Shocking DNA Test at Kuwait Airport Strips 37 People of Citizenship

KUWAIT CITY, 17 September 2026 — A routine border check has uncovered a significant nationality-forgery case, resulting in the cancellation of citizenship for 37 individuals in Kuwait.

• The Nationality Investigations Department started the probe after a man born in 1991 was detained while trying to leave Kuwait City.
• The suspect admitted under questioning that official records wrongly showed his uncle as his father.
• Investigators found he held a second Gulf nationality, leading to a wider audit of his family file.

Airport Interrogation and Family File Audit

The man named as the father, born in 1953 and given Kuwaiti citizenship in 1973, allegedly also had a separate Gulf identity and left Kuwait in 2024. Further checks showed that out of fourteen children registered under the uncle, two children—the man stopped at the airport and another born in 1992—were actually biological children of the uncle’s brothers, not the uncle himself.

DNA Testing and Citizenship Revocation

To check the family line, authorities used a DNA sample from the grandfather that was saved at the Forensic Evidence Department after a different nationality case in 2012. The DNA test proved the fake records, causing the state to take away the Kuwaiti citizenship of 37 people, including the suspect and his family members.

While Arabic reports on X on 18 September said investigators were looking at over 100 related names, these numbers are not confirmed. The official English report from the Arab Times states that 37 citizenships were revoked, and more family files are still being checked. Under Ministerial Decision 1410/2026, those who lose their citizenship and have another nationality can apply for a regular residence permit for up to 10 years, based on work rules and administrative status changes. As of June 2026, the population of Kuwait reached about 5.31 million, with Indian expats making up the largest foreign group at around 1.06 million.