The latest edition of the official gazette, Kuwait Alyoum, has published Decree-Law 116/2024, which introduces amendments to Amiri Decree 15/1959 concerning Kuwaiti citizenship. The new provisions clarify that expatriates who acquire Kuwaiti nationality cannot extend citizenship to their spouses. While their minor children automatically receive Kuwaiti nationality, they may opt for their original nationality upon reaching adulthood. Additionally, foreign women married to Kuwaiti men are no longer eligible to gain Kuwaiti citizenship.
The amendments also allow the rescission of citizenship in cases of fraud, forgery, or false information. This measure extends to relatives who obtained nationality through the individual in question. Citizenship may also be revoked if the holder is convicted of crimes against honor, trust, or state security, or for offenses against religious sanctities or His Highness the Amir. Public sector employees dismissed for dishonesty within ten years of gaining nationality may also lose it. Authorities are authorized to revoke citizenship if the individual is found to have engaged in subversive activities, affiliations with foreign political entities, or acts compromising Kuwait’s national or external security.
In special circumstances, minors born to Kuwaiti mothers whose fathers are deceased, imprisoned, or divorced are treated as Kuwaiti until adulthood. On Wednesday, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, will meet with newspaper editors and civil society leaders to discuss these amendments. The meeting will address issues related to dual nationals, fraudulent citizenship cases under Article 21, and concerns regarding Article 8, which pertains to the spouses of Kuwaiti citizens.
