Kuwait: Two days left for expats to complete biometric fingerprint registration

Kuwait City: Kuwaiti authorities have urged expats to complete a mandatory biometric fingerprint registration by Tuesday, December 31, to avoid having their government and banking transactions halted.

Expats who miss the deadline will not be eligible to renew their resident permits or iqamas.

Failure to provide biometric fingerprints will lead to suspension of services from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and other government agencies, including restrictions on bank accounts, cards, and electronic payments.

Expats who have not yet finished the fingerprinting process are urged to act swiftly by arranging an appointment through the ‘Sahel’ application or the ‘Meta’ platform, where they can select a convenient location to complete the procedure.

For the benefit of the old and sick who are unable to visit the Interior Ministry’s centres, Kuwaiti authorities have implemented a home biometrics service.

As of November, 2.1 million expatriates have complied with the measure, according to the Interior Ministry, as reported by Kuwaiti news daily Almajilis.

Expats constitute 3.3 million of Kuwait’s overall population of 4.9 million.