Kuwait City; Banks in Kuwait ready to tighten restrictions on online bank accounts for non-resident customers whose residence permit has expired. Banks freeze accounts or reduce withdrawal limits as soon as the Civil ID card expires. According to a report by local Arabic daily Al-Rai, banks will start activating the process on the first day of the card's expiry date. Banks take this step when the customer becomes an illegal resident when the civil card expires and banks are legally required not to transact with the customer as this violates the law. With the expiry of the Civil ID, the customer is barred from all regular cash withdrawal transactions. This applies to withdrawals from Visa and Mastercard cards and any disbursement of loans, even if the loan is pre-approved. According to the report, the freezing process varies from bank to bank as some banks freeze the account completely while others set a lower withdrawal limit. Some banks follow the practice of freezing the account until the residency is renewed. If the customer is unable to renew his civil card, he can submit an account closure application along with all necessary documents to withdraw the amount from the frozen account, the report said. However, once the account is closed, the client may face many challenges in opening a new account, which is especially problematic for low-paid workers.