Kuwaiti nationality law

The State of Kuwait has an official Nationality Law which grants non-nationals a legal pathway to obtain citizenship. However, access to citizenship in Kuwait is autocratically controlled by the Al Sabah ruling family, it is not subject to any external regulatory supervision. The naturalized citizens were predominantly Sunni Saudi immigrants from southern tribes. Most stateless Bedoon belong to northern tribes (especially Al-Muntafiq). The northern tribes are predominantly Shia Muslims. A minority of stateless Bedoon in Kuwait belong to Kuwait's 'Ajam community. The Kuwaiti judicial system's lack of authority to rule on citizenship further complicates the Bedoon crisis, leaving Bedoon no access to the judiciary to present evidence and plead their case for citizenship. It has been likened to Bahrain's politically-motivated naturalization policy. Within the GCC countries, politically-motivated naturalization policies are referred to as "political naturalization" (التجنيس السياسي). The late Nabil Al Fadl submitted an inquiry to the Constitutional Court questioning the constitutionality of barring non-Muslims from obtaining the Kuwaiti nationality. The most recent proposal was made by Saleh Ashour who suggested the repeal of item 5 of article 4 of the nationality law. == Citizenship revocation ==

Citizenship revocation is a contentious human rights issue in Kuwait. The government has the authority to revoke Kuwaiti citizenship without a criminal conviction and Kuwait's courts are not allowed to handle appeals. The lack of judicial oversight means that citizenship revocation occurs without a court ruling. In early December 2024, the Emir issued a decree to revoke the Kuwaiti citizenship of several high-profile individuals: Nawal Al-Kuwaitia, Noha Nabil, and Dawood Hussein including his children who were automatically granted Kuwaiti citizenship through paternal affiliation. By March 2025, Kuwait revoked the citizenship of 42,000 people in just six months. The lack of transparency and recourse in the citizenship revocation policy is a violation of international law. further deepening the country's stateless population. Kuwait’s citizenship revocation policy contradicts international treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "everyone has the right to a nationality" and "no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality." Human rights organizations have raised concerns over the potential for statelessness, lack of due process in citizenship revocations, and the discriminatory impact on vulnerable groups, including women, elderly people, and children. For example, the citizenship revocation policy impacts many children, further deepening the number of stateless children in the country. Neveen Ma'arafi () defended the citizenship revocation policy, claiming that it is being carried out to tackle corruption. Many activists disputed her claims. ==Travel freedom==

In 2016, Kuwaiti citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 82 countries and territories, ranking the Kuwaiti passport 57th in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index. ==Nationality Law==

Original Kuwaitis An original Kuwaiti is a person who settled in Kuwait before 1920. An original Kuwaiti is deemed to have maintained their normal residence in Kuwait even if they reside in a foreign country if they have the intention of returning to Kuwait. By descent A child born to a Kuwaiti father irrespective of the place of birth is a Kuwaiti citizen. Theoretically, a child born to a Kuwaiti mother and an unknown father (irrespective of place) can be considered a Kuwaiti citizen. However, Kuwaiti women who have sex out-of-marriage and get pregnant can face jail terms in Kuwait. Loss of Kuwaiti citizenship They may lose their citizenship if they: • Committed a fraud and declared citizenship without satisfying the necessary legal criteria. In this case the citizenship of any dependent person may also be revoked. • are convicted of a crime related to honor or honesty within 15 years of grant of naturalization. • are dismissed from public office on disciplinary grounds related to honesty or honor within 10 years of grant of naturalization. • are or were working for a foreign state and plan on seriously to undermine the economic or social structure. The authorities must need proof that they are doing so to revoke their citizenship. Denial of Kuwaiti citizenship A person may be denied citizenship if they satisfy the following: • has begun work in a foreign state in their military • has worked for a foreign state which has been in war or has suspended diplomatic relations. • Is a resident in a country abroad and join an association which is plans to seriously undermine the economic or social structure or has been convicted of an offense that involves such a situation. Any person may be restored or revoked of their citizenship if they have satisfied the above. Restrictions and points to remember while obtaining citizenship • The Head of the Police Department will give a certificate stating that the person is Kuwaiti. • Proof may be asked while obtaining citizenship • After the certificate is given an investigation will be carried out. If the investigation finds that the certificate was obtained on the basis of fraud, it will be taken back. • No Kuwaiti passport will be given for 2 years. • If a person has given incorrect statements orally or written, the person may be imprisoned for up to 3 years and/or be fined up to 200 KD. If the person has furnished statements which are false, the person may be imprisoned for not more than seven years and/or be fined 500 KD. • Any passport which has been given to a person in the 2 years as told above will be invalid on the expiration of that two-year period. Dual nationality Kuwait does not recognize dual nationality. == References ==