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OFFICIAL TITLE |
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State of Kuwait |
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HEAD OF STATE |
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HH The Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah |
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AREA |
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17,820 square kilometres |
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POPULATION |
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2,418,393 |
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MAIN CITIES |
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Kuwait City (capital), Salmiya, Ahmadi, Shuwaikh |
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LANGUAGE |
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Arabic (official), English (commercial) |
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BUSINESS HOURS |
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Government Offices
Winter: 0730-1430 Sat to Wed,
Summer: 0700-1400 Sat to Wed,
Ramadhan: 0830/0900-1230/1300
Banks
0830-1230 Sat to Thu
Ramadhan: 0800-1130 Sat to Thu
All banks provide automatic cash withdrawal facilities outside working hours.
Private Companies
0800-1700 Sat to Wed with an hour for lunch 0800-1300 Thu
Offices and banks are closed on Fridays. Most banks are closed on Saturdays also.
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LOCAL TIME |
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GMT + 3 hours |
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VISA REQUIREMENTS |
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GCC nationals do not require visas to enter. Citizens of all other countries require visas, which must be obtained from Kuwait consulates or missions abroad. All visitors, whether holding a visa or not, must have a visiting permit which is issued to the sponsor they are visiting or doing business with. Permission to stay for up to 24 hours can usually be obtained on arrival at the point of entry provided visitors have a confirmed reservation to their next destination. Visas are not issued purely for tourism. |
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HEALTH REQUIREMENTS |
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Vaccination certificates against cholera and yellow fever are required for travellers from infected areas. |
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CUSTOM REGULATIONS |
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500 cigarettes or 900gm of tobacco. Import of alcohol is prohibited. |
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CURRENCY |
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1 Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils |
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EXCHANGE RATE |
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US$1 = KD0.289 (June 2006) |
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EXCHANGE RATE POLICY |
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Pegged against a basket of currencies. |
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CURRENCY REGULATIONS |
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No restrictions on the import or export of local and foreign currencies. |
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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE |
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Kuwait Chamber of Commerce & Industry
PO Box 775, Chamber of Commerce Bldg
Safat 13008
Tel: 805580, Fax: 2404110
E-mail: kcci@kcci.org.kw
Website: www.kcci.org.kw
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