Kuwait has announced new rules for people who lost their citizenship. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior released Ministerial Decision No. 1410/2026 with big changes to the Foreigners' Residence Law.
- Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah approved the decree.
- The decision was published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm.
- It introduces Article 7 Bis to help people with revoked citizenship.
Individuals whose Kuwaiti citizenship was revoked can now get a 10-year regular residency permit. This is only possible if they have taken their original nationality or another nationality. This applies to people who lost citizenship under Clause 4, Article 13 of the 1959 Amiri Decree No. 15 about national interest and external security. It also applies to family members who got citizenship through dependency and were part of the revocation order. This rule gives residency status without giving back the citizenship.
The primary residency holder gets a full waiver of annual residency fees. For wives, children, and parents, the annual fee is 10 Kuwaiti Dinars per person. For other relatives, the annual fee is 300 Kuwaiti Dinars. These individuals do not have to follow the normal rule that stops expats from staying outside the country for more than six months. They can also get permission to work based on rules from the Residency Affairs Department. They can sponsor domestic workers by paying fees that Kuwaiti families pay. Domestic workers under this rule cannot stay abroad for more than four months without special permission. The Director General of the Residency Affairs Department will decide the exact terms and renewal conditions soon. The Indian community in Kuwait is about 1.06 million people, and this new rule helps affected families stay and work legally.
