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Kuwait
Health Overview
Key Health Risks
Health Risk Callout
Other Health Risks
Regional Information
Vaccine and Malaria Prevention
No malaria risk.
Physician Note
Kuwait before February 2026 was a straightforward Gulf consultation. Since then it has been a conflict briefing, and the single most important thing to get right is that the posture has moved since the spring. US Embassy Kuwait suspended operations on March 5 2026. On September 2 2026 it stated it was providing full consular services including visas and notarials, passport appointments and drop-box renewals are running, and the August 28 2026 advisory permits family members 18 and older to join US government employees. No ordered or authorized departure is in effect. That is a functioning mission, and anyone still briefing this destination from March is briefing a situation that has moved on.
What has not eased is the physical threat. Kuwait hosts Ali Al-Salem Air Base and Camp Arifjan, the airport was struck again in July 2026, and the advisory still describes an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran with seriously disrupted commercial aviation. Falling intercept debris is a real hazard; the embassy's own aerial-attack guidance is to get away from glass and windows and stay clear of fallen debris.
One item that is easy to miss. The standard departure fallback here is overland to Saudi Arabia and out through Dammam or Riyadh. The embassy's September 19 2026 alert reports that Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia including civilian airports. That fallback is still the right plan, but it is no longer a safe assumption — check Saudi airport status before relying on it. Otherwise: verify embassy and airport status the week you travel, hold a Saudi eVisa, and confirm with your insurer whether coverage holds at this advisory level. The background items are unchanged — landmines in northern Kuwait and near the Iraq border, no camel contact for MERS-CoV, and strict prohibition on drugs and alcohol.
Pre-Departure Checklist
8+ Weeks
- Level 3 — Reconsider Travel (advisory dated August 28 2026). Regional hostilities remain active; confirm the trip should proceed and that any sending organization accepts the advisory level
- Be sure to consult your Dr. prior to travel to discuss
- CDC recommends routine vaccines with MMR (Measles THN)
- Hepatitis A (recommended)
- Hepatitis B.
2–4 Weeks
- Register with STEP
- Verify airport, airspace and embassy service status immediately before travel at kuwaitairport.gov.kw and kw.usembassy.gov — the picture changes fast
- Obtain a Saudi eVisa in advance as overland departure insurance, and check Saudi airport status — Houthi hostilities have targeted Saudi civilian airports
- Article 17/18 residents: confirm exit permit via the Sahel app
- Confirm insurance coverage at this advisory level — standard policies commonly exclude active conflict
- Assemble 72-hour supplies for escalation periods.
Day Of
- Local emergency 112
- KuwaitACS@state.gov; State Dept 24/7: +1-202-501-4444; crisis intake: https://mytravel.state.gov/s/crisis-intake
- Aerial attack response, per US Embassy Kuwait: stay away from glass doors, windows and fallen debris; monitor your phone and news outlets
- MERS-CoV: no camel contact
- Drugs and alcohol strictly prohibited
- Landmines: never off-road in northern Kuwait.
Trip Type Guidance
Kuwait is at Level 3 — Reconsider Travel (advisory dated August 28 2026) due to terrorism, armed conflict, landmines and crime. Trip-type suitability should be reassessed against the current advisory before booking, and any sending organization should accept the advisory level. Business travel continues; confirm airport and embassy status the week of travel.
