Relations between the UK and Kuwait date back to the mid-18th century, when the British East India Company set up its offices in the Middle Eastern country in 1793. By 1821, Kuwait was an important trading outpost for Britain. During WWI, Kuwait was declared a British protectorate and the Anglo-Kuwaiti Friendship Agreement continued for 62 years, till 1961.
Today, the UK is one of the most important trading partners of the State of Kuwait, ranked 10th among its exporting countries and 17th among importing countries. In the Gulf region, it is the fourth largest commercial partner for the UK. Over 100 large UK-based companies operate in Kuwait, due to the lenient tax regime and growing diversification of the Kuwait economy. Mutual investments between the two nations reached £3.5 billion in 2018, which was an 8% increase from 2017.
Apart from trade and investment, the UK and Kuwait share strategic ties in education, defence and arts and culture. The UK has a high visa acceptance rate for students, with 98% of Tier-4 student visa applications granted to international students in 2019. UK universities and colleges welcomed over 6,000 Kuwaiti students for the 2019-20 academic year. The Kuwait Cultural Office (KCO) was established in London in 1958, to assist Kuwaiti students and promote academic, cultural and research programs between the two nations. Kuwait has also set up a Health Office in Devonshire Street, and an Investment Office in Wren House, in London.
The Kuwait Embassy in London is the diplomatic mission of Kuwait in the UK. The Embassy’s mandate is to promote Kuwaiti economic, cultural and military interests, as well as strengthen the nation’s diplomatic ties with Great Britain. Apart from aiding Kuwaiti citizens residing in the UK, the Embassy also processes Kuwait visa applications, filed by UK citizens for residency, work and travel purposes.
Services Provided by the Kuwait Embassy in London
The list of functions fulfilled by the Embassy of Kuwait in London are as follows:
- Maintaining diplomatic relationships with UK government bodies and departments, according to the foreign policies of the State of Kuwait.
- Processing and issuance of visa applications filed by Kuwaiti citizens, students and UK citizens for travel to the state of Kuwait.
- Providing financial and counselling support to Kuwaiti students, enrolled in UK universities or research programs.
- The Kuwait Embassy is involved in all legalisation, certification and document attestation procedures for UK-issued documents, to be used in the State of Kuwait. This may include business letters, invoices and registration certificates, certificates issued by UK universities or educational bodies, among several others.
- Providing medical insurance facilities for students from Kuwait, residing in the UK on a study visa.
Contact Details of the Kuwait Embassy in London
The address of the Kuwait Embassy in London is:
2 Albert Gate Knightsbridge
60 A Knightsbridge
SW1X 7JU
London
United Kingdom
Phone: +44(0) 20 7761 8500, +44(0) 20 7761 8550, +44(0) 20 7761 8599, +44(0) 20 7761 8540
Email address: info@kcouk.org
Opening and closing hours of the Embassy are Monday-Friday, 09:00 to 16:00.
The bus routes that can be taken to reach this location are 137, 14, 22, 38, 414, 452 and 9. The nearest tube station to the Embassy is Piccadilly. The Chiltern Railways and Southern Railways can also be used to reach the Embassy.
Contact Saudi Able Link for Kuwait Visa Applications
For UK citizens who would like to apply for a visa for Kuwait, our company will act as a bridge between you and the Kuwait Embassy in London. Our visa consultants will ensure that your application, along with all the requisite documents are in order, before delivering them personally to the Embassy for further processing. We will also take responsibility for the retrieval of your passport, after visa approval, and dispatching it directly to your preferred address.
Apart from that, we can also take care of all your document attestation and document legalisation needs, not only by the Kuwait Embassy but also by various UK government bodies, such as the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO), as and when required. We have extensive contacts with officials at the consular section to ensure the visa application process is completed in the least possible time. You can trust our qualified and screened consultants to take utmost care of your personal and confidential documents.
For further queries, please contact us at support@saudiarabiavisa.co.uk or call us at 02070961985.
