VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKU #1347/01 2490931
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060931Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0350
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9876
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT 2496
RUEAHLA/HQ CIS IAO WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS OTRA ASEC KU COUNTRY CLEARANCE
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR USCIS NATURALIZATION 
TEAM TO KUWAIT (SEPTEMBER 6-13, 2007) 
 
REF: ROME 1878 (NOTAL) 
 
¶1. Embassy Kuwait welcomes and grants country clearance for 
Lori Pietropaoli, Deputy District Director, DHS USCIS Rome 
Italy; Emigidio Martinez, Adjudication Officer DHS USCIS, 
Frankfurt,Germany; and Darryl Perez, Rome Immigration 
Specialist, to travel to post on/about SEPTEMBER 6-13, 
¶2007. 
 
¶2. This clearance is not/not valid for entry into Iraq; you 
must apply for Iraq clearance through Embassy Baghdad. 
 
¶3. Visit Officer: In case of emergency in Kuwait, you can 
contact: 
 
Name, Consular Section 
Office- (965) 259-1505 
Cell- (965)786-1723 
Fax- (965) 259-1438 
Unclass e-mail: dowerswr@state.gov 
 
SIPDIS 
 
¶4. Lodging: Not requested.  The daily per diem rate for 
Kuwait is USD 291.00 for lodging, plus a meal and 
incidental expense (M&IE) allowance of USD 105.00 for a 
total of USD 396.00. 
 
¶5.  Holy Month of Ramadan:  Your visit takes place during 
the Holy Month of Ramadan, which will be observed from 
approximately September 12/13 to October 12/13, 2007.  It 
is against the law in Kuwait for anyone to eat, drink or 
smoke in public, including inside vehicles, between the 
hours of sunrise and sunset.  Business slows down for this 
month and government offices, as well as many private 
businesses, work shorter hours.  Muslims will work a full 
day without even a sip of water.  This results in people 
becoming tired, tense, and easily irritated during the 
normal workday, especially during the later weeks of 
Ramadan.  One must be extra alert when driving, 
particularly during the late afternoon, when many will be 
rushing home to break the fast. 
 
¶6. Following is post's standard guidance for visitors to 
Kuwait: 
 
   a. Entry Requirements: Kuwait now issues single-entry 
visas to American citizens on arrival, upon presentation of 
a valid passport.  There is a processing fee of three (3) 
Kuwaiti Dinar (KD 3.000, or approximately USD 11.00) for 
each visa issued. The fee may be paid either in KD or USD. 
Post strongly advises travelers to carry some documentation 
concerning the purpose of their visit.  Passengers arriving 
on U.S. military flights should anticipate extra delays 
because immigration services are not available on the 
military side of the airfield and passports have to be 
carried to a different location at the airport for 
processing.  Please allow four hours for passport 
processing when arriving by milair.  Airport visas are 
valid for 90 days after arrival; anyone staying beyond this 
period must obtain an extension, which should be requested 
2 weeks prior to visa expiration.  Anyone departing Kuwait 
who has overstayed the visa will be charged a fine of KD 
10.000 (US 36.00) per day at the airport.  All travelers 
planning to visit Iraq should make sure that they obtain 
the required exit/entry stamps for each transit through 
Kuwait, and be aware that they will need to obtain a new 
Kuwaiti visa upon return, even after a daytrip to Baghdad. 
Failure to do so can result in heavy fines.  If possible, 
travelers should try to obtain a multiple-entry visa before 
arriving in Kuwait. 
 
   b. Visitors are reminded that the importation of 
alcohol, pork products, personal firearms, and any 
suggestive/pornographic materials (videotapes, magazines or 
books) is strictly prohibited by Kuwaiti law.  Visitors are 
strictly enjoined from bringing in any such items, even in 
checked luggage or carry-on baggage, as the consequences 
can be severe.  Kuwait is still clearing mines and 
munitions. Visitors must remain on major paved roads when 
traveling in Kuwait. Travel north of Jahra toward the 
Iraqi-Kuwaiti border is not authorized without approval 
from the embassy and an appropriate escort. 
 
   c. Embassy Kuwait's normal workweek is Sunday through 
Thursday, and office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
The time difference with the East Coast of the United 
States is EDT plus seven hours.  The embassy switchboard 
number is (965) 259-1001, and the IVG number is 4950000. 
The after-hours number, that rings at Marine Guard Post 
One, is (965) 538-2098.  The mission duty officer can be 
reached through the embassy switchboard, Post One or by 
 
cell phone at (965) 967-7265. The embassy pouch address is 
6200 Kuwait Place, Dulles, VA 20189-6200. 
 
   d. Threat Assessment: Kuwait is a high-threat post and 
the military threatcon is currently Charlie.  We have 
increased security precautions at official U.S. 
installations in Kuwait and recommend that all Americans in 
Kuwait remain alert to their surroundings and review their 
personal security practices. 
 
   e. Health Advisory for Kuwait: April through October is 
the hot season in Kuwait. Temperatures reach 120-140 
degrees F in summer. Caution should be taken to prevent 
dehydration and heat exhaustion by 1) drinking plenty of 
fluids and 2) staying indoors, especially during peak 
temperature hours of noon to 4:00 PM.  Low humidity coupled 
with high temperatures creates excessive moisture loss from 
evaporation.  It is necessary to drink 2-4 quarts of water 
daily to prevent dehydration. 
 
   f. Money:  Credit cards are widely accepted at hotels, 
restaurants and other establishments throughout Kuwait and 
ATM machines are also readily available. For travelers on 
official orders, the Commercial Bank of Kuwait can provide 
accommodation services (cashing a personal check drawn on a 
U.S. bank into local currency) up to a maximum of USD 
300.00 per day from noon to 2:00 p.m., Saturday through 
Wednesday. At the current rate of exchange, one Kuwaiti 
Dinar (KD) is equivalent to approximately USD 3.60. 
 
   g. CAA Access: Visitors who need unescorted access into 
secure areas of the mission must slug cables to the 
attention of the RSO, and include the level of their 
clearance.  The cable should include the visitor's Social 
Security number, and the name of the agency granting the 
clearance.  Cables should include the ASEC tag to ensure 
distribution to the RSO office and the Marine Security 
guard at Post One. 
 
   h. Computer and Electronics Usage: Sensitive military 
information has been discovered recently on business center 
computers at local hotels in Kuwait City.  All U.S. 
government personnel and contractors must remember that it 
is their responsibility to observe good computer and 
information security practices.  Information processed on 
computers in hotel business centers, through email 
correspondence or document creation, is highly exploitable. 
Public computers located in hotel business centers, 
internet cafes, airport lounges, etc. should never be used 
to process, store or disseminate sensitive information. 
Compromise of sensitive government or military information 
can result in serious damage to national security. 
Compromises of sensitive personal data can result in 
significant personal and financial hardship.  Random checks 
are conducted by Embassy personnel on public PC's. 
Breaches on COMPUSEC will result in the violator receiving 
security infractions and/or security violations. 
Interagency security standards prohibit the introduction or 
use of non-USG owned computer hardware and software at all 
USG diplomatic facilities. Cell phones, palm pilots, radios 
and other convenience electronics are prohibited in all 
secure areas of the mission. 
 
   i. Photography:  Tourist photography is encouraged in 
Kuwait.  However, it is strictly forbidden to photograph 
public buildings, economic infrastructure (e.g., oil 
facilities), or military and other security-related 
facilities and personnel.  Confiscation of film and camera 
and even arrest may result from doing so.  A good rule of 
thumb:  If there is any doubt as to whether a photograph 
should be taken, don't take it. 
 
   j. Action Request:  Each visitor, regardless of length 
of stay, must bring or forward fiscal data to pay for 
direct costs of the visit. Each agency, organization or 
visiting delegation will be charged for the actual costs 
attributed to their visit.  Direct charge costs include, 
but are not limited to:  American and LES staff overtime 
(e.g., expeditor, accommodation exchange, representational 
event support), field travel, lodging and meals and 
incidental expenses (M&IE) by embassy employees, vehicle 
rentals, long-distance telephone calls, equipment rentals, 
office supplies and all other costs that are directly 
attributable to the visit.  If fiscal data on a traveler's 
authorization is to be used for this purpose, this 
information must be spelled out in the travel orders and 
sufficient funding provided to meet these expenses.  In 
addition, for TDYers over thirty (30) days, there will be a 
charge for ICASS support services.  If your sponsoring 
agency is not signed up for ICASS services at post, please 
 
be prepared to sign an ICASS Memorandum of Understanding 
(MOU) for ICASS support services upon arrival.  The agency 
should provide post with written communication, generated 
by the traveler's headquarters, that confirms the agency 
will pay ICASS charges for the TDYer, provide the agency 
ICASS billing code for the TDY support to be provided, and 
authorize the traveler to sign the ICASS invoice generated 
by the TDY module.  When travel is urgent, TDYers should 
bring this document with them to ensure there are no 
interruptions in the provision of services.  Post will not 
provide any services to a TDYer staying in excess of 30 
days without having received this documentation prior to 
day 31 of the TDY. 
 
¶7. This is revision one to the EmbassyQs standard country 
clearance cable. 
 
********************************************* ********** 
Visit Kuwait's Classified and Unclassified Websites at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ and 
http://kuwait.state.gov/ 
********************************************* ********** 
 
Misenheimer