I want some advice regarding my situation as well as that of my son. I have been using my maiden name since I entered Kuwait, thus the same is reflected in my passport and Civil ID although my husband and I were legally married in our country.

My 2-year-old son’s sponsorship was transferred to me last year when my husband left Kuwait for good. My son is using his father surname since birth (both on the passport and the Civil ID) Now I have been instructed by my husband to change my surname to his surname because we are going to join him on a family visa and with the same family name it will be easy for me and for him to process our documents.

As of now I am just waiting for my new passport with the family name of my husband and will get it in the 1st week of April 2016.

My residence will expire on June 1, 2016 while that of my son on June 26, 2016.

My questions are: 1. Will there be a big impact to my son’s residency?

2. Will I have to start all over again his Civil ID process since I have changed my family name?

3. In my case what is the next procedure as soon as I receive my new passport?

Name withheld

Answer: The biggest problem you will face is the name change on all the Kuwait documents. Just changing the name on the passports doesn’t mean everything is over and you can just have all the names amended on all the Kuwait documents. Please understand that there is a proper procedure for name change in Kuwait.

This can be done in two ways:

1) By approaching the Ministry of Justice with two witnesses, getting the name changed and having the same published in the Kuwait Gazette before approaching the Immigration Department and Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) to get the changes done on your visa and Civil ID. This whole procedure takes about four months.

2) By going directly through the Immigration Department (involves a lot of running around) and some other departments. This could take you about two months.

While the first procedure involves only what we have mentioned, the second takes half the time — though it frustrates you — and we will also detail the same. After you have received the passports with your “new names”, approach the Indian Embassy and get a Form 17, which will be needed by you at the Immigration Department for the transfer of the residence stamp from the old to the new passport.

First get this form attested by your embassy and then from Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Shuwaikh). After this visit the typists outside the Immigration Department in your area and get an application typed to transfer the visa from the old to the new passport. You will need three photos with a blue background. Then get this application signed by your sponsor.

Do not forget to mention the change in name. Please also get a copy of his attested signatures (AitamadTawkia). Again visit the Immigration Department in your area. Make sure to take copies of all your documents with you. Meet the head of the relevant section at the Immigration Department.

After obtaining his approval, go to the reception and get a “token” to deposit your papers at one of the counters. Please ensure you don’t submit any original document and only copies until you are specifically asked to do so.

At the counter, you will be required to submit both the passports along with copies of all your documents. Then your residence will be stamped in the new passport. You will then be directed to the PACI (Civil ID) counter at the Immigration Department where you will be required to surrender your old Civil IDs and directed to approach the PACI headquarters in South Surra to apply for the new Civil IDs.

Once you have obtained your new Civil ID, go visit the Immigration Department again with copies and original of both the Civil ID and the new passport. You dependent’s visa will now also be transferred to the passport.

One point is very important: whichever department you go to, please also mention that you have changed your name else you might have to go through a more difficult procedure (including getting fingerprints done again) if the name change is not correctly done.

You then have to again visit PACI to apply (with copies of the new passports) for Civil IDs of your dependents. By the time everything is over, you will be wishing you hadn’t changed your name but it will be too late as your work will have already been completed.

Source - Arab Times

Note - All the answers were provided by Arab Times Legal Clinic.

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