Government Closures During Eid-al-Fitr Holiday

The situation

Government offices will be closed in the following countries due to the Eid-al-Fitr holiday:

• Algeria: Depending on lunar sightings, government offices may be closed June 15-16 (in which case this will not affect applicants since this is a weekend) or June 16-17 (in which case applicants will only be affected Sunday, June 17, since this is usually a government office workday).
• Azerbaijan: All government entities will be closed June 15-19. Appointments are unavailable and application processing will be delayed during this period. 
• Kuwait: All government entities will be closed June 15-18.
• Oman: All government entities, including the Ministry of Manpower will be closed  June 14-18.
• Saudi Arabia: Most government entities have been closed since June 7 and work is expected to resume on June 24. All the branches of the Directorate General of Passports will remain open for emergency cases.
• Turkey: Government offices will be closed the afternoon of June 14, June 15, and potentially June 18. Processing delays can be expected for initial and renewal applications due to government office closures.
• Qatar: All government entities will be closed between June 13-23, however the dates for the Qatar Central Bank and institutions under its jurisdiction as well as for the Qatar Financial Market Authority will be announced separately.
• United Arab Emirates: All government entities, including General Directorates of Residence and Foreigners Affairs and Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation will remain closed June 14-17/18, depending on the moon sighting.

Impact

Employers and employees in the above and other Middle Eastern and European countries should expect longer processing times for various immigration applications due to the closure of government offices during Eid-al-Fitr holiday. Delays could continue in the upcoming weeks due to application backlogs resulting from the closures.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to mideast@fragomen.com.