KUWAIT: As part of ongoing efforts to develop and modernize various interior ministry departments, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah issued a ministerial resolution cancelling the use of residency stickers on expats' passports and including all the needed data on their civil IDs instead, said assistant undersecretary for residency affairs Maj Gen Talal Maarafi.

Speaking on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony of police cadets, Maarafi told Al-Qabas daily said the change will take effect soon after special arrangements with various foreign embassies and airlines in Kuwait. Maarafi added that the new measure, which will include residency visas and departure notifications, will help stop sponsors from holding expats' passports and put an end to this problem for good. He said the measure will also consume fewer passport pages.