Expatriates in Kuwait who failed to complete the mandatory biometric fingerprinting by the December 31 deadline are now facing strict restrictions. A security official confirmed that those who missed the deadline are prohibited from leaving the country until they comply with the requirement.
In addition to this travel ban, non-compliant expatriates have experienced suspension of government and banking services, and are barred from both entering and exiting Kuwait.
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The biometric fingerprinting initiative, which is part of a larger effort to create a comprehensive database of residents, was extended last year. While Kuwaiti citizens had until September 30 to complete the procedure, expatriates were given until the end of December. As of now, 3.5 million people have completed the process, leaving 181,718 expatriates still unregistered.
Talal Al Khalidi, an officer at the Interior Ministry’s General Department of Criminal Evidence, assured that there are eight fingerprinting centers operating daily, with a capacity to process 10,000 appointments per day. Appointments must be made through a designated app, and the procedure itself takes less than three minutes.
Officials have emphasized the importance of this initiative, which is aimed at preventing passport fraud and dual citizenship, both of which are prohibited in Kuwait. The biometric system is mandatory for all residents aged 18 and older. With foreigners accounting for 3.3 million of Kuwait’s total population of 4.9 million, authorities are urging full compliance to avoid any further disruptions.
