Kuwait: Information on whether the Kuwaiti government would deny re-entry to a Bedoon who was born in Kuwait and left in 1994, and on whether the Kuwaiti government would issue such a person a travel document with a right of return
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KWT19840.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kuwait: Information on whether the Kuwaiti government would deny re-entry to a Bedoon who was born in Kuwait and left in 1994, and on whether the Kuwaiti government would issue such a person a travel document with a right of return, 1 March 1995, KWT19840.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab4342.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In addition to the information provided by Response to Information Request KWT18837.E of 8 December 1994, Country Reports 1994 on Kuwait indicates that "the government does not wish to see the return of the Bedoon who departed Kuwait during the Gulf war. It frequently delays or denies issuing them entry visas" (1995, electronic version). The same report also states that "if the Bedoon travel abroad, they are uncertain if immigration authorities will allow them to reenter Kuwait" (ibid.).
The DIRB also received a fax dated 8 December 1994, which was sent by a representative of the Kuwaiti Association to Defend War Victims, a non-governmental Kuwaiti organization in Washington, DC. This source provided the following information. Generally speaking, only those Bedoon working for the Kuwaiti armed forces and the police are permitted to hold Kuwaiti passports, but this passport states that it has been issued under Article 17, thereby indicating that the bearer is not a Kuwaiti citizen. Despite having this passport, the bearer would still require a visa to travel abroad, even if the country of destination does not require a visa of Kuwaiti citizens. In certain cases, the Minister of the Interior might issue this Kuwaiti passport to a Bedoon outside of the armed forces or police, if the person is an employee of the Kuwaiti government who will represent Kuwait abroad.
This source also stated that, since the liberation, the Kuwaiti authorities have been cracking down on the Bedoon deliberately, with the hope of forcing them to leave Kuwait. The laissez-passer travel document is issued to any Bedoon wishing to leave Kuwait. However, a re-entry visa is needed in order to get back into Kuwait; for the majority of Bedoon, it is a one-way ticket out of Kuwait.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United Sates Department of State, Washington, DC. (electronic version received from Resource Info Center, INS, US)
Kuwaiti Association to Defend War Victims, Washington, DC. 8 December 1994. Fax sent to the DIRB.
Attachment
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United Sates Department of State, Washington, DC. (electronic version received from Resource Info Center, INS, US)
