14 November 2016

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The interior ministry’s relations and security media department announced that Saudi Arabia has started implementing new measures concerning the entry of domestic helpers accompanying Kuwaiti families into the kingdom. The department highlighted that the new visa fees for helpers would be 2,000 riyals per visit instead of the earlier fee of 200 riyals. In addition, vehicles with Kuwaiti license plates can only remain in Saudi Arabia for a maximum period of three months.

The department noted that the Hamteyyat land border exit has been closed and cattle owners who want to take their herds to graze in Saudi Arabia can only go through the Khafji and Reqee land border exits. Accordingly, the department urged all citizens to respect the new rules in order to avoid delays at these exits.

Separately, the department said the manager of the domestic helpers department Mohammed Al-Ajmi announced the cancellation of 42 domestic help offices that failed to legalize their statuses as per article 50 of the domestic labor act no. 68/2015 and clause no. 7 of article 17 of the ministerial decision number 2194/2016, that went into effect yesterday. Accordingly, no visas would be issued for these offices. He also noted that the department has received applications to establish 41 new offices and four companies.

Ajmi explained that article 50 of law 68/2015 states that licensed domestic help recruitment offices operating at the time the law was passed had to adjust and legalize their statuses within a maximum of three months of the issuance of the law’s executive charter. Ajmi added that article 17 of ministerial decision no. 2194/2016 states that the license will be cancelled if the owner loses any of the license conditions, violates article 4 of the law, it is proved that the license was issued using fake documents, the license expires or is terminated, the owner relinquishes the license, the office is used as labor dormitory or for not adjusting the office’s legal status according to law number 68/2015.

© Kuwait Times 2016