Moving to Kuwait (from France)
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Hello everyone!
My husband and I we'll be moving to Kuwait City in September and I have some questions about administrative matters in Kuwait.
First of all, I will be working there so I will have a contract and also a residency permit. However, my husband will not be able to have one as he can't be covered by me. Is that right? My employers told me that he can either leave the country every three months and then come back again or that he can find some work. My qustion would be, will he have any problems if he keeps going in and out of the country every three months? Do the authorities keep track of how many times one comes and goes? And my second question would be, how easy do you think it is for a musician (a violinist) to find work (teaching music) in Kuwait?
Another thing I am worried about is the transport. As neither of us have international driving licenses... I have a Bulgarian driving license and my hubby has a French one. So we were worried about how expensive it is to use taxis? In fact, we'd be pretty happy if we could only use taxis but what would be the total price for, say, a daily trip of a total of 4-5 km maximum? (to go and come back from work or go get some groceries)
Another question, what do you think would be the best place to stay? We'd be looking for something furnished but not too big - 1 or 2 bedrooms would be the maximum really because it's only the two of us and we don't really know for how long we'd like to stay. I read somewhere that Mahboula is a good place to stay... What are the prices around there? I have seen on some expat websites places there and the prices go up to as high as 1000 and 700 KWD which really seemed horrendous - I won't be able to pay such sums!
Any advice you could give to two Frenchies going to the Middle East? Like... what to say, how to behave, what to wear? 
THANKS SO MUCH!
dear Mikkenzi, welcome to EB, it is normal to have jitters when contemplating a geographic relocation. u will find that the majority of your inquiries have already been answered in the forum, i suggest you go through it
as for anyone keeping track of your hubbies arrival/departure schedule, fear not. no one does.
taxi's are quite expensive, but ehre is the good thing; so long as u do not have a residency, u can drive with an international license. international licenses are just paperworks u fill from the country you are traveling from, so i am sure u can get your hands on one from wherever u are atm (France right?) and drive here. be warned tho, we drive on the left side here!
rentals etc. are a bit tricky coz anything advertised is automatically exorbitant. furnished flats charge u an arm and a leg extra, it would be worth your while to pick up an empty flat and furnish it urself depending on the duration of your stay.
Thanks so much for this!
Yeah, I saw those advertised flats and my hairs stood on end 
Well, I suppose everything will seem more manageable once we get there.
Also big thanks for the taxi tip on the other post! really appreciate it!
Hi Mikkenzi,
You can easily find a 1 or 2 bedroom flat in Kuwait (Salmiya is nice for expats) at around 300-400 KD. Also, in regards to the visa and leaving every 3 months, I do this and have never had a problem at all. The immigration desk is very friendly in Kuwait and it takes no time at all. About taking taxis, I have lived in Thailand and Colombia and Egypt, so for me the taxi's here are expensive, however, compared to Paris, not so much. AND it is not normal to walk places here, especially when its hot, so I really recommend buying a not so nice car so you can have it when you want, in the end it will be cheaper than taxis. And trust me, after you start making friends, etc, you will want to have the car to go to dinners, parties, etc. You can use your European drivers license here for a year I believe, as long as you follow traffic laws you will be fine, I've never had a problem.
Let me know if you have any more questions, work gets quite boring during Ramadan! 
Thanks for the info! Well, my husband just applied for an international driving license so hopefully, we'll have it soon. Any insurance to be had for the car? I read somewhere insurance wasn't obligatory but I doubt that It's the administrative hassle that scares me.
insurance is obligatory but dont worry it would run you something like 13KD for a month or two; last time i got insurance with an international driving licence was when i first came to work here in 2006 so the exact figure is kind of fuzzy 
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