Illegal Residents Required to Complete Biometric Fingerprinting for Travel and Transactions

The Ministry of Interior has announced that it will suspend all transactions for citizens and residents who do not complete biometric fingerprinting by the set deadlines: September 30, 2024, for citizens and December 31, 2024, for expatriates. The Ministry clarified that failure to complete biometric fingerprinting will not impact travel rights, as travel restrictions can only be imposed by the Public Prosecution, the General Department of Investigations, or through ministerial decisions in the public interest.

The Ministry estimates that about 250,000 individuals may miss the deadline for fingerprinting, either due to non-compliance or being wanted. Since the biometric fingerprinting process began in May 2023, approximately 805,000 citizens have completed the procedure, with 171,000 still pending. Among expatriates, 1,864,000 have been fingerprinted, leaving about 970,000 yet to comply.

Illegal residents are also required to undergo biometric fingerprinting, coordinated with the General Administration of Information Systems and the Central Agency for Illegal Residents. This requirement applies to travel, renewing security cards, and other transactions.

Launched in May 2023, the biometric fingerprinting project, which began in 2016, aims to create a comprehensive database of all individuals in Kuwait, including citizens, residents, and short-term visitors. The initiative is designed to combat passport forgery and dual nationality issues, and assist in locating and identifying individuals wanted by security authorities. The project is modeled on successful implementations in GCC countries and other international examples.

After the deadlines, individuals who have not completed fingerprinting will be unable to process transactions with ministries, government agencies, banks, and listed companies. Investigations will follow.

To assist individuals with special needs and bedridden persons, the Ministry of Interior will provide mobile biometric fingerprinting services in coordination with the General Administration of Information Systems. Since the initiative began, 1,300 beneficiaries have used this service. For bedridden individuals and those with moderate to severe disabilities, document submission for biometric fingerprinting must be done via WhatsApp only. Once documents are received, appointments will be scheduled.

With only 21 days remaining until the citizen fingerprinting deadline, the Ministry has extended the operating hours of fingerprinting centers to 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Individuals must book appointments in advance through the “Sahel” application before visiting the centers.