Bhutan or Kuwait
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Bhutan | Kuwait | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 20 years | — |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | no | — |
| Pets | difficult | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | 20 days | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 196 · estimate | $ 1 265 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 16,2 | $ 24,2 |
| Life expectancy | 73.26 | 84.58 |
| Homicides/100k | 2.47 | 0.78 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.8 | 2.7 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Bhutan — 13, Kuwait — 30. Types present in both: work, study, family and investment. Bhutan adds: talent.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Bhutan: the fee is 40 USD wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 8; the shortest is 5 days. Kuwait: fees range from 1 to 200 KWD. Routes with no fee: 1. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 450 KWD a month.
Beyond the first permit
Citizenship: Bhutan after 20 years; the other country publishes no term. Bringing your own parents: Kuwait — yes, Bhutan — no.
Bhutan in brief
Bhutan is the most closed case for long-term relocation in this guide. Grounds for staying are limited to a narrow list: a tourist visa through a licensed tour operator with a mandatory daily Sustainable Development Fee (US$100 per day plus a one-off US$40 visa fee for most foreigners; a separate "entry permit"/visa-on-arrival arrangement with a reduced fee applies to citizens of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives), work permits tied rigidly to a specific employer and position (up to one year for skilled workers, up to three years for highly skilled workers), and student and business visas. There is no separate permanent resident status between a temporary permit and citizenship. Naturalisation is governed by the Bhutan Citizenship Act 1985: 15 years of residence for those with a Bhutanese parent or for civil servants, 20 years in all other cases, plus an exam in the Dzongkha language and knowledge of the country's culture; the government expressly retains the right to reject an application without giving reasons. Dual citizenship is not permitted — acquiring another citizenship automatically terminates Bhutanese citizenship. Marriage to a Bhutanese citizen gives the foreign spouse a residence status (Special Residence Permit or Immigration Card depending on the date of marriage) but does not speed up naturalisation. Land and real estate are reserved by the Land Act of Bhutan 2007 for citizens, the institution of the monarchy, the state and recognised Bhutanese organisations — foreigners, including spouses of Bhutanese citizens, are not on this list and may only rent housing. The country lies in a zone of high seismic hazard in the Himalayas.
Kuwait in brief
Kuwait levies no income tax on wages (gov.uk, «Living in Kuwait») and its residence system is built entirely around a sponsor: a residence permit for work is issued under art. 18 of implementing decision No. 957/2019 (private sector) or art. 17 (public sector), and joining a supporter under art. 22. There is no permanent status under the new law either: the 1959 emiri decree was repealed by decree-law No. 114/2024, which knows only fixed-term permits — up to five years ordinary, up to ten for children of Kuwaiti women and property owners, up to fifteen for investors. The naturalisation rules could not be verified against the primary source: the relevant interior ministry site is protected by an anti-bot mechanism that blocked automated access throughout the research. Importing pets requires a permit from the responsible authority (Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources), but the details of the procedure could not be confirmed through the official channels available in this pass. Of the measurable: one of the lowest homicide rates in the world (0.78 per 100,000, UNODC 2022), a high life expectancy (84.58 years, World Bank 2024) and some of the highest summer temperatures anywhere — a mean July temperature of 37.7 °C with heavy air pollution from desert dust (PM2.5 62.35 µg/m³, World Bank 2023). The country is effectively a single capital agglomeration: the official «cities» in this reference are governorates (Kuwait City, Hawalli, Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra), not separate destinations.
Other comparisons
Bhutan or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
Kuwait or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China · Sri Lanka
More on each: Bhutan · Kuwait. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.