The Kuwait authorities have said that the country expects to be exempted from the Schengen visa requirement soon.
Announcing the significant progress that the country has made on the matter, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait, Abdullah Al-Yahya, said that negotiations on reaching a visa-free travel agreement with the EU are underway, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
The same stressed that such an agreement is very important for citizens of the country who currently have to undergo the visa process when planning to reach the bloc.
By reaching a visa-free travel agreement with the EU, Kuwait wants to make it possible for all of its passport holders to be able to travel to the Schengen Area without needing a visa.
The agreement would significantly benefit both parties, with Kuwaitis being able to travel visa-free and the Schengen member states seeing a higher number of tourists from the country.
Bulgaria Confirms to Start Issuing Schengen Visas to Kuwaitis From March 31, 2024
Starting March 31, 2024, Bulgaria will start accepting Schengen visa applications for Kuwaitis, the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Kuwait, Dimitar Dimitrov confirmed.
Announcing the news, Dimitrov said that all Kuwaitis who apply for a visa in one of the embassies of the country will be granted a Schengen visa instead of the Bulgarian national visa.
This is because Bulgaria will partially become a member of the Schengen Area on March 31, 2024.
On the basis of the Schengen visa issued by Bulgaria, Kuwaitis will be permitted to stay in the bloc for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period.
Moreover, holders of a Bulgaria Schengen visa will be able to enter all the other Schengen countries.
All Kuwait nationals planning to apply for a Bulgaria Schengen visa have been called by Dimitrov to submit their application at least 15 days before their planned date of travel.
On the other hand, the earliest application for a Schengen visa can be filed six months before planning to enter the Schengen Area.
Schengen Countries Already Issue 5-Year Multiple-Entry Visas to Kuwaitis
Passport holders of Kuwait applying for Schengen visas are already subject to facilitations as the Commission of the EU adopted more favourable Schengen visa rules for this nationality on September 8, 2023.
Under the facilitated visa rules that the Commission has adopted, Kuwaitis applying for Schengen visas are eligible to be issued multiple entry visas with a five-year validity period.
All applicants from Kuwait, including first-time applicants, are eligible to be granted multiple-entry valid visas for five years as long as their passport validity allows.
