e-permit system, launched by the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), is a part of Kuwait’s wider digital transformation and labour market reform agenda.Authorities stated that the system has seen a robust early response, with greater than 36,000 functions submitted inside hours of launch, ET reported.Obtaining the allowUnder the brand new rule, expatriate workers within the personal sector should safe an digital exit allow earlier than travelling. The allow have to be utilized for through the Sahel Individuals cell app and accepted via the As-hal Companies portal. Employers or sponsors are required to evaluate and approve the request via the As-hal Companies portal. Streamlining course ofThe system runs 24/7, together with weekends, for ease of entry. According to the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), the regulation is designed to streamline exit procedures, improve transparency, and safeguard workers’ rights.Day one of many systemThe outbound visitors at Kuwait International Airport remained easy on the primary day of the brand new exit allow rule. The first flight underneath the regulation, an Air India service to India, departed at 12:45 am with none delays, adopted intently by one other India-bound flight. Authorities, together with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the ministry of inside, and a number of other airways, labored in coordination to guarantee seamless airport operations. Despite the busy summer time journey interval, the brand new rule didn’t trigger any disruptions or delays for departing passengers.Airlines alerting passengersAirlines have began issuing advisories, warning expatriate travellers on work visas that flight bookings will likely be cancelled if the obligatory exit allow is lacking at check-in. In such circumstances, no refunds or alternate bookings will likely be supplied, as per ET.Passengers are being urged to affirm the next earlier than heading to the airport:

The regulation aligns Kuwait with Gulf neighbours like Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain, which already function comparable programs, as per AFP.The new regulation additionally strengthened the prevailing sponsorship-based residency system, the place employers maintain vital management over varied elements of a international employee’s authorized standing.It was launched through a ministerial directive issued by first deputy prime minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef. The e-permit system comes amid a wave of recent immigration legal guidelines handed in late 2024, which embody tighter penalties for violations, contract limits, and a ban on deducting administrative charges from salaries. Kuwait has additionally raised the minimal wage requirement for sponsoring household visas to KD 800 monthly.Although the exit allow system is meant to promote extra organised labour market administration, some human rights teams have expressed considerations that it might additional tighten employer management and prohibit workers’ freedom of motion.