Kuwait offers up to 10-year residency to some who lost citizenship

Dubai: Kuwait has introduced a new residency framework allowing certain people whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn to obtain regular residence permits for up to 10 years, according to Al Seyassah newspaper.

The changes were issued under Ministerial Decision No. 1410 of 2026, amending the executive regulations of the Foreigners’ Residency Law contained in Ministerial Decision No. 2249 of 2025. The decision was published in the official gazette, Kuwait Al Youm, and takes effect from the date of publication. 

The new Article 7 bis applies to people whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn under Clause 4 of Article 13 of Amiri Decree No. 15 of 1959, as well as those who acquired citizenship through dependency and were included in the withdrawal decree, provided they have returned to their original foreign nationality or obtained another nationality. 

Eligible applicants may be granted regular residency for a period of up to 10 years.

The Director General of the General Department of Residency Affairs will set the conditions governing the granting and renewal of the permits, as well as the rules under which holders may be authorised to work in Kuwait. 

People granted residency under Article 7 bis will be exempt from annual residency fees, according to the amendments.

The decision adds the new category to the residency fee schedule under Article 39, listing the annual charge for Article 7 bis holders as exempt. 

The measure creates a specific legal residency route for people affected by citizenship withdrawals who have subsequently established another nationality.

The decision also amends rules governing how long residents may remain outside Kuwait.

Foreign residents are generally not permitted to stay outside the country for more than six months, but the revised Article 37 expands the categories exempt from that restriction.

They include certain foreign children of Kuwaiti women, property owners in Kuwait, investors holding residency under Law No. 116 of 2013 who meet conditions approved by the Council of Ministers, and people granted residency under the new Article 7 bis. 

Other foreign residents with valid permits may also obtain permission to remain abroad for longer than six months, subject to conditions set by the General Department of Residency Affairs. Their residency must remain valid during the period of absence.

Domestic workers are subject to a different rule.

A domestic worker holding Kuwaiti residency may remain outside the country for no more than four months, unless permission for a longer absence is obtained from the General Department of Residency Affairs before the four-month period expires.

Without such approval, the worker loses the right to the residency permit, according to the decision. 

The amendments also establish family residency charges for relatives of people covered by the new provisions.

A fee of KD10 per person per year will apply to family residency for a spouse, children, father or mother of people holding residency under Article 7 bis.

The same charge applies to the immediate family of a Gulf national whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn under the relevant provision and who subsequently returned to his or her original nationality. 

For other relatives outside those immediate-family categories, the residency fee will be KD300 per person per year.

Domestic workers sponsored by people covered by the new rules will meanwhile be charged at the same rates applied to domestic workers sponsored by Kuwaiti families. 

The decision was issued by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah and is dated September 2, 2026.