Kuwait restricts 120 freelance activities to citizens, bans expats, Gulf nationals

Dubai: Kuwait has restricted 120 freelancer activities exclusively for Kuwaiti citizens, with licences extended to four years for practicing these activities, Al Qabas Arabic daily reported.

Khalifa Al Ajeel, Minister of Commerce and Industry, issued a ministerial resolution regulating freelance business activities, defining them as commercial work carried out without a dedicated office or premises.

The decision identifies 120 such activities and restricts their practice exclusively to Kuwaiti citizens, barring expatriate residents and nationals from other Gulf countries from participating as founders, partners, or managers. Freelance licences are now valid for four years, up from one.

Applicants for freelance licences must meet several conditions, including: establishing a single-person company; ensuring the founder is a Kuwaiti national of full legal capacity with no prior criminal conviction unless restored; being at least 21 years old; providing an official address or registered mailbox; obtaining landlord consent if using a private residence; signing a compliance pledge; avoiding environmentally or health-hazardous materials; and submitting any additional documents required by the Ministry.

The decision allows multiple freelance activities to be added to a single licence, provided they are similar, complementary, or linked to the original approved activity. Licences may be issued through the Ministry’s one-stop window, the “Sahl” or “Sahl Business” apps, or other approved channels.

Licensed companies must disclose their commercial registration number in all official accounts and transactions and conduct business exclusively through electronic payments. The Ministry’s Trade Classification Committee is tasked with defining, modifying, or cancelling any freelance activities.

The directive also reduces the minimum capital required to operate a licensed freelance business to KD 50, half the amount previously required for similar company activities. Companies established before or after the decree’s issuance must comply with its provisions without affecting existing licences.

Licensed freelancers must annually submit bank statements, financial reports, and social media or e-platform data to the Ministry, which will report regularly to the Public Authority for Manpower on compliance with Cabinet Decision No. 391 of 2001 and its amendments.