Dependent Visas
Once he has obtained his own residency, a male employee may sponsor his wife and children to live with him in Kuwait. Permission to sponsor wife and children is granted only to those who meet the minimum salary condition.   A working wife cannot sponsor her husband as a dependent. Sons over 21 years cannot be sponsored as dependants, though adult daughters and parents may. Dependent family members may not work without transferring to a work visa under Kuwaiti sponsorship.
  
An entry visa for a dependent is obtained from the jawazaat (Passport Office) in Shuwaikh. An application form must be typed in Arabic. The following supporting documents are required:

 - sponsor's salary certificate
 - copy of the sponsor's civil ID
 - copy of the dependent's passport
 - authenticated marriage certificate or child's birth certificate

The marriage certificate and child's birth certificate must be authenticated by the sponsor's embassy and certified by the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once they have entered the country the formalities for a dependent's iqama (art 22) are similar to those for a work visa. The dependent must be medically tested and fingerprinted. The sponsor's declaration is an undertaking by the family supporter that he will maintain the dependent.  Expatriates who are in Kuwait on a visit visa may transfer to a dependent visa without having to leave the country and return.