Kuwait revokes citizenship of Filipina after remarriage to Asian driver

Dubai: Kuwaiti authorities have approved a decision revoking the citizenship of a Filipina who had previously acquired it through marriage.

The woman, who gained Kuwaiti nationality under Article 8 after marrying an elderly Kuwaiti man, saw her citizenship granted just months before his death.

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Following his passing, the woman remarried an Asian driver, a move that has raised an alarm among officials, who view it as a potential threat to Kuwait’s national identity.

Sources say there are concerns she could eventually seek Kuwaiti citizenship for her children from the second marriage, arguing they are the offspring of a Kuwaiti mother.

According to a new decree law issued on December 10, 2024, a foreign spouse of a naturalised Kuwaiti will no longer automatically gain Kuwaiti citizenship.

The law, which amends several provisions of Decree Law No. 15 of 1959 concerning Kuwaiti nationality, introduces key changes aimed at addressing practical issues in the application of the nationality law.

Under the revised provisions, the first and second paragraphs of Article 7 now specify that a foreigner acquiring Kuwaiti nationality will not automatically confer citizenship to their wife.

Additionally, foreign children of naturalised Kuwaiti citizens will be considered Kuwaiti, but they will have the right to choose their original nationality within one year of reaching adulthood.