The Indian Embassy in Kuwait announced that, effective July 1, all passport, visa and consular applications will be accepted only for medical, family-bereavement or similarly urgent reasons. The step follows the expiry of BLS International’s outsourcing contract and a delayed hand-over to new vendor Du Digital. Routine applicants are being turned away until further notice, and those with appointments after July 1 have been asked to reschedule once regular services resume. The embassy processes around 1,200 passports a day; the halt therefore affects thousands of Indian nurses, retail staff and oil-field technicians whose Kuwait Civil ID renewals hinge on passport validity. HR heads at major Kuwaiti conglomerates have mobilised in-house travel desks to triage cases, prioritising employees facing fines for lapsed residency. Some are flying staff to Dubai to use walk-in Tatkal services at the Indian consulate there, but costs can top USD 600 per traveller. Officials blame “unavoidable logistical issues” in machinery transfer between vendors. Du Digital says biometric kit will be installed by July 10, after which appointments will open in phases. Employers with upcoming contract mobilisation dates should consider staggering start times or seeking grace periods from Kuwaiti immigration. The embassy assured that emergency certificates and short-validity passports (up to one-year) remain available for genuine hardship situations.
Source: VisaVerge (Kuwait edition)
