Expats Aren't Allowed To Travel Before Paying Electricity, Water Bills

Starting September 1st, expats will not be able to travel before paying their electricity and water bills. This comes in line after the ministries of electricity and water and interior agreed to link their systems.

According to the Interior Ministry and local media, the decision comes less than a week after the Interior Ministry said expats will have to settle their traffic fines before they can leave the country from any exit point. The decision became effective on August 19th.

On Tuesday, a local newspaper stated that Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah requested the interior ministry to work with other government entities to implement similar rules for expatriates. This aims to ensure that foreigners settle their government debts before leaving Kuwait.

The Interior Ministry's website announced that senior personnel from the ministry had a meeting with officials from the electricity and water ministry on Monday. The purpose was to discuss collaboration between the two ministries.

The measure aims to collect tens of millions of dinars of unpaid bills from expatriates, who form just under 70 percent of the country’s population.