Working in Kuwait
For Pakistan passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
Kuwait resumed visas for Pakistanis in May 2025 after a ban of well over a decade — the route is real again but still ramping up, and only a Kuwaiti employer can sponsor you.
What the employer must have
- A Kuwait-registered employer (sponsor) must request the visa — Kuwaiti visas are issued on the application of the sponsoring company, not the worker.
- The employer obtains the work permit and entry visa through Kuwaiti authorities before you can travel; a worker cannot self-petition.
- Early post-ban hiring has run through organised recruitment drives (for example an initial batch of 1,200 nurses), often coordinated between the two governments.
What you must do before you leave
- Confirm the Kuwaiti employer holds an actual approved visa for you before paying anyone or resigning a job — issuance only restarted in May 2025 and processing is still normalising.
- Register with the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment (Protector of Emigrants) before departure — direct registration or via a licensed OEP; required by Pakistan's Emigration Ordinance 1979.
- Verify any recruiting agent's OEP licence on beoe.gov.pk — BEOE publicly suspends and delists agencies that break the rules.
Things to watch
- Kuwait stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis in 2011; media widely describe the lift as ending a "19-year ban", a figure whose basis is unclear. Whatever the exact span, issuance was halted for well over a decade until May 2025, so 2026 volumes are still far below established corridors like India-Kuwait.
- A new Pakistan-Kuwait labour MoU was still being finalised as of the latest reporting found; recruitment channels may change as it lands.
- Kuwait's official portals (e.gov.kw, manpower.gov.kw) were unreachable from this session's location, so Kuwait-side permit mechanics could not be verified on a Kuwaiti government page.
- No credible evidence of a 2026 re-ban was found; one blog headline claiming a new ban was itself unreachable and contradicted by every reachable source.
What you may lawfully be charged
THE MOST A LICENSED AGENT MAY LAWFULLY CHARGE YOU as a service charge is PKR 15,000 (PKR 6,000 if you found the job yourself and only need the paperwork done). You do not hand it over — you deposit it in a bank and the agent is paid only after the Protector of Emigrants confirms you reached the job. Anything he spends on your ticket, medical or visa must come with a signed, stamped receipt.
Rule 15 and 15A, Emigration Rules 1979 (SRO 1058(I)/2023). Charging more is punishable by up to 14 years — Section 22(a), Emigration Ordinance 1979.
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.