Kuwait

Understand

Kuwait has a population of 3,806,616 (Jun 2012), including about 2 million non-Kuwaitis, with ethnic groups consisting of 45% Kuwaiti, 35% other Arabs, among whom Egyptians predominate, 9% South Asian, 4% Iranian, and 7% others. Kuwait ranks among the most liberal Gulf nations in terms of religion. While Islam is the official religion with fully 85% of the population practicing the Muslim faith (divided into 70% Sunni and 30% Shia), others including Christians, Hindus and Zoroastrians make up 15% of the population. The country is divided into governorates, which are divided into areas, which are divided into blocks. Knowing the area and block is necessary, as the street numbers may be repeated across different blocks of the same areas. Area names are not repeated across the country, so it would be unusual if you mention the governorate after the area. See the Get around section. Electrical current is 220 Volts a/c, plugs are either standard British, Europlugs (2 prong diamond-shaped) or German Schuko variety—adapters are readily available.

History

The Kuwaitis trace their roots to the Al-Anisa and Al-Utub tribes from Nejd province, which is now in Saudi Arabia. They moved to Qatar and then to Al-Qurain, now in Kuwait, by around 1710. By 1752, the long term residents of Al-Qurain decided that they needed a central authority to tamp down tribal warfare in the area. The Al-Sabah tribe was chosen to rule, and the first sheikh, Sabah ibn Jaber, reigned as Sabah I from 1752 to 1756. The Sabahs mediated religious and tribal disputes with diplomacy. They also played the Ottomans, Egyptians and European powers against each other while maintaining their autonomy. In 1899, Mubarak I signed an agreement making Kuwait a British Protectorate, with the sheikhs maintaining local co

See

See Kuwait City for listings of attractions in the city. Kuwait is not the ideal vacation spot in the region, but if on a business trip, there are some sites worth seeing:

1 Failaka Island, [email protected] (take KPTC ferry from Ras Al Salmiya (Ras al Ardh) near scientific center or private speedboat near Marina Mall), ☏ +965 66111924. A port with many old dhows, Failaka Island can be reached by regular ferry services. In addition to KPTC you can try Ikarus Boat Rides at Marina Crescent - but have backup plans as departures are not guaranteed. There are also some Bronze Age and Greek archaeological sites well worth viewing, including the island's Greek temple. Failaka Island was named Ikarus by the Greeks who, under Alexander the Great, established an outpost in the island. Failaka was heavily damaged during the Iraqi invasion. Plans are underway to develop the island into a large-scale tourist attraction. KD 3. (updated Jan 2025) Al Jahra city. Traditional-style boums and sambuks (boats) are still built in Al Jahrah, although, nowadays, vessels are destined to work as pleasure boats rather tha

Getting there

Entry requirements

Citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) may enter Kuwait without a visa and stay indefinitely. The nationals of 53 countries/territories are eligible for visas on arrival at Kuwait's airport and land borders; alternatively they may apply for an eVisa. Either type of visa is valid for a single entry of up to 3 months and, as of 2026, costs KD 10. Those 53 nations/territories are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Vatican City. All other nationals need advance visas, which require an invitation from a sponsor in Kuwait. Kuwait Airways offices and major hotels can provide invitations, but the process can take up to a week and may require a fee. The Embassy of Kuwait in Japan has some information. Import restrictions: Alcohol and pork are not legal and may not be imported into the country. If you bring either in, it will be confiscated at the airport and you may be subjected to fines for attempting to import these banned goods. Your bags will be X-rayed and/or hand-searched on arrival.

By plane

1 Kuwait International Airport (KWI IATA) (16 km (9.9 mi) south of Kuwait City). Kuwait's only airport is served by many regional and a few international airlines, connecting it directly to the Middle Eas

Getting around

With an area of 17,820 square kilometres (6,880 sq mi), Kuwait is among the smallest countries in the world and you can easily cover the country in less than 2-3 days. A journey from the capital city to Umm Qasr in Iraq will take you roughly 60-80 minutes depending on traffic conditions.

By road Kuwait has a good road system. All signs are in English and Arabic. The major north-south roads are effectively freeways numbered Expressway 30, 40, etc. These are traversed by increasingly widely spaced ring roads named First, Second, etc., making navigation fairly easy. Using Google Maps for navigation is a good option, as it offers traffic and roads, and all major destinations. However, if you need to find a place using its address (which you probably won't need to) Google Maps will likely give you the wrong location. This is due to how Kuwait addresses work mixed with lack of proper support of Kuwait subdivisions in Google Maps platform. Areas are labelled as neighbourhoods and blocks as sub-neighbourhoods. For example, if you are in Street 1, block 1, Jabriya, your address will appear as Street 1, Kuwait City (since it is the only city in Kuwait, and neighbourhoods aren't supposed to be included in addresses). So if you intend to go/find a place using its address, make sure you install the free and easy-to-use official Kuwait Finder GIS system on your phone from its apps market.

By public transport Kuwait's public transport is adequate with two companies (KPTC and City Bus) running dozens of routes in every major city. Waiting times for buses range from one minute for most frequent routes to 1 hour for less used routes. All buses are equipped with air-conditioners and usually one can find a seat without much trouble. Although, during peak hours (7-9AM, 2-4PM, 8-9PM)