Marrying and Sponsoring a Kuwaiti Citizen
Listen to this article- Middle East country bordering the Gulf of Persia between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait is a desert with very hot and dry summers, but the winters are cool and short. A cloudburst is a common disaster that occurs from October to April, bringing heavy rain. Dust and sand storms also occur throughout the year, mainly in March and August.
Marriage to a Kuwaiti Citizen
Every country has laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Kuwaiti citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Kuwaiti spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Processing Time
If you file a Canadian sponsorship application for your Kuwaiti spouse or partner, this application takes an average of 10-12 months.
A visitor visa application for your spouse or partner to visit you in Canada while the sponsorship applications are processing takes an average of 3 –14 days.
Please see our pages on family sponsorship and Canadian visitor visa for more information on the processing times of these applications.
Kuwaiti Marriage Basic Requirements
In order to marry a citizen of Kuwait, you must demonstrate to the Kuwaiti government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:
- Proof of country of birth
- Proof of single status
- Proof of age requirement
Kuwaiti Marriage Ceremony
The marriage ceremony to a Kuwaiti citizen can legally take place in Kuwait, Canada, or any other country as long as both parties have the necessary visas to enter this country legally. This marriage can then be recognized when applying for a permanent residence or a visitor visa for your Kuwaiti spouse. To learn more about ceremony customs, see below.
Family Members
If your Kuwaiti spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Kuwaiti Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Kuwaiti citizen.
List of Kuwaiti Consulates in Canada
Calling Kuwait from Canada
Dial 011 – 965 – Kuwaiti prefix – local number, where
- 011 is the exit Code for Canada
- 965 is the country code for Kuwait
- the Kuwaiti prefix is a single digit that indicates what type of phone you are calling
Kuwait does not use area codes, but rather prefixes based on the type of phone and, in the case of cells, on the provider.
Prefixes in Kuwait:
| Business Numbers | 1 | Wataniya Cell Phones | 6 |
| Landlines | 2 | Zain Cell Phones | 9 |
| Viva Cell Phones | 5 |
Calling Canada from Kuwait
Dial 00 – 1 – area code in Canada – local number
Area Codes of Canada
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time Difference
Kuwait is on Arabian Standard Time, which is GMT+3. Kuwait does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Kuwait is Ahead | # of Hours during DST |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 11 hours | 10 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 10 hours | 9 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 9 hours | 9 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 9 hours | 8 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 8 hours | 7 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 7 hours | 6 hours |
| Newfoundland | 6.5 hours | 5.5 hours |
Emergency Information for Canadians in Kuwait
Embassy of Canada in Kuwait CityVilla 24, Block 4 Postal Address: Telephone: 965 2256-3025 |
View Larger Map |
Sponsoring a Kuwaiti Citizen to Come to Canada
Sponsoring someone to com to Canada be complicated and frustrating. To learn more about the process required, click the button below.
Want to learn more about marrying in Kuwait? Let us know!
