Worldwide: Immigration Processing Delays During Ramadan
March 1, 2024
At a Glance
Foreign nationals and their employers can expect immigration processing delays from the beginning of March through the beginning of April in the Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye and parts of Asia during the observance of Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr. Many government offices worldwide reduce their hours and/or close during Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr.
Processing delays could continue in the weeks following Ramadan, due to application backlogs that accumulate during the closures.
The situation
Foreign nationals and their employers can expect immigration processing delays over the coming weeks in the Middle East, North Africa, Türkiye and parts of Asia during observance of Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr. Many government offices worldwide reduce their hours and/or close during Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr.
A closer look
In most of the world, Ramadan is expected to begin on March 11 or 12 depending on lunar sightings. The Eid-al-Fitr holiday will begin on the first day following the end of Ramadan, though its exact dates and the duration will vary by country. Processing delays could continue in the weeks following Ramadan, due to application backlogs that accumulate during the closures.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of operating hours and office closures for Ramadan. Government office closures are expected in many countries for Eid-al-Fitr, though there have not been official announcements for most countries.
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COUNTRY |
CLOSURES |
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Algeria |
Government offices are not officially closed during Ramadan (expected to begin March 11 or 12, 2024 and end on April 8 or 9, 2024 depending on lunar sightings) but most will operate on a reduced schedule, opening at 8:30 and closing at 15:30 local time. Government offices will also likely be closed on Eid-al-Fitr for two days if the holiday falls on business days. Processing delays can be expected for initial and renewal applications due to the reduced working hours.
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Bahrain |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 14:00 local time. Government offices are also expected to close on April 10 and resume operations on April 14, 2024.
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Bangladesh
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Government offices will be closed on April 10-12, 2024. |
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Brunei |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan (until 14:00 daily) from March 10 to April 10, 2024. Furthermore, government offices are expected to be closed on March 12 and 28 and April 10-13, 2024.
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Cote D’Ivoire |
Government offices will close on April 10, 2024. |
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Egypt |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00 local time. Government offices are also expected to close on April 10 and resume operations on April 14, 2024. |
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Gabon |
Government offices will be closed on April 10, 2024, depending on lunar sightings.
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Indonesia |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from 8:00 to 15:00 local time. For Eid-al-Fitr, Indonesian government offices will be closed April 8-15, 2024.
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Iraq |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 13:30 local time. Government offices will close on April 9 and resume operations on April 14, 2024.
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Iraqi Kurdistan |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule from Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 13:30 local time. Government offices will close on April 9 and resume operations on April 14, 2024.
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Jordan |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 15:00 local time. Government offices will close on April 9 and resume operations on April 14, 2024.
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Kuwait |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday from 9:30 to 14:00 local time. Residency affairs departments in certain areas will be open from 14:00 to 17:00 (local time) for foreign nationals correcting their residence status. Government offices will close on April 9 and resume operations on April 14, 2024.
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Lebanon |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 12:30 local time and will close on Fridays. Government offices are also expected to close on April 10 and resume operations on April 11, 2024.
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Malaysia |
Government offices are expected to be closed on April 10 and 11, 2024. Processing of applications may be delayed as officers will be working with a reduced staff the week of April 8 to 12, 2024.
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Mauritania |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from 9:00 to 16:00 local time. Government offices are also expected to close on April 10, 2024, for Eid al-Fitr.
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Morocco |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 15:30 local time. Government offices are also expected to close on April 10 and to resume operations on April 12, 2024.
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Oman |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00 local time. Government offices will close on April 9 and resume operation on April 14, 2024.
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Pakistan |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from 10:00 to 15:30 local time and Friday from 10:00 to 13:00 local time. Government offices are also expected to close on April 9 and resume operations on April 15, 2024.
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Qatar |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00 local time. Government offices will close on April 12 and resume operations on April 16, 2024.
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Saudi Arabia |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 to 15:00 local time. Government offices will close on April 8 and resume operations on April 14, 2024. |
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Senegal |
Government offices are expected to close on April 9, 2024, for Eid al-Fitr.
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Sierra Leone |
Government offices are expected to close on April 10, 2024, depending on lunar sightings.
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Tunisia |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 14:30 local time and Friday 7:00 to 13:00 local time. Government offices are also expected to close on April 10 and resume operations on April 15, 2024.
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Türkiye |
Government offices will be closed from April 8 through April 12, 2024. Processing delays can be expected during Ramadan for initial and renewal applications as government offices are often understaffed.
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United Arab Emirates |
Government offices will operate on a reduced schedule during Ramadan from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:30 local time and on Fridays from 9:00 to 12:00 local time. Government offices will close on April 8 and resume operations on April 15, 2024.
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This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
