KUWAIT CITY, Aug 9: The Kuwait government enforces travel bans to prevent individuals involved in disputes or immigration violations from leaving the country until the issue is resolved. Bans remain in effect until the matter (civil, criminal, or immigration violation) is settled.

Recent figures from the Ministry of Interior’s Travel Ban Department at the Ministry of Justice show that 43,289 Kuwaitis and expatriates were prohibited from traveling abroad in the first half of 2024. In contrast, there were 25,149 orders issued to lift such travel bans during this period.

According to statistics, the Family Court handled 2,825 travel ban procedures and documented 2,672 vehicles impounded from January to June 2024.

The data shows that May had the highest number of travel ban orders with 9,021, followed closely by February with 9,006. March saw 7,249 orders, January had 6,642, June had 5,843, and April recorded the lowest at 5,528 travel ban orders for the first half of 2024.

Additional statistics from the Public Prosecution for the first six months of 2024 indicate that 1,716 banking-related cases and 1,216 check misdemeanor cases were registered.

Legal sources note that common reasons for travel bans include unpaid expenses, various types of installments, and overdue telephone, electricity, and water bills. Other factors leading to travel bans include outstanding checks, bank debts, unpaid phone bills, overdue rent, and expenses related to family court cases.

Al Ahmadi governorate recorded the highest number of travel bans during January and February 2024 with 4,321 orders, followed by Farwaniya with 3,641, Hawalli with 2,452, Al-Jahra with 2,381, the capital with 1,757, and Mubarak Al-Kabeer with 1,096.