Plan to fly before your official holiday starts? You can be denied at the airport. As Kuwait implements a compulsory exit permit system for private sector migrants, it has become important to align their travel dates with a holiday approved by the employer. The new rule was introduced on 1 July 2025, reflecting Kuwait’s widespread push for labor regulation and digital oversite through a system connected to the cuffla. Here is a fullbreakdown of what the new policy is and how it affects migrants under Article 18 residence.
Travel before the official holiday starts? Exhaust can be denied
Under the new exit permit regulation of Kuwait, exits (Article 18 Residency holders) in the private sector must receive regular holidays, even the electronic travel authority approved by the employer before departing the country. This process is handled through the Sahel app, and permits should be requested 7 days from the journey and at least 24 hours before the journey. An important requirement: The departure date mentioned in the travel permit should match the actual date of departure, and it should not be officially before the onset of the approved holiday. For example, if your Human Resource Department has approved your holiday to start on Saturday, but you try to travel on Thursday night, permission to exit will not be valid on immigration. The system will flag it as a violation, and prevent you from riding in your flight. To avoid this:
- Speak to align with your desired departure to adjust your holiday dates with your employer or HR.
- Ensure that the exit permit application shows the date of the actual journey.
- Plan a permit request in advance, within the 7-day window before the journey.
- Understand that Friday is not usually cut from your annual holiday, which can affect holiday calculations and dates in the permit system.
Officially launched permit system on 1 July 2025
The electronic exit permit system launched on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 for all private sector migrants covered under Article 18 of the residence Act of Kuwait’s foreigners was officially launched officially. The system is maintained by the Public Authority for the Public Authority (PAM) and is part of Kuwait’s widespread push towards digital change and labor market regulation. Major facts in launch:
- The platform viewed more than 36,000 applications within a few hours of being live, indicating strong employers and employee response.
- The exit permit is processed through the Sahel Mobile Application or the Ashtar Manpower Portal.
- Although the process is digital, the final approval rests with the employer (or “kafale”).
This rule applies not only to permanent departure, but also to short -term travel or holidays outside Kuwait. Under Article 18, this permission should be obtained before trying to leave a migrant or dependent country in any private sector.
Why was this rule introduced?
Kuwaiti officials have underlined several reasons for implementing the exit permit system:
- Stop illegal departure from the country.
- Ensure that constructive obligations (eg, pending salary, loan, or duties) are completed before the journey.
- Fighter labor market misuse, including:
- February without notice.
- Visa trading and irregular recruitment practices.
The exit permit system provides real -time monitoring of the migrant movement, assisting the government in identifying and acting against such violations.
Strengthen cuffs
The introduction of exit permits is closely associated with the Kafla (sponsorship) system, which is a long -standing legal structure in the Gulf countries that directly connects the status of a migrant worker’s residence to its employer. Under this system, employers, who act as sponsors, have significant rights over the legal and administrative aspects of a worker’s stay, including their ability to travel. The current exit permit policy confirms the dynamic that an employee can leave the country, even temporarily. While many Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have taken steps to improve or eliminate parts of the Kafala system in recent years, the implementation of Kuwait’s exit permit is a clear step towards rebuilding the employer’s monitoring within the labor structure. For manpower, the public authority has said that the purpose of the permit system is:
- Strengthen the oversight by tracking the migrant exhaust.
- Ensure balanced rights between employers and employees.
- Reduce labor violations, such as failure to exhaust or dispose of obligations.
- Prevent illegal visa trading, tightening the rules of the labor market.
