Kuwait Work Permit Transfer Cost Calculator 2026
Switching employers in Kuwait before 3 years of service costs KWD 455 in government fees and requires your employer's approval — and resigning early can cut your end-of-service indemnity to 0% or 50%. This calculator combines PAM transfer fees with the Labour Law indemnity tiers to show the true cost of switching now versus waiting.
Your Job & Transfer Details
Your Transfer Cost
Enter your details to see the full cost of switching now versus waiting.
Government Fees
- Total Fees if You Switch Now
- KWD 0
Indemnity Impact (Labour Law 6/2010)
If You Wait
Government fees per PAM schedule (standardised June 2025); verify current amounts on the Ashal portal before filing. Indemnity figures assume resignation tiers under Labour Law No. 6/2010 Arts. 51–53 and exclude leave encashment or contractual top-ups.
About Work Permit Transfers in Kuwait 2026
Kuwait's Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) standardised the government work permit transfer fee at KWD 150 in June 2025. Workers on Article 18 (private sector) visas who switch employers between 1 and 3 years of service pay an additional KWD 300 early-transfer fee and need their employer's No Objection Certificate. After 3 years from the permit issue date, both the early fee and the NOC requirement fall away, leaving only KWD 150 plus KWD 5 for the Civil ID.
Transfers before completing one year are normally not permitted. Administrative Decision No. 680 of 2026 introduced five exemption cases: employer negligence in completing residency procedures, an administrative restriction on the employer's file, a proven malicious absconding report, employer breach of Article 48 obligations, and the Article 50 conditions of the Labour Law. Separately, Ministerial Resolution No. 2 of 2026 opened a one-off transfer window from 1 May to 30 June 2026 for five restricted sectors — SMEs, industrial, agriculture, livestock and fishing — with employer approval still required.
The hidden cost of switching is the end-of-service indemnity. Changing employers means resigning, and Labour Law No. 6/2010 cuts resignation indemnity to 0% below 3 years of service, 50% between 3 and 5 years, and two-thirds between 5 and 10 years. This calculator is the only tool that combines the PAM fee schedule with the indemnity tiers, so you can see the true total cost of switching today versus waiting for the next milestone.