Kuwait's new travel rule for expats: Leaving before your approved leave? What every expat worker must know

Planning to fly out before your official leave starts? You could be denied at the airport. As Kuwait enforces a mandatory exit permit system for private sector expatriates, aligning your travel dates with employer-approved leave has become critical. Introduced on July 1, 2025, the new rule reflects Kuwait’s broader push for labor regulation and digital oversight through the Kafala-linked system. Here’s a full breakdown of what the new policy entails and how it impacts expatriates under Article 18 residency.
Travelling before official leave begins? Exit may be denied
Under Kuwait’s new exit permit regulation, expats in the private sector (Article 18 residency holders) must obtain employer-approved electronic travel authorization before departing the country, even for routine vacations. The process is handled through the Sahel app , and permits must be requested between 7 days and at least 24 hours before travel.

A critical requirement:
The departure date mentioned in the travel permit must match the actual date of departure, and it must not precede the start of officially approved leave.

For example, if your HR department has approved your leave to start on Saturday, but you attempt to travel Thursday night, the exit permit will not be validated at immigration. The system will flag this as a violation, and you may be stopped from boarding your flight.

To avoid this:

• Speak with your employer or HR to adjust your leave dates to align with your intended departure.
  
• Ensure that the exit permit application reflects the actual travel date.
  
• Plan the permit request in advance, keeping within the 7-day to 24-hour window prior to travel.
  
• Understand that Friday is generally not deducted from your annual leave, which may affect the leave calculation and dates in the permit system.
  

Exit permit system officially launched on July 1, 2025
The mandatory electronic exit permit system officially launched on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, for all private sector expatriates covered under Article 18 of Kuwait’s Foreigners’ Residence Law. The system is overseen by the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) and is part of Kuwait’s broader push toward digital transformation and labour market regulation.

Key facts at launch:

• The platform saw over 36,000 applications within hours of going live, indicating strong employer and employee response.
  
• The exit permits are processed via the Sahel mobile application or the Ashal Manpower Portal.
  
• Although the process is digital, final approval rests with the employer (or “kafeel”).
  
  

This rule applies not just to permanent departures but also to short-term travel or vacations outside Kuwait. Any private sector expatriate or dependent under Article 18 must obtain this permission before attempting to leave the country.

Why was this rule introduced?
Kuwaiti authorities have outlined several reasons for enforcing the exit permit system:

• Prevent illegal departures from the country.
  
• Ensure contractual obligations (e.g., pending salaries, loans, or duties) are fulfilled before travel.
  
• Combat labor market abuses, including:
  
  
  • Employees absconding without notice.
    
  • Visa trading and irregular recruitment practices.
    
    

The exit permit system provides real-time monitoring of expatriate movement, aiding the government in identifying and acting against such violations.

Reinforcing the Kafala sponsorship framework
The introduction of exit permits is closely linked to the Kafala (sponsorship) system, a long-standing legal framework across Gulf countries that ties a migrant worker’s residency status directly to their employer. Under this system, employers, who act as sponsors, hold significant authority over the legal and administrative aspects of a worker’s stay, including their ability to travel.

The current exit permit policy reinforces this dynamic by giving sponsors broad control over whether an employee can leave the country, even temporarily. While several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have taken steps to reform or dismantle parts of the Kafala system in recent years, Kuwait’s implementation of the exit permit marks a clear move toward reasserting employer oversight within the labor framework.

The Public Authority for Manpower has stated that the permit system aims to:

• Strengthen oversight by tracking expatriate exits.
  
• Ensure balanced rights between employers and employees.
  
• Reduce labor violations, such as undocumented exits or failure to settle obligations.
  
• Deter illegal visa trading, thereby tightening labor market regulations.