Job Discussion Forums

[poompui]

hey, could any american living in kuwait now please let me know where i need to have my diploma authenticated. and the process. i was told the "foreign ministry" office but after searches online, i can't find this office. also, is a local police check from my hometown good enough for the criminal report required for the visa? also, will i undergo a medical check once i arrive in kuwait and what does that consist of?

and to anyone, is 100KD enough for an apartment in kuwiat city area? i will be given 100KD housing support if i choose not to live in the school provided housing. also, how much am i looking at in bills each month. i should state that i love air conditioning...

please, only those with relevant and helpful information please respond. i appreciate anyone's help. thanks

[veiledsentiments]

Are you in Kuwait now? This process is easiest done in your home country. In the US, there are companies that will do it for you... for a fee, of course.

Is 100KD enough for rent? Only if your standards are very low or you don't mind sharing or maybe if you go way out. My rent for an acceptable (not fancy) place 12 years ago was more than double that. Kuwait hasn't had the rent spike of some Gulf countries, but I would say it is not sufficient.

Medical check after arrival is blood test (HIV, Hepatitis, I think) and x-ray (TB) was pretty much all in the past, but someone can come on and tell if there is more.

VS
(BTW... I can't think of a more useless thread title than "help" - why not put something like "degree authentication" or "new hire processes." You could edit it with the button in the upper right of your post. Think about future people who are trying to use the search for information with your same question.)

[bedwiya]

100kd is not enough for an apartment. Possibly 200kd, but would entail living down south and driving on the 'highway of hell' daily in nightmare traffic. Oh wait - nightmare traffic is everywhere here A more realistic amount would be 250-300kd for a decent apartment. Rents have skyrocketed here, even though demand is down. Kuwaitis don't seem to understand the supply/demand theory and would rather have an apt. building stand empty than to lower monthly rent 50kd. AC is very good here, and all utilities are usually included in rent, so you don't have to worry about that. You will need to rent a car or find a driver - not very reliable public transportation.

Your degrees get attested at the Kuwaiti embassy in DC. I had to do mine a couple years ago when I switched jobs. My school told me who to send them to and then they notified the school with my "aproval code". I didn't have to do anything else but tell my uni the address to send them to in DC. I will look in my notes to find the details - I think if you look up the Kuwaiti embassy in DC you can find the link online. I think I used it too and emailed them and they actually replied...the person was very helpful.

Info about medical tests was correct, don't think they have changed this. DON'T do them ahead of time in the States. You will waste your time and money. My friend was told she could do that a year ago, then once she got here they made her do it all again anyway.

[bangkok_bob]

I was told to go to the US embassy and to the Kuwaiti embassy to get my degrees certified and attested.

The US embassy told me that they could not guarantee that the degrees weren't fake. The only thing the embassy can do is make a copy of the original and certify that the copy came from the original.

[tam0782]

Poompui

If you are in Kuwait, you can get your degree attested by amideast.

The other route is pretty painful. First your degree needs to be notarized by the school. Second, you degree needs to be attested by the State that you got the degree from.
Third, Your degree then needs to be attested by the State department in Washington.l
Fourth, Degree has to then be authenticated by the embassy of Kuwait in Washington.

After all of that, when you come to Kuwait, your degree then needs to be translated by an approved translating company.
The translation will then need to be authenticated by the foreign ministry, then the ministry of justice ( not sure about the order of these two ministries)

Its a pretty painstaking process so i would recommed going the Amideast route.

100KD is not at all enough for an apartment in Kuwait. The cheapest studio/one bedroom you could find is around 160-200 and you can imagine the rest. If you dont mind sharing, 100 would be sufficient for a sharing accomodation in a 3 bedroom apartment.

Hope this helps and Bedwiya's reply is spot on when it comes to renting in Kuwait.

[veiledsentiments]

There was a post here lately that AMIDEAST was not providing this service any longer.

VS

[bangkok_bob]

Amideast just contacted me and they said that they provide the service.

The cost is 50 KD for one degree and 100 KD for two degrees.

It will take 6-7 weeks.

[bangkok_bob]

Sorry for the correction.

50 KD for one degree or two degrees from the same university.

100 KD for two degrees from two different universities.

[15yearsinQ8]

versus a 5 kd stamp for the ministry of higher education to send it to the kuwaiti embassy in washington
5 kd per degree

min of higher educ is in shwaikh port free trade zone straight down 60 past kuwait university

[Starfell]

lol there's one born every minute 15years.......sounds like old Rommel getting his facts wrong again, mind you, apparently his degree was.......anyway- University of Darwin online perhaps.

[bangkok_bob]

Below is an email that I have received from the US Embassy:

Dear Mr. ...,

We can only make certified copies of original documents.

If you need your U.S. diploma authenticated, you will find this information at:

http://travel.state.gov/law/info/info_606.html

AUTHENTICATION OF AMERICAN ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS FOR USE ABROAD

DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IN THIS CIRCULAR RELATING TO THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN COUNTRIES IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY. QUESTIONS INVOLVING INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN LAWS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO FOREIGN COUNSEL.

U.S. embassies and consulates cannot authenticate diplomas or other documents from universities and other schools in the United States or provide notarial services related to such credentials.

PROVISO: Effective January 1, 1983, the U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad ceased to authenticate or provide certified true copies of academic credentials, transcripts or degrees. The U.S. Department of Education determined at that time such documents are not required in the United States for persons who studied abroad who wish to attend primary or secondary school, or college in the United States . This was announced in a joint release by the U.S. Departments of State and Education published in the NAFSA newsletter of December/January 1983. See 7 FAM 874. The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security also determined that authentication of foreign academic credentials generally is not/not required for U.S. immigration purposes. In an effort to be of assistance to persons who wish to present academic credentials from the United States for use abroad, the following step-by-step guidance is provided.

I. COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS

1. Obtain from the registrar of the University an official true copy of the credentials bearing the seal of the university. The registrar should then execute an affidavit attesting to the validity of the document before a notary public in the registrar's office or elsewhere at the university. Frequently the business office of colleges and universities have notaries public.

2. Take the document to the clerk of court of the county wherein the notary was licensed or commissioned to obtain a notarial certificate suitable for use abroad.

3. Transmit the document, with the notarial certificate to the state Notary Public Administrator for application of the state seal. If the country where the document will be used is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, the state Notary Public Administrator will affix an apostille certificate and no further authentication is necessary. See the Hague Conference on Private International Law Apostille Page for a current list of countries party to the treaty. The treaty is in force in more than 87 countries.

4. If the country is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, the state Notary Public Administrator will affix a state authentication certificate. You should then send the document to the Authentications Office of the Department of State, following the instruction on that office�s web page.

5. If necessary, obtain authentication of the U.S. Department of State seal at the foreign embassy in Washington, D.C.

(B) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CHAIN CERTIFICATION METHO

1. If the university is located in the District of Columbia , obtain from the registrar of the university an official true copy of the credentials, a statement, executed by the registrar, attesting to the accuracy of the credentials and have that statement notarized by a notary public in the registrar's office, business office or elsewhere in the University.

2. Proceed to the District Building, 441 4th Street, NW, Room 810S and obtain a formal notarial certificate for foreign use.

3. Send the document to the Authentication Office of the Department of State for application of the Department 's seal in the form of an apostille or general authentication certification depending on whether the country where the document will be used is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.

4. For non-Hague Apostille Convention countries, if necessary you may obtain authentication of the U.S. Department of State seal at the foreign embassy in Washington, D.C.

[metalval]

That sounds like hell. The procedures are very time-consuming.
In my case, it's worse. I got my degree in the U.S, but now I reside in Ukraine. How am I supposed to do all that stuff when I'm in a different country?

[jeffelse]

If you reside in the Ukraine and can't get the apostille, they have people in the U.S. to do these things for you. Sometimes, it's cheaper for the agency to do it 'cause the FedEx International charges back and forth. You can go to places like Apostille Pros www.apostillepros.com