Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr bring reduced government hours across multiple countries

Immigration offices in the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia will operate adjusted schedules through late March

Travelers and employers with pending immigration applications should be aware that Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr will affect government office hours throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia. Many immigration offices will operate reduced schedules or close for the observance period.

The month of Ramadan is expected to end on either March 19 or 20, 2026, with the exact dates determined by lunar sightings and announced individually by each country. Eid-ul-Fitr closures are expected to extend into late March.

Below is a summary of government office hours and closures that will affect immigration processing.

Middle East

Bahrain: Government offices will be closed from March 19 or 20 and resume on March 24 or 25.

Iraq: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 14:00. Closures will run from March 20, with work resuming on March 24.

Iraqi Kurdistan: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 14:30. Closures will run from March 20, with work resuming on March 24.

Jordan: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 9:30 to 15:00. Closures will run from March 20, with work resuming on March 24.

Kuwait: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 9:30 to 14:00. Offices closed on March 19 and will resume on March 23 or 24.

Lebanon: Offices will operate Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00 and Friday from 9:00 to 12:00. Closures will run from March 20, with work resuming on March 23.

Oman: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00. Offices will be closed on March 19 and will resume on March 24.

Qatar: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00. Offices closed on March 18 or 19 and will resume on March 23 or 24.

Saudi Arabia: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 10:00 to 15:00. Offices will be closed on March 18 and will resume on March 22.

United Arab Emirates: Offices will operate Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:30 and Friday from 9:00 to 12:00. Offices will be closed on March 19 and will resume on March 23.

North Africa

Algeria: Offices in the north will operate Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 to 15:30, while offices in the south will operate from 8:00 to 14:00. Closures will run from March 20, with work resuming on March 23.

Egypt: Offices will operate Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to 14:00. Offices will be closed on March 19 and will resume on March 24.

Morocco: Offices will operate Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:00. Offices will be closed on March 23, with work resuming on March 24.

Mauritania: During Ramadan, offices will operate from 9:00 to 16:00. Offices will be closed on March 19 and will reopen on March 21.

Tunisia: Offices will operate Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 14:30 and Friday from 8:00 to 13:30. Closures will run from March 20, with work resuming on March 23.

Asia and Southeast Asia

Azerbaijan: Government offices and many private businesses will be closed from March 20 to 26 for Nowruz, with additional closures on March 20-21 and tentatively March 27-30 for Ramadan.

Bangladesh: Offices will operate from 9:00 to 15:30. Offices will be closed on March 17 and March 19, and will remain closed through March 23.

Brunei: Public offices closed on the first day of Ramadan (February 19) and have been operating until 14:00 throughout the month. Additional closures included February 23 (National Day) and March 21 (Hari Raya, to be confirmed).

Indonesia: The Ministry of Manpower has not issued official guidance, but based on prior years, online submission systems typically close at 15:00, and ITAS/Stay Permit submissions are not accepted between 14:30 and 15:00.

Pakistan: Offices will operate Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 15:00 and Friday from 9:00 to 12:30. Closures will run from March 21, with work resuming on March 24.

Singapore: Hari Raya Puasa falls on March 21, a weekend, so there will be no government closures. The day will be observed as a floating leave holiday.

Africa

Côte d'Ivoire: Offices will be closed on March 17 for Ramadan and will close on March 19 or 20 for Eid-ul-Fitr, depending on lunar sighting.

Kenya: Government immigration offices will close for Eid-ul-Fitr, with exact dates depending on lunar sighting.

Senegal: During Ramadan, offices will operate from 9:00 to 16:00. Offices will close on March 19 or 20 for Eid-ul-Fitr.

Sierra Leone: Offices will operate Monday to Thursday from 8:30 to 17:00 and Friday from 8:30 to 13:30. Offices will close for Eid-ul-Fitr.

Turkey

Turkey: No government office closures.