Business contacts
Business is usually conducted from Saturday to Wednesday, with Thursday and Friday as the weekend. However, some (non-governmental) businesses work from Sunday to Thursday. Hours vary, but most businesses start at 7am, have a long lunch break, and finish at 4pm. Telephones Local telephone calls are free. Full IDD is available as well as GSM 900 and 1800 networks. Network operators include Mobile Telecom (website: www. mtc-vodafone.com) and National Mobile Telecom (website: www.wataniya. com). Arabs see the mobile as the most appropriate means of communication. Secretarial services Most, if not all, four and five-star hotels offer secretarial help. Business services For information on how to set up a business in Kuwait, contact your local business group or the commercial attaché at your embassy. You can also contact the British Business Forum in Kuwait (Tel: 240 5346).
Office hire Gulf Business Centre (Tel: 299 7788, Fax: 299 7800, Email: info@gbckuwait.com, website: www. gbckuwait.com), situated in the Arrayal Centre at Marriott Courtyard Tower, offers rental office space for long and short term.
Local press
The English-language newspapers are the Arab Times and the Kuwait Times. Although remaining loyal to the ruling family, the press enjoys a fair degree of freedom. Arabic-language papers include Al Forqan, Al Seyassah, Al-Qabas Newspaper, Al-Rai-Alaam and Al-Watan. On the radio, the BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa. gov) can be received in Kuwait.
Internet
Internet cafés throughout Kuwait City provide public access to email and internet services. ISPs include Gulfnet International (website: www.zajil.com) and QualityNet. Many of the city’s internet cafés are in malls. Q8 Café is open daily fro-m 9am to 11pm (no holidays) in downtown Salmiah. Prices start at 2KD (£3.74).
Money
The currency is the Kuwaiti dinar (KD) which was equal to about £1.90 as we went to press. One dinar is further broken down into 1,000 fils. Credit and debit cards, such as American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa, are widely accepted. If in doubt, check with your card issuer. Travellers cheques are also widely recognised. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US dollars or pounds Sterling. Banking hours are Sunday-Thursday 8am-noon. The import and export of local and foreign currency is not restricted. Haggling is a must in most independent retailers and all souks (bazaars), so you’d better brush up on your bargaining skills.
Tipping etiquette
Kuwait is expensive. A service charge will normally be added to your bill and tipping is only expected in more expensive hotels and restaurants. However, a minimum wage is an alien concept here, so tip anywhere when you feel the service has deserved it. Taxi drivers expect 10% on top of the fare.
Visa/vaccination
Everyone except nationals of other Gulf states needs a visa to enter Kuwait. However, visa entry requirements have recently changed so that nationals of many countries can now simply obtain visas on arrival (Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, UK and the Vatican) . Citizens of countries not on the list will need to arrange a visa prior to arrival. If your passport contains an Israeli stamp, no matter where you’re from, you will be refused entry. The initial entry or ‘visit’ visa is valid for one month, and visitors who overstay will be fined. Passengers in transit are exempt from the visa requirement, provided they do not leave the transit area.
No health certificates are required for Kuwait, unless you are coming from an area infected with cholera or yellow fever. Typhoid, paratyphoid A, paratyphoid B (TAB) vaccinations are advisable. Health facilities are similar to those in the West. It is advisable to drink bottled water only.
Public holidays
Muslim festivals are timed according to local phases of the moon and the dates may vary. During the lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset and feast at night, so normal business patterns may be interrupted and many restaurants are closed during the day. If a holiday falls on a Friday, another day is given in lieu.
1st January — New Year’s Day
10th January 2006 — Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
31st January 2006 — Islamic New Year
25th February — National Day
26th February — Liberation Day
11th April 2006 — Mouloud (birth of the Prophet)
1st September 2005, 22nd August 2006 — Al-Esra Wa Al-Meraj (ascension of the Prophet)
3rd-5th November 2005, 22nd-24th October 2006 — Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan)
Weather and climate
Kuwait is cool and pleasant with limited rain from November to March, but it has a typical desert climate with temperatures soaring to a hot and humid 50C from April to October. It’s not a bad idea to take out two or three shirts if you are travelling to several meetings in one day.
Suggested reading
Kuwait by Leila Merrell Foster (Enchantment of the World, second series). This book paints a good picture of life in Kuwait. Interestingly, it tells what life was like during and after the Iraqi occupation and liberation.
The Modern History of Kuwait 1750-1965 by Ahmad Mustafa Abu-Hakima—a detailed account written by a Kuwaiti scholar based in Canada. Especially good for the old photographs documenting life in Kuwait in the early 20th century. Kuwait in Pictures by Lerner Publications Company Geography Department, Lerner Publications Company (Visual Geography series).
Kuwait: The Growth of a Historic Identity by Ben J Slot and B Slot, Arabian Publications Ltd