Kuwait grants up to 10-year residency to some people stripped of citizenship
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Kuwait has approved residence permits lasting up to 10 years for a defined group of people whose citizenship was revoked, provided they have recovered their original nationality or acquired another nationality.
The measure is set out in Interior Ministry Decision No. 1410 of 2026, published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm on Sunday.
It applies only to people whose citizenship was withdrawn under Section 4 of Article 13 of the 1959 Citizenship Decree on grounds related to “the supreme interests of the state and its external security”. Those who acquired citizenship through them as dependants are also covered.
It is not known how many people fall within this category.
The Director General of the General Department of Residency Affairs will determine the conditions for granting and renewing the permits. The department may also allow eligible residents to work in Kuwait under rules to be issued.
Holders of the new residency will be allowed to remain outside Kuwait for more than six months without losing their status. Ordinary expatriate residents are generally subject to a six-month limit unless they obtain official permission for a longer absence.
The principal beneficiaries will be exempt from annual residency fees.
Their spouses, children, mothers and fathers will each be charged KD10 a year, while other relatives registered as dependants will pay KD300 annually.
Beneficiaries will also be allowed to sponsor domestic workers, with the same fees applied to domestic staff employed by Kuwaiti families.
Since April 2024, Kuwait has revoked the citizenship of thousands of naturalised citizens in cases involving alleged forgery, security and national-interest concerns. Those affected have also included naturalised wives of Kuwaiti men and some people who obtained citizenship through naturalisation.
The Interior Ministry previously instructed people who lost their citizenship to begin procedures to recover their original nationality, giving them one year to complete the process.
Those who do so have been offered several benefits, including the opportunity to retain their government jobs.