Human Rights Watch — "Kuwait's Exit Permit Requirement Puts Migrant Workers at Risk" (15 June 2025)

THE RULE. From July 2025, migrant workers in the private sector must submit a departure request, with dates of departure and return, to their employer through the Ministry of Interior's "Ashal" portal or "Sahel" app, regardless of how long they intend to be away. HRW states that previously workers had to inform the Ministry and obtain government permission only for absences of more than six months.

HRW'S ASSESSMENT. The rule strengthens kafala instead of dismantling it; existing abuses already restrict mobility (passport confiscation, fear of false "absconding" charges); the permit gives employers another means of control and could lead to "trumped-up criminal charges" to prevent departure. Workers may complain to the Public Authority for Manpower about unjust refusals, but many fear retribution or cannot use the online systems. International law protects the right "to leave any country, including his own", subject only to case-by-case, legitimate and proportionate restrictions.

USE IN A REPORT: the clearest statement of how the exit-permit rule works in practice. Cite the Ministry's own announcement for the rule itself where possible.

The rule's entry into force on 1 July 2025 is confirmed by Amnesty International's report for 2025 and Freedom House's 2026 edition, and the UN Special Rapporteur's report notes it (all on the Dossier). HRW's description of the previous law — permission needed only for absences over six months — is HRW's and has not been checked against the Ministry's regulations.