Kuwait will require all international employees in the private sector to obtain an employer-endorsed exit permit before they can leave the country. This guideline is effective from July 1, 2025.
The policy was declared by the Public Authority of Manpower via its formal X account, citing a circular provided by First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef.
The new law is structured as an action to boost supervision of the movement of expatriate employees and ensure a balance between the privileges of employees and employers.
ALSO SEE: FINLAND TO PERMIT WORK-BASED RESIDENCE PERMIT HOLDERS TO CHANGE JOBS
MEANING OF AN EXIT PERMIT
An exit permit is a lawful or digital document that grants international employees the right to exit a host nation. Under the Gulf province’s largely criticized kafala (sponsorship) system, the employee’s capacity to travel is usually tightly tied to the employer’s authorization.
Without such approval, international employees can be blocked from exiting, even in the event of an emergency or after their contracts cease.
Authorities state that the new condition is intended to:
- Checking the migration of international employees
- Deterring disagreements between workers and employers.
- Controlling unlawful employment changes or absconding incidents.
- Boosting employer supervision over sponsored employees.
Although the exit permit procedure will be digitized and accessible online, it centralizes power in the employer’s hands, raising concerns from labor rights groups regarding the freedom of relocation.
NATIONS THAT NEED EXIT PERMITS TO TRAVEL
Historically, many Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations have required international employees to obtain an exit permit from their employers or sponsors before leaving the country. This structure, often criticized by human rights organizations, has changed in recent years.
In Saudi Arabia, the exit permit structure remains in place, requiring international employees to obtain sponsor authorization for leaving and re-entering the country.
Qatar has made huge strides in changing its labor laws. The nation lifted the exit permit condition for several international employees in 2018, a change implemented ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This modification is intended to improve employee mobility and liberties.
Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized the kafala system and its related exit permit laws. They argue that this type of regulation creates a power imbalance, allowing for exploitation, coerced labor, and limitations on private liberty.
The upcoming modification keeps Kuwait among Gulf countries that continue to strengthen employer regulation despite foreign requests for changes to migrant labor policies.
