Kuwait health insurance rules:Health Insurance Fee for Residency Renewal Set at 100 Dinars, Effective December 23, 2025

The Ministry of Health has announced new regulations making health insurance mandatory for obtaining and renewing residency and visit visas for foreigners. The decision follows the issuance of the executive regulations for Law No. 1 of 1999 (as amended) by Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, and will come into effect on December 23, 2025.

Under the new rules, a 5-dinar health insurance fee will be charged for eight categories of residency entry visas, including employment in the government and private sectors, commercial or industrial activities, family reunification, study, foreign investors, temporary government contracts, and temporary employment in the oil sector.

Health insurance fees for visit visas will be determined according to the private sector health insurance system. These fees apply to nine types of visit permits, including government, business, family, private, medical, multiple-entry, tourist, sports, and cultural or social visits, according to local media reports.

A 5-dinar fee will also apply to four additional visa categories: transit visas, entry visas for truck and bus drivers, emergency entry visas, and a newly introduced entry category.

For residency permits, the regulations set a 100-dinar health insurance fee covering 10 categories. These include government and private sector employees, foreign partners and investors, foreign students, self-sponsored residents, foreign property owners, certain former illegal residents (Bedoun) who obtained foreign passports, religious figures such as imams and Husseiniya preachers, and a newly introduced residency category.Stay informed about Kuwait’s latest financial news, visa updates, and job openings by joining our WhatsApp channel:
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A separate 10-dinar fee will be charged for establishing work in the private sector under Article 18 for specific professions, such as agricultural workers, fishermen, camel and sheep herders, and dairy company employees.

The regulations exempt domestic workers serving Kuwaiti families from health insurance fees for the first three workers. A 10-dinar fee will apply for the fourth domestic worker and above.

Additionally, the health insurance fee for family reunification has been set at 100 dinars, depending on the sponsor’s residency status. This applies to family members of government and private sector employees, foreign partners and investors, students, self-sponsored residents, property owners, religious figures, and foreigners who are children of Kuwaiti women who acquired citizenship through dependency.