I’m sending my Lotus to Bahrain this coming weekend so I needed to get a Power of Attorney done for the trailer driver. The process turned out to be pretty simple and the experience surprisingly good. Since I originally had trouble figuring out where to go, I wanted to post about it in case somebody googles this question in the future.
Kuwaitis
Originally I was told to get a POA I needed to head to the Liberation Tower [Map]. Once I got there though I found out it was only for Kuwaitis and instead I was directed to the Ministries Complex which is a short drive away. If you’re Kuwaiti, the area to get the POA done is located on the first floor of what they call the Ministry Mall at the Liberation Tower. Just head up the escalator, take a left, then another left and then one more left and head straight through the door ahead that says Ministry of Justice.
Expats
If you’re an expat and need a POA done, you need to head to the Ministries Complex [Map]. If you’re driving there in the middle of summer then be aware, the parking is a good walk away from the complex and there is no shade until you’re inside the Ministries Complex. Once you get to the Ministries Complex there are no signs to let you know which building to enter so just follow the crowd. Once you’re inside you also won’t find that many signs and when you do they’ll only be in Arabic. So ask around or look for the sign above that says Ministry of Justice, once you enter that doorway you’ll find the POA department.
When I got there I took a number and waited, there were around 15 people ahead of me but the POA department also had around 16 stations with employees manning them so the wait wasn’t that long. The employee I dealt with was very helpful and spoke both Arabic and English. The trailer company I’m using is based in Bahrain and they sent me copies of 10 ID cards of the different drivers they might send to Kuwait to pick up my car. I had to get the POA done for all 10 drivers and the government employee didn’t blink an eye, she took all the ID cards and told me it wasn’t an issue and typed all their info out.
The cost of the POA was a KD2 stamp and no running around involved, you just deal with one employee for the whole process. A super smooth experience.
Photo on top by Nawaf Ahmed
39 replies on “Getting a Power of Attorney in Kuwait (Tawkeel)”
Grt info, tks
im assuming ur taking the car on Triptik (ATA Carnet)on Kuwait regstd plates (temp shipping/temp transfer).. If So, do share the Triptik process as well. Tks
no triptik, triptik only if you’re taking it out of the GCC
I am traveling to Saudia arabia from kuwait on tourist visa. My car is on my name but it is on installment. Do I need any document allowing me to cross kuwait- saudi border as its mention on the car daftar that the vehicle is on finance??
No idea but I would check with company you are financing from, my guess is they need to give you permission to take car out of kuwait
Did you happen to find out if it is okay to cross borders using a car on bank installments ?
Yes no issues , as far as car is on your name there is no issues even if the car is on installments…
If you don’t mind sharing, what company have you financed your vehicle from?
Just wondering if it differs from company to company as someone else who financed it from KIFIC said they needed to get a “No Objection” form from the company…
Interesting… but on what basis will Bahrain land border customs permit entry for your car? There has to be some legal doc for providing legal entry of ur car on kuwaiti plates into Bahrain?
Legal Document = Power of Attorney
i was told something else by one of the customs broker who was handling a car transport from KW to Dxb , tks for the info though…will check more on this..
Was he moving the car permanently to Dubai? If yes then the process would be different.
This is what my tawkeel says
https://248am.com//images/2017/04/tawkeel.jpg
Roughly translates to:
Power of attorney for inside and outside of Kuwait but does not include the sale of the vehicle outside of Kuwait.
So they can sell your car within Kuwait?
No, just for few days and back to Ktown!
There is a MOJ branch in Hawalli in the back of Al-Muhalab mall. It’s open for all nationalities. POA procedure takes about three minutes and there is no line to speak of, plus plenty of parking nearby.
oh no way!
Hey,
Could you please share the process and documents required, if you want to self drive to Bahrain in your own car
Tks
If I go through that process will post about it but probably won’t happen till the weather cools down after summer.
I would not recommend that, the road through Saudi is terribly dangerous broken at night it’s so dark you can’t see the road and you have the worst drivers, there is no traffic law enforced visibly
The process is fairly simple (for expats) to drive to UAE and the same should apply for Bahrain
You have to have a visa in hand (paper form) or stamped on your passport for the country you are willing to travel using your car.
The visa in case of UAE should state the port of entry as the name of border which connects with Saudia.
Once you have the UAE visa or Bahrain visa, just visit the Saudia embassy with a copy of your driving license, your car registration, the passport copy, visa copy and fill up a form which is in Arabic only. The Saudia embassy will then give you a request number, and your passport will be submitted. The transit visa issued will be valid for one entry and one exit, each valid for 72 hours stay inside Saudia.
I have yet to try and obtain a visa, but this was the process explained by a gentleman at the entrance of the Saudia embassy. He speaks fair English, so it should not be an issue. try not to go on a sunday as I believe it will be crowded there.
On the contrary, any accompanying passengers which include dependents can only travel with their sponsors, and unmarried women cannot enter Saudia even while in transit without the presence of their guardian.
If anybody has actually gone through this process recently, please share your experience. I had this inquired after UAE made it mandatory for expats in GCC to obtain a visa prior to their travel in UAE, earlier when we used to get visa on arrival at the airport, there was actually no way out since Saudia embassy needs to see your UAE visa in order to issue you with a transit visa.
Drive to Bahrain from Kuwait should not take more than 4 hours with average breaks for refueling.
Goodluck.
@omar
I don’t think its the saudi embassy that you will need to approach but an agency that deals with the visas.
I tried it once and the agency said that it is not sure that I will even get a Saudi transit visa even if I have a Bahrani or UAE visit visa, is there any truth in that?
I did visit a few of those agencies and they clearly did not know or simply did not want to get involved in just getting a transit visa. These agencies that people keep talking about are basically existing for pilgrimage to Saudi only.
Here is what happened, 3-4 years ago I visited Saudi embassy saying I want to travel using my car to UAE, they asked me to check with agencies which offer visa services to Saudi. I then started touring such agencies and it turns out they used to clear documents from Saudi embassy during the days when going to Umrah using a personal car was allowed for expats residing in Kuwait, that option is nullified and they cannot help in obtaining a transit visa, I had to go back to the embassy to check. I then went back to the Saudi embassy, they then told me it was not possible and the staff asked me why did I specifically wanted to go driving all the way when all I could do is buy an airline ticket. I felt funny explaining him how I like doing road trips and also want to track my car at the Autodrome. Well, eventually he brought back some information from the inside, I could only get a transit visa from Saudi if I had a UAE visa in hand and that I had to submit the application and wait for its approval.
I then headed to the UAE embassy, the staff there were surprisingly rude and said I could get a visa on arrival from the airport or at the border post and that they do not issue visit visas in cases like mine prior to arrival in UAE.
Well, time passed by and since an year UAE requires an E-visa to be issued prior to arrival, I again went to Saudi embassy just to confirm if they are still up with their offer. The nice gentleman at first asked me to go and check with “Agencies” to which I told him that they do not deal with transit visa and it can only be obtained from Saudi embassy. He then repeated the same drill, and came out with a form, asked me to come back with a copy of my driving license, my car registration, my passport copy, UAE visa and that I should fill up the form. He said a request number will be given to me and I will be informed when the visa is out.
I now go to sleep peacefully knowing I can wake up someday and start working on my GCC road trip. LOL
>He said a request number will be given to me and I will be informed when the visa is out.
~how long back was this?
So, in short If i wanted to go on a road trip in 2025 I have to start walking to the embassy today to beg them for a transit and visit visa.
2025? Try saying that to the guy’s face when at the embassy.
Visa of any sort to a country is not your right, consider it as a privilege. Bdw, I’m pretty sure it will take about 2-3 working days to a week. Goodluck Jean.
Thanks…
FYI the complex has buses that take you to and from the parking lot. Really convenient if you’re gonna park far away.
You’ll also need a temporary insurance (issued at the Saudi Causeway) which is for a week’s duration IIRC.
I’m guessing trailer guys get it?
Usually when traveling with someone’s car I would get “tawkeel markaba” from the customs office in Sulaibya. Don’t know what advice you got, maybe it’s a different situation with you.
thats basically the tawkeel i got, its states that i give permission to the driver to transport my car to bahrain
Is it a black Lotus? If it is, I saw it yesterday on 6th ring road.
It’s a dark blue but I wasn’t anywhere near the 6th yesterday
How to get power of attorney as my baby is born in kuwait but my husband is having temporary visa & would like to take visa for my baby under my sponsorship. So I would like to have power of attorney in this situation
My father is in Kuwait and needs to give us his power of attorney. We are in Canada. He is elderly and we are unable to come to Kuwait. Does he need anything from us to give a power of attorney? Are our passport copies sufficient? Thank you
Aloha guys, me again, which dept in ministry complex should I book this in MOJ link? We are non-Muslim, married in our embassy, and had our US embassy interview and asking us that our marriage contract be verified by this dept. Our assessor said it is located in ministry complex basement, but the booking is the issue., what should I click on hehe… Anyone who had same situation? Your input will be much appreciated…
Kindly note that our marriage certificate is already translated in Arabic, and already stamped by MOFA, and attested by MOJ.
How long is this Tawkeel valid??
Guys im planning to travel in my Company car to Doha to watch the World Cup…AutoMak who own the car have said that they will issue a permit to us for a cost to let us drive the car ….from the comments above I can also understand that I can just get a Saudi Transit visa …anything else im missing here?
Thanks for the info. I heard that you are able to request a POA online, is that correct? If so, how do I go about doing that. I am an expat btw
Is this procedure still valid? Also, I am planning to travel to Saudi using my brother’s car. He will NOT be travelling with me. So can I get the POA and use his car to go to Saudi?