Kuwait: Home

Important travel information from Bentley University

Bentley Travel Policy ~ Bentley faculty, staff and students are periodically expected to travel on authorized business on behalf of the university in furtherance of its tax exempt mission. Find out the requirements for traveling abroad before you leave.

Bentley has provided support for all faculty and staff traveling on behalf of the University. Please refer to the Global Assistance Program, an on-call emergency medical and travel assistance provider.

Bentley University Police are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can contact them at 1.781.891.2201; ga_universitypolice@entley.edu

It is highly recommended you secure your entry visa to Kuwait in advance. Applications for an eVisa can be found here. Visas for U.S. citizens are also issued upon arrival at all Kuwaiti ports of entry.

General Requirements:

• Valid passport with a minimum of six (6) months prior to expiration date
• Two (2) completed current visa application forms
• Two (2) photographs
• Fee: U.S. passport $150.00 for single entry and $175.00 for multiple entries. Contact the embassy for other nationalities
• Fee: U.S. passport $150.00 for single entry and $175.00 for multiple entries. Contact the embassy for other nationalities

Purpose of visit and additional requirements are as follows:

• BUSINESS VISITORS: Letter from U.S. firm requesting the issuance of a visa and guaranteeing the applicant while in Kuwait.
• VISITORS OF FRIENDS AND RELATIVES: Holding No Objection Certificates obtained by relatives/friend in Kuwait are not required to stamp visas in their passports by the Embassy.
• PERSONS GOING FOR EMPLOYMENT:
  • Government Contract: copy of Letter of Appointment from Kuwait.
  • Private Sector: Work Permit issued by the General Department of Immigration Affairs in Kuwait. (If spouse or family members are accompanying applicant, Work permit, No Objection Certificate or Letter of Appointment must indicate that.)

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

• Permit to re-enter the United States is not a U.S. Passport. The Application for Travel Document needed for re-entry to the U.S. can be found here. More information can be found on the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services website.
• Passports sent by mail should include a pre-paid, self-addressed envelope (registered mail) for return.
• Fees should be paid by cash, money order or company check. PERSONAL CHECKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

Food, Language, Etiquette, and Dress

Call to Prayer: Prayer occurs 6 times a day. The call can be heard throughout the city being broadcast via speakers on every mosque. Find out about the monthly prayer timings at Prayer Times in Kuwait.

Currency: Kuwaiti Dinar. Tipping is expected in Dinar.  Your Bentley program manager will provide tip money as necessary during your trip.

Currency exchange rates change daily. As of April 30, 2024 it is approximately 0.31 Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD) to 1.00 U.S. Dollar (USD), or 100 USD is equal to 30.78 KWD.

Dress for Meetings and Events: Women do not need to cover their heads in Kuwait. Dress is always conservative. It is best to make sure shoulders/arms and legs are covered and clothing is not overly tight.

Food/Drink: 

• Alcohol is illegal in Kuwait. It is not available anywhere in the country.
• Pork is also against the law

Gift Giving

• Extended family or very close friends may exchange gifts for birthdays, Ramadan, Eid, Hajj and other celebratory occasions
• If you are invited to a Kuwaiti home, bring a houseplant, box of imported chocolates, or a small gift from your home country
• If a man must give a gift to a woman, he should say that it is from his wife, mother, sister, or some other female relative
• Do not give alcohol
• Gifts are not opened when received

Greetings: 

• Handshake. It is best to wait for the other person to extend their hand to you. Some people follow the practice that the right hand is seen as unclean, so they may extend their left hand (becoming less common).
• In all cases greetings are given with a sense of enthusiasm and general pleasure at meeting or seeing the person again
• Kuwaitis take time during the greeting process to converse about their health, family, mutual friends and acquaintances, and other general matters of interest

Business Meeting Etiquette

• Try to schedule meetings in the morning when meeting with government officials, since they are restricted to a 6-hour day.
• Many businessmen prefer to meet in the early evening.
• Do not try to schedule meetings in July and August as many Kuwaitis leave the country during the worst of the summer heat.
• Meetings may be interrupted if they interfere with prayer times.
• Meetings are generally not private unless there is a need to discuss matters confidentially.
• Expect frequent interruptions. Others may wander into the room and start a different discussion. You may join in, but do not try to bring the topic back to the original discussion until the new person leaves.

Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd. Kuwait - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. www.commisceo-global.com. 1 Jan. 2020 https://commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/afghanistan-guide 

Advice about living in Kuwait is plentiful with several websites extolling the virtues of the high quality of life, low cost of living, and the friendly people. They also talk about the heat, which has been described as unbearable in the summer months when no one goes outside until the sun sets. Here are some websites that will help you understand the joys and pitfalls of living as an expat in Kuwait.

• American Creativity Academy - Living and Working in Kuwait
• Culture Crossing Guide - Kuwait
• etiquette scholar - Kuwaiti Dining Etiquette
• ExpatExchange - Living in Kuwait by Joshua Wood
• InterNations - A Comprehensive Guide on Moving to Kuwait
• LinkedIn - Living and working in Kuwait by saira munsif
• Schrole - Everything you need to know about becoming an international teacher in Kuwait
• Teacher Horizons - Quality of life for teachers in Kuwait