Kuwait has extended travel restrictions in place across the country that prohibit non-citizens from flying into Kuwait International Airport.
The country's Civil Aviation Authority has banned non-Kuwaiti citizens from flying to Kuwait until further notice.
The decision was based on the instruction of health authorities and part of coronavirus restriction measures, the authority said on Twitter.
Kuwait Airport had been set to reopen to more travellers on February 21, when travel restrictions were due to ease.
Commercial passenger flights were gearing up to once again be allowed to accept non-Kuwaiti citizens.
Airlines had been advised they would have to bear the cost of Covid-19 testing for passengers, according to a circular from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Travel to Kuwait has been restricted since February 7 when authorities closed borders to all travellers except Kuwaiti nationals and their first-degree relatives, domestic workers and medical professionals.
With the country extending restrictions and changing quarantine rules, here’s a guide to what you need to know if you’re planning to fly to Kuwait.
Who can fly to Kuwait?
Tourists and non-Kuwaiti citizens cannot fly to Kuwait.
Until further notice, only Kuwaiti citizens, their first-degree relatives, domestic workers, diplomats and medical professionals can fly to the country.
Who cannot fly to Kuwait?
Non-citizens including those with valid residency permits and GCC citizens will need to wait to travel to Kuwait.
When restrictions ease, travellers who have been in or transited through any country on the restricted list cannot enter Kuwait unless they spend 14 days in a non-restricted destination. This does not apply to Kuwaiti citizens..
List of restricted countries
- Afghanistan
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Bangladesh
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- France
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Lebanon
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Nepal
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Philippines
- Serbia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- United Kingdom
- Yemen
Kuwait remains closed to tourists. No visitors have been permitted to travel to the country since March 2020 and visa on arrival facilities are suspended.
What do I need to do before I fly to Kuwait?
Anyone planning to fly to Kuwait must have a negative PCR test. The PCR test must be conducted no more than 72 hours before acceptance on any flight to Kuwait and the result should be in English.
Visitors from 15 countries must submit their PCR test result before arriving in the country. This can be done via Kuwait's Medical Utility Network Accreditor system. The rule applies immediately to visitors from India, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Travellers from the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, France, the UK and the US must follow these new rules from Thursday, March 25.
Passengers must also download the Shlonik contact tracing app and the Kuwait Mosafer app before travelling to Kuwait. Negative PCR certificates need to be scanned on the Kuwait Mosafer app.
When checking in for any flight to Kuwait, travellers will have to pay 60 Kuwaiti dinars (Dh729) for two subsequent PCR tests, as requested by Kuwaiti authorities.
What rules are in place at the airport?
Passengers arriving in Kuwait will be required to go through thermal screening and then undergo the first of their two prepaid Covid-19 PCR tests.
Kuwait Airli`nes has also reminded travellers of mandatory rules in place at the airport including compulsory face masks, social distancing and hand sanitising every 30 minutes.
Which airlines are flying to Kuwait?
Commercial flights to and from Kuwait are operating at a reduced capacity of 35 passengers per flight. Several airlines continue to fly to and from the country including Kuwait Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad and Jazeera Airways.
Until further notice, only Kuwaiti nationals, their relatives and those on the exemption list will be accepted for boarding.
Do I need to quarantine in a hotel?
From Sunday, anyone arriving in Kuwait will have to undergo self-funded compulsory quarantine for seven days in a designated hotel, followed by a further seven days of home isolation. This is bookable in advance, via the Ministry of Health.
This has changed from the previous rule which demanded 14 days of home isolation.
Only diplomats, Kuwaiti patients who travelled overseas for medical treatment, Kuwaiti students studying overseas, medical crews and unaccompanied minors are exempt from hotel quarantine.
How much will quarantine cost?
The Kuwait Hotel Owners Association (KHOA) has announced recommended prices for each hotel category, according to local media.
For three-star hotels, the room rate has been set at KD20 (Dh243) per night for a standard single room and KD30 (Dh364) for a double room with breakfast and airport transfer.
Four-star hotels will cost KD30 (Dh364) per night for a standard single room or KD40 (Dh486) for a double room with breakfast and airport transfer.
Those looking to quarantine in luxury look set to pay KD45 (Dh546) per night for a standard single room and KD55 (Dh668) for a double room with breakfast and airport transfer in a five-star hotel.
The hotel quarantine policy will run until at least Sunday, March 21, when it will be reviewed.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Pathaan
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