KUWAIT: Several embassy missions located in Kuwait have denied receiving an official circular or the copy of a new requirement imposed by the Ministry of Interior (MoI)

that asks expatriates to provide a copy of a Police Clearance Certificate(PCC) upon arrival in Kuwait. K.S.C Dissanayake, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Kuwait, noted that his embassy was not informed about the new requirement.

It has not been officially communicated to us. But the new requirement, if implemented, is good for both countries. We can avoid unwarranted problems but also unwanted elements," he noted. Due to the high crime rate committed by expatriates in Kuwait, MoI has recently imposed a new requirement which requires presenting a copy of the certificate from their respective countries upon arrival in Kuwait.

The new requirement has been in effect since December 2009. Many embassies in Kuwait have denied receiving a formal copy of the memo from the Ministry of Interior. "Officially, we did not receive a copy of the memorandum, but unofficially, we were told about the new requirement. Normally, such advisories are of top importance to us and we immediately communicate it to our home base in Manila," said Josephus Jimenez, Philippine Labor Attache to Kuwait speaking with the Kuwait Times yesterday.

According to Jimenez, the ministry's latest requirement has apparently been never a problem for Filipinos. "Prior to obtaining a passport and securing other public documents in Manila, we have been asked to secure police clearance certificates for many reasons. It has been a regular and procedural matter to us, so it's never a problem," he reiterated.

Jimenez emphasized that Filipinos will never be allowed to leave the country (Philippines) and secure a job abroad unless they have a clean record. "It's just a matter of obtaining the certified true copy of the police clearance. The matter was brought to the attention of OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) and it is now incorporated into the pre-departure orientation seminar (PDOS) for the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)," he said.

He suggested that OFWs(Overseas Filipino Workers) follow a simple procedure and obtain a copy of the clearance before boarding a plane to avoid any hassles/delays which could arise upon arrival in Kuwait. "But I heard that they are not strictly implementing this new rule," he pointed out.

Aris Triyano, the Indonesian Embassy spokesperson echoed the same concern and also confirmed the absence of an official circular from concerned Kuwaiti parties. "We read it (information) only in the local newspaper. It's not clear yet, so we do not know how to impose it. But anyway, it will never be a problem if the Kuwaiti authorities here seriously consider the implementation of new requirements," he said.

Kathmandu, on their part, is seriously imposing the Kuwaiti request on all their workers who plan to enter Kuwait. A report which quoted the official from the Ministry of Labor and Transportation management in Kathmandu as saying that that obtaining a police clearance will not only help the Kuwaiti government, but also discourage departures to Kuwait via India.

The concerned manpower agencies must submit the police report of jobseekers at the Department of Foreign Employment before receiving a final approval for jobs in Kuwait," noted a newspaper from Kathmandu.

The new requirement is separate from the old rule set by the Immigration Department where expatriates are required to produce a police clearance certificate for visa approval. The process, however, is restricted only to residency applicants but not for tourist or visit visa applicants.

The new requirement is applicable on all citizens belonging to all citizens who are over the age of 18. The department has said that they have coordinated with all other concerned authorities to enforce the new regulation. - Kuwait Times