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Kuwait Law

Kuwait Law: How does a non-Kuwaiti become a Kuwaiti?

According to the Kuwaiti government, in 2008 Kuwait’s population consisted of 3.3 million people, 2.3 million of which are foreigners. That’s double the number of Kuwaitis so I can understand why the Kuwaiti government would want to protect the Kuwaiti citizenship, and therefore making the procedures/requirements for getting a Kuwaiti citizenship tougher than other countries. But how tough are they?

Before I get into that, I have to explain the unique situation of the citizenship law that states how a non-Kuwaiti may become a Kuwaiti:

1) It was one of the first laws in Kuwait, even before the constitution and before Kuwait was officially recognized as a country. The citizenship law was promulgated (published) in 1959, via an Amiri decree. (Kuwait didn’t have a parliament then)

2) The law has been edited and re-edited, written and rewritten, promulgated and un-promuglated over and over throughout the years; 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000…

3) Under article 1(e) of the Administrative Court Legislation, the courts do not have jurisdiction over issues pertaining to the issuance of a citizenship. Basically what it means is the court can’t deal, handle or look into any issues that has to do with the citizenship.

How can a non-kuwaiti can be considered for the Kuwaiti citizenship?

First of all you need to have fulfilled the three requirements below:

Then you need one of the below:

So let’s say you have all the requirements, let’s say for example Mark (he is Arab and has a decent job) becomes Muslim for 5 years or his family has been in Kuwait since 1965 or the government really thinks that mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com is making significant contributions to the country. So what does mark have to do to get the Kuwaiti nationality? First thing Mark has to do is apply to citizenship department (All paper requirements found here) then:

I have deliberately missed out some points regarding the issuance of citizenship’s because I did not want to complicate things. If you require any further clarifications please let me know, also if you have any stories you want to share feel free to do so.

Post by Fajer Ahmed – Legal Counsel
Have a Kuwait law related question? Email me at [email protected]

The legal opinions expressed in this post are those of the author Fajer. Opinions expressed by Mark or any other writer on mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com are those of the individual’s and in no way reflect Fajer’s opinion.

Picture on top by zDistrict

171 replies on “Kuwait Law: How does a non-Kuwaiti become a Kuwaiti?”

And by the time you get it, Kuwait will be out of oil ( or fallen demand), defeating the purpose of a citizenship 😀

I was born in Kuwait and lived here for 20 years, I consider Kuwait as my home and a place I would love to spend the rest of my life. I don’t want oil money or anything , all I want is to stay in this beautiful country and do good for it and as it has done for me.

Though I don’t think I would want to convert to Islam just to get a citizenship that’s just wrong, that would be like cheating God/Allah just to fulfill a desire of mine, I rather understand and believe in Islam and then convert.

Many Christians have been granted Kuwaiti citizenship without converting to Islam.

The ”has to be Muslim” requirement isn’t enforced.

There isn’t an ARAB requirement, non-Arabs can gain citizenship. Unlike 99% of ”Arab” countries where Persians and other non-Arabs aren’t ALLOWED citizenship.

Kuwait ALSO has many Christian citizens, so the Muslim ”requirement” doesn’t seem of MUCH USE.

Fajer: Why are you using the 2008 population figures? It’s not 2008, it is 2013. 2008 was 5 years ago.

As of July 2013, according to CIA there are 2.695 million people in Kuwait, of which 1.29 million are non-Kuwaitis. So there are 1.4 million Kuwaitis. The government has been deporting many people over the past five years so it’s not surprising.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2119.html#ku

Stop using old estimates from five years ago. Kuwaitis are currently outnumbering foreigners.

That website isn’t reliable. They haven’t changed the population figures since 2008-2009.

CIA Factbook and the US Bureau of Statistics are far more accurate, the 2013 population is 2.8 million. It’s not 2008 anymore.

As I may have previously mentioned, THEY CHANGE ON A DAILY BASIS.

How about you visit the website again and check?

Christians have been given Kuwaiti citizenship without converting to Islam. The ”requirement” is not enforced.

These Christians were around in Kuwait for over 100 years so they outdate said rule. Plus they’re a VERY small minority we have enough social divisions as a nation we don’t need to add any more.

Actually, most Kuwaiti Christians were granted citizenship in the 1950’s-1970’s, they’re considered more-recent naturalized citizens.

Most of them haven’t been around for 100 years, some of them have but the Kuwaiti Christians of Palestinian origin definitely haven’t been around for 100 years – they came after Nakba and mostly the 1960’s. Some Kuwaiti Christians hold key government positions – so people really can’t claim that the government is Islamophobic.

Yeah, it’s very weird, especially when the constitution grants freedom of religion absolutely, and that all people are equal regardless of religion:

Article 35 [Freedom of Religion and Belief]:
Freedom of belief is absolute. The State protects the freedom of practicing religion in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy or morals.

Article 29 [Equality, Human Dignity, Personal Liberty]:
All people are equal in human dignity and in public rights and duties before the law, without distinction to race, origin, language, or religion.
Personal liberty is guaranteed.

So I’m confused by this rule. I think it should be revoked… fortunately some of the commenters have already mentioned that this rule is not enforced.

How is it disgusting?
Kuwait is a sovereign country and can govern itself in anyway the king or the people choose.

Must be among the minor points you left out but I have heard that illegitimate children raised in the State orphanage (both parents are not Kuwaiti and absconding or have left the country) also get Kuwaiti citizenship

Yes they do! Its written in the same law and I have been to the orphanage very recently, there was a lot of non-kuwaiti looking kids who spoke Kuwaiti and had Kuwaiti names, that have now become Kuwaiti. 

Hi,
I’m a 20 year old that has lebanese citizenship, but was born in kuwait and lived here for 17 years (and counting). My grandparents used to reside in kuwait throughout the 1960’s-90’s. I am a muslim, but my parents are both lebanese. If i was to secure a job in kuwait, would i be eligible for kuwaiti citizenship?
Thanks.

Your grandparents your dads side? And you say you were born here, so did your parents continue to live here when your grandparents left in the 90’s? if the answer is yes to both then yes its worth applying for the nationality when your 21.

hope u are in good health and happiness. My name is Muzammil Jassim. I was born in pakistan and here in kuwait i am since after 2 weeks of my birth. And now im 24 years old.

Now the main topic is with refernce to your article and points to get kuwaiti nationality. I want to tell you that my father Mr.Jassim Mohammad Ashiq was born in Kuwait on 26 february 1961 in old Amiri Hospital. And his name is in the first Kuwaiti Census of 1965. My grand father came in Kuwait in 1958 his name is also present in the first Census. My father is having all the Original papers of 1965 census count, his Kuwait Birth Certificate , Original Old Passports, knows arabic , no crime records , Has a legal way of earning since he started his professional career and Alhumdulillah a Muslim by birth.

And also me and my father travelled to pakistan last in 1996 after that we didnt travel any where and remained in Kuwait.

So now all Indian Muslim or Egyptians can rush to become a Kuwaiti…

I know some Indian kids who are Kuwaiti though, but simply becoming Kuwaiti does not make you rich, because that is what is in mind of all people who are reading this…

Some Kuwaitis originate from India, before the discovery of oil Kuwait controlled the trade route from India and the Middle East so a lot of trade was going on between Kuwaiti merchants and their Indian counterparts which led to marriage sometimes.

Kuwaitis are an ethnically diverse group due to all of the trade routes and merchants that settled in Kuwait over the past centuries. Most people don’t know that Kuwaiti people are diverse, not just limited to tribes of mainland Arabia.

There are even Kuwaitis of Kurd and Azeri origin.

and Turkish origin and off-course the Baloch which come from a remote region bordering Iran and Pakistan

who would want a Kuwait passport? are you out of your fxxxxxg head? having a Kuwait passport is by far better than having American passport

That’s an excellent and thoroughly researched article. Also can you please explain to us more about Article 24 visas ? I think Article 24 visas are a much more practical option for an expat to stay in Kuwait if he wants to.

But all other visas except Article 24 need a local sponsor. Article 24 is as good as a US green card.

• Thanks for bringing Article 24 to my attention! Yes you can reside in Kuwait without being sponsored by anyone in particular if you have proof of your capability to spend money (it seriously says that) and the minister than has the right to permit you to work in Kuwait.

article 24 is not active
its in the law but you cant get is, again its there only to please the western powers , and for some ppl who have wasta

Exactly ! id article 24 was active then dont you think all the expat businessmen would have that instead paying such huge amount every year to their kuwaiti partner

I would think that the State would want to minimize Kuwaiti citizenships, so increasing the amount of self-sponsorship visas would be more economical for the State. For someone that has lived in Kuwait for over 20 years, and do not have a criminal record, should validate them for a self-sponsorship visa. This way they can get a driver’s license, buy a car, work in the private sector without a Kuwait sponsor. This seems more beneficial for the State.

For women its easy just marry Kuwaiti guy and get your passport in 15 year(and you are treated almost as Kuwaiti before that).

For men, kinda complicated process but I know some who got it, so keep trying.

i was thinking of the same thing.it is sad actually.i wish that it could be equal for both Kuwaiti men and women.

Forgot to mention adoption. A kuwaiti can adopt a kid but he won’t be allowed to have the father’s last name neither is he allowed to inherit anything.

Good day Fajer,

i just want to ask your opinion,

I am a filipino citizen, my father is kuwaiti but I didn’t get to register under his name coz he wasn’t married to my filipino mom. After 23 yrs my father wanted to change my name under his, how will it become possible without them getting married?

That has to be with the religion of the country , I guess! Cause this is ” islamic law” rather than a “Kuwaiti law”

Last time I checked, due to the extreme ‘expat’ clean up, didn’t they say that the MOI isn’t granting citizenship to expats married to Kuwaity’? Also, few articles noted that they do not approve expat-kuwaity marriages anymore. Can someone shed some light on this matter please? Or preferably make a blog post on this please!

I dont understand the having to convert to islam part , considering there is a small amount of christian kuwaitis. So if a christian kuwaiti man married a foreign christian woman she would have to convert to islam to get the citezenship? There has to be some exceptions to this law

There are Kuwaiti Christians, the ”convert to Islam” part is useless. It’s just there by name, the government grants citizenship to Christians.

I wonder what the world would be like if Western countries like Germany, USA, Canada, UK granted citizenship only for Christians?

Kuwait grants citizenship to Christians.

The ”convert to Islam” citizenship clause is USELESS, it’s just there by name. The Kuwaiti government has granted citizenship to Christian individuals over the past years.

Kuwait grants citizenship to Christians without converting to Islam, many Christian individuals have been granted citizenship and no one ever told them to convert to Islam.

There are several large Kuwaiti native Christian families. Some native Kuwaiti Christians hold government official positions.

i know of some westerners married to kuwaities got their nationalities in 5 years , i know of one lady even getting it after 1 year.

Oh and yes you have to give up your passport but it doesnt mean you cant get one back , depending on your own homelands policies on dual citizenship. I also know of many brits holding both … just not using the british one in kuwait, as you cant just ” give up ur uk nationality ” if you are a brit by other means then decent u are brit for life

that Belgian guy I know who’s married to a Kuwaiti, his wife once used a Belgian passport because her Kuwaiti passport is almost expired (due to the 6-month validity travel restriction).

When they reached Immigration Control at kuwait airport….

Officer: you were born in Kuwait?
Her: yes
Officer: and this is your first time to come to Kuwait?
Her: Yes

the officer frowned on this, but stamped the passport anyway, lol.

This was a very very bad move by her and she was lucky the passport control officer was a nice guy as he could have easily forwarded her the for some more questioning.
The big one that would start the whole Q&A is where is your residence permit, or your entrance stamp ?? then she would have to say that she is kuwaiti … Alwatan newspaper wuold have a big bold title the next day about her and her citizenship would be revoked by that evening.

“you were born in Kuwait?”

“and this is your first time to come to Kuwait?”

Somewhat contradictory. So, she basically claimed that apart from being born in Kuwait, she had never visited the country since (despite most likely having an Arab name and possibly even a Kuwaiti/Khaleeji one?). Very lucky.

I think a lot of people need to know that in general. I’ve had friends believe things as silly as that if I go to the Parliament to watch a session I can receive 50 KD.

With all these expats here just trash talking Kuwait 24-7 you think that’s a good idea? Or are you and mark turning this blog into a full on hate debate lol hope not cuz it’s annoying

I’ve been through your Blog a couple of times now. My dad has been living in kuwait for almost 35 years now in Kuwait legally. Whereas, i myself was born and bought up here. My dad fulfills all the criteria’s of the requirement. Speaks arabic, has lawful way of earning. Along with has spend more than 20 years in kuwait. Plus we are muslims. Is it possible for us to get nationality. I hope to hear from you soon. Will appreciate your concern.

Being a Muslim is NOT a requirement for gaining Kuwaiti citizenship. If you are going to argue that it is… please let us know when such requirement became part of the law.

Article 4 in law no 15/1959 which was edited in 1960, 1966, 1980,1982 and in 1982 paragraph 5 was added that states that you have to be Muslim! Then article 5 refers to article 4! But now that you bring it up, your right its not necessary for a women that’s married to a Kuwaiti man!

Christians have been granted Kuwaiti citizenship by the government WITHOUT converting to Islam. The law is NOT enforced, it’s just there by name.

Those Christians did NOT have to convert to Islam, they’re still Christians. No one ever told those Christians to convert to Islam.

What about granting Permanent Residence to people born in Kuwait? For instance in any part of the world excluding the Gulf, if you are born in a particular country you automatically get the country’s citizen.

Cause then the population would sky rocket! Lol
Most rich (high Per capita income) countries don’t have this rule

But there is a difference between permanent residence and citizenship, but for both cases I doubt any rich country would do this rule.

3azeez….

5. that he be an original Muslim by birth, or that he has converted to Islam according to the prescribed rules and procedures and that a period of at least 5 years has passed since he embraced Islam before the grant of naturalization. Nationality thus acquired is ipso facto lost and the Decree of naturalization rendered void ab initio if the naturalized person expressly renounces Islam or if he behaves in such a manner as clearly indicates his intention to abandon Islam. In any such case, the nationality of any dependant of the apostate who had acquired it upon the naturalization of the apostate is also rendered void.

https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b4ef1c.html

The ”has to be Muslim” requirement is not enforced, Christians have been granted Kuwaiti citizenship without converting to Islam. The government gave Christians citizenship and didn’t tell them to convert.

The most important requirement for “guaranteed” citizenship:

Working for a s****h! I know Egyptians, Palestinians, Pakistanis, Indians, Lebanese with Kuwaiti citizenship. They gained citizenship due to “significant contribution” to the state (aka khadamat jaleela) whereas they are drivers, tailors, secretaries, you name it! Unless you don’t know a s****h, good luck! Just my 2 cents.

my father came to Kuwait since 1955 (documented),he had article 19 visa and he had a commercial licence in his name without a Kuwaiti partner ( they practically made hem give it up and get a Kuwaiti partner ) , we have applied for citizenship since early 80’s.
still we didn’t get it.
THE MAIN THING IS WASTA, not the requirement above. we have been told many times look for a strong wasta ( wasta also need money )
everybody knows about the MP who got the citizenship in 70’s ( he didn’t live in Kuwait for 15 years ) and he got the first class citizenship that is given only to the families who where in Kuwait since 1920’s
Again WASTA is the main word here
I was born here , i went to government school , i enjoyed free health care , we even received food rations during the 80’s . practically the government spend lots of money on my health and education , now that i have my degree and i can give back to the country that took care of me, i face many discrimination, and rules are becoming harder. they practically want us to go some where else as many of my friends did.
Most of us just want to be able to live here in peace without any discrimination , to be treated equally and as human and to die in the place we insist on calling it home .

yes
first class and other
if ur not first class then they can take it back and you cant participate in elections and other stuff ..

I believe that was a recent amendment. Non first class citizens couldn’t serve in parliament or in certain places in the armed forces.

That’s not a recent amendment, non-first class citizens have been able to vote since the 1990’s.

Most Kuwaiti were first class citizens in the 1960’s and 1970’s anyway.

Non first-class citizens can run for parliament and get elected, they have been elected to top positions for years now.

I don’t know where you get your information from, most of the candidates running for parliament right now were mostly naturalized in the 1960’s and 1970’s – such as the Badu and Arabs like Fairouz.

Kuwait is way too small to adopt a Western style citizenship program. The country would be overrun in a matter of a year. I apologize if I sound like a jerk, but making it extremely difficult is probably in their best interest.

YES! Kuwait is a small country, Kuwait City can’t handle 1,000 more residents, let alone ONE MILLION more.

+1 Western countries have stronger more durable economies along with more land they are economies of scale whereas Kuwait is tiny. Wish the GCC would work things out a la EU.

Kuwait is too small to grant citizenship to everyone. The economy has nothing to do with it, Kuwait City can’t handle 1,000 more residents and Kuwait’s deserts are too hot to sustain life. The majority of GCC countries are larger than Kuwait apart from Bahrain and Qatar.

Bahrain, a GCC, has a diversified economy. Only 10% of the revenue and government income in Bahrain comes from the oil industry. Dubai also does not rely on oil, only 10% of revenues, GDP and government income comes from their oil. Dubai relies on tourism, trade, finance and investment.

Kuwait has the strongest currency in the world. In addition, Kuwait is currently working on diversifying the economy. There are several large tourism projects and trade ports in development that need the new Parliament’s approval to go forward. Kuwait was actually the most successful at diversifying efforts prior to the Gulf War that led to the destruction of artificial food farms and fish farms. It’s a shame, we would have finished diversification if the Iraqis hadn’t wrecked the country.

Kuwait is aiming to produce 15%-20% of all electricity from renewable energy plants in Kuwait by 2030. They are developing several renewable energy plants here.

“Kuwait has the strongest currency”
Well that’s got to do with the fact that a 1000 fils makes 1 KD. If it were to be calculated the regular way of a 100 to 1, perhaps 1 Dollar would buy close to 3KD!!

well it’s not calculated like that so in real terms it is the strongest currency in the world, just look it up

Kuwait’s currency is the strongest in the world even when it’s ”calculated like that”. Kuwait has a very, very low inflation rate and lots of gold which is why the currency is very strong.

Saudi Arabia’s currency is very weak in comparison to Kuwait.

Agree on the Gold part but disagree on Inflation. Lets try the ratio of
100fils : 1Kd, there goes your inflation sky rocketing!

Side note:- If the Dinar fluctuates it doesn’t make much of a difference as all commodities (Gold, Oil, Food, etc) are traded in US Dollars.

No! The Riyal and Dirham are strong in real terms as they use the 1 is to 100 ratio!! Please read a book.

Fajer has not yet replied to my queries submitted personally to him/her. How come he/she continues to post new stuff?

Hi Leslie! My apologies that I have not been replying back to you! But these are all replies to other people, I get 30 emails per day and therefore I do not have the capacity to reply to all.

Thanks for the info Fajer. I heard that just before they closed the file for citizenship applicants, they were adjusting the requirement on wives married to Kuwaitis to restrict it to certain nationalities. Is this true?

Fajer, I sent you an email, but it seems you’re getting too many, so how can one go about contacting you?

I honestly think everyone who is making a big fuss about not wanting to become Muslim in order to get married is getting quite offensive.

Kuwait is an Islamic state and so if it wishes for you to convert then do so and respect it’s religion.

Anyone who has something bad to say about Islam can keep to themselves because that doesn’t make you or your religion look any better.

Putting that aside, Fajer can you please shed light on the CURRENT marriage laws between expats and Kuwaity’s, because I know many couples whose marriage was apparently ‘Not approved’ by a specific ministry responsible for expat-kuwaity marriages. Thank you

Kuwait is not an Islamic state. An Islamic state means a country that uses Sharia law as its only source of legislation. The judicial system of Kuwait is liberal not primarily based on Sharia law. Sharia is one of the sources of legislation, however the judicial system is primarily based on British, French and Egyptian civil laws rather than Sharia. Sharia law is only used in personal status matters (ie. marriage/inheritance/custody) for Muslims only. For personal status matters for non-Muslims, secular courts are used. It’s the same in Israel and Lebanon, Sharia is part of their judicial systems only in personal status matters. Homosexuality is actually legal in Bahrain but not legal in Lebanon.

People always generalize about the Gulf. Just because Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state does not make all of the Gulf countries Islamic states.

And many Christians have been granted Kuwaiti citizenship without converting to Islam, the Kuwaiti government didn’t tell Kuwaiti Christian natives to convert to Islam and they’re still Christians right now. The government of Kuwait never told them to convert to Islam, the native Christian community in Kuwait is still Christian. There are actually native Christian-Kuwaiti members in the cabinet (not National Assembly). The native Christian community have been instrumental in the expansion of the pre-oil economy and development of Kuwait.

These requirements are merely useless, in real life the people who get citizenship have WASTA (nepotism). If you work for a Sheikh, you get citizenship especially if you’re a hot secretary even if you’ve only worked for 10 years in Kuwait. These requirements don’t apply in actual practice, they’re only there by name. They do get enforced sometimes, but in general for citizenship what you need the most is WASTA.

Rain
How come Kuwait is an Islamic country were Cigarettes are legal ?
Same thing goes to Saudi Arabia and other ” Islamic ” countries.

Kuwait is not an Islamic country and cigarettes aren’t forbidden in Islam, they’re legal.

Saudi Arabia is an actual Islamic country where their primary source of legislation is Sharia. Kuwait’s legislation is mostly based on secular and liberal law codes.

Like in Israel, Lebanon & Syria: in Kuwait only personal status matters pertaining to marriage/inheritance are governed by Sharia but there are two separate courts for that for Kuwaiti Muslims and non-Muslims (secular court). Kuwait use two different interpretations of Sharia in terms of personal status, one is Shia (more liberal and pro-equality) and the other Sunni.

I honestly don’t know where you get your propaganda from, but I can easily attest that Kuwait is in fact an Islamic state by providing the following passage from our constitution:

Article 2 [State Religion]:
The religion of the State is Islam, and the Islamic Sharia shall be a main source of legislation.

That is extremely clear. What I do agree with you about is that Kuwait law is no solely based on Sharia law. It is the main source of legislation but not the absolute source.

Do you live under a rock? An Islamic country is a country that uses Sharia law as it’s sole source of legislation, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Kuwait is not an Islamic country because Sharia is not the ONLY source of legislation, our legislation is primarily based on the English, French and Egyptian law codes. Sharia is ONE of the sources of legislation, not the main, dominance source of legislation.

And another thing: the government doesn’t follow every aspect of the Constitution so just because it says Sharia ‘shall be Amain source of legislation’ doesn’t mean it applies in practice.

Sharia in practice plays a small role in the judicial system since it only applies to personal status laws pertaining to marriage, divorce and inheritance for Muslims. Non-Muslims use secular courts for personal status matters. In addition, there are two types of courts used for personal status laws: Sunni and Shia. The Shia courts grant women equal rights in inheritance whereas the Sunni courts don’t.

The countries that declare Islam as a state religion are not identified as Islamic countries.

Many countries have declared Islam as the religion of the State, such as Lebanon, Syria and Morocco but all of those countries are identified as liberal/secular rather than Islamic countries.

Sharia law is used in personal status laws pertaining to marriage/inheritance for Muslims in Israel, but Israel is not an ISLAMIC country in any despite the fact Sharia is part of their judicial system.

The vast majority of Muslim-majority countries have declared Islam as the religion of State and Sharia law is used in personal status for marriage/inheritance in the majority of Muslim countries INCLUDING Lebanon and Egypt.

“An Islamic country is a country that uses Sharia law as it’s sole source of legislation, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.”

I highly suggest you open up and read a book sometime. The world doesn’t work like that. It’s clearly stated in the constitution that Kuwait is an Islamic state. Whether you feel that the constitution is fully implemented or not doesn’t have any bearing on the official declaration that it is an Islamic state

“The countries that declare Islam as a state religion are not identified as Islamic countries.”

Look up: willful ignorance or wishful thinking.

And there are many more laws pertaining to Kuwait than just marriage or inheritance, as well as with other Islamic countries. Case in point the whole situation in Dubai with the lady being rapped and having ot provide four witnesses for rape, being charged with sex outside of marriage, and with drinking. There’s your proof. I’ve also submitted the constitution officially stating Kuwait is an Islamic country. On your next reply, please provide some proof or sources for your “Kuwait is not an Islamic state” instead of just conjecture.

Kuwait isn’t Dubai. What does a rape case in Dubai have to do with Kuwait? Dubai is not part of the state of Kuwait.

Ba’ath-governed Syria is generally identified as a secular state despite the fact the Syrian Constitution stated ”Sharia shall be a main source of legislation”. Has anyone ever identified Syria in 2003 as an Islamic state? The Syrian Constiution states that Sharia is a main source of legislation although Sharia law only applies to personal status laws in Ba’ath Syria. The same applies to Kuwait. Kuwait’s Constitution states that Sharia shall be a main source of legislation although Sharia only accounts for Family Law and inheritance matters for Muslim citizens. Non-Muslims have secular courts for personal status laws (Family Law and inheritance).

Kuwait’s ban on alcohol can be linked to Sharia although the ban is rather loose considering the black market is a thriving industry, bootleggers are very rich and the government of Kuwait benefits the most from the very expensive cost of alcohol. If the government legalizes alcohol, then the traffic death rates will triple and legalizing alcohol isn’t beneficial in any way.

Most Muslim-majority countries’s Constitutions explicitly state that ”Sharia law shall be a main source of legislation”. That doesn’t mean that it applies in real life legislation. For example, Lebanon is a liberal country. Its laws are generally liberal although personal status laws are governed by Sharia.

An Islamic State is defined by the legislation in a state, not what the Constitution says. Kuwait is often described as one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East and Muslim world.

99% of Muslim-majority countries identify Islam as the state religion, that doesn’t make them Islamic state because in modern terminology an Islamic State is defined as a country in which Sharia law is an actual PRIMARY source of legislation that governs 99% of issues including the financial sector. Kuwait’s financial laws are largely secular.

Do you consider Lebanon or Jordan ”Islamic states”? Islam is the state religion in those countries yet no one ever identifies them as ”Islamic states” in any way. Homosexuality is legal in Jordan.

99% of Muslim countries declare Islam as the state religion – that doesn’t make any of those countries ”Islamic states”. The majority of news organizations and historical accounts and sources of Kuwait don’t identify Kuwait as an ”Islamic state”. Iran and Saudi Arabia are most commonly referred to as ”Islamic states”. An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law.

An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law. Kuwait does not fit that category.

so finally are we getting the citizenship after living here for 38 years ( born in Kuwait) and my family stayed in the country during the Iraqi invasion ???
or should i go to Canada for 3-5 years and come back as a westerner and get paid double my salary.

Cigarettes are forbidden in Islam. Anything that affects your health is bad and forbidden. Unlike cigarettes. Don’t tell me a Sheikh told you cigs are legal in Islam. Anything that affects health is bad and haram. Not makrouh, but haram. Why won’t the Arab region legalize marijuana since it cures AIDS and cancer.

Lol wait this has nothing to do with the topic n ps marijuana damages your lungs from the smoke so too bad

The “has to be a Muslim” requirement was enforced AFTER the Christian Kuwaitis were granted citizenship, which explains why there are Christian Kuwaitis to begin with

So wait Fajer, please explain to me what KIND of Kuwaiti citizenship will you get through tajnees? I know there are multiple darajas or levels like jinsiya daraja ouwla (usually reserved for merhcant and rich families) and daraja thaniya (usual for normal and poorer Kuwaitis).
I never understood what the actual differences were and why there is such a thing? I guess the 2nd level kuwaitis can’t vote or something?

What’s the deal with these denominations? Also they never got removed though sheikh Jaber (Allah yir7amah) said he would abolish this system but there is too much pressure from the rich kuwaitis to keep it in place so it’s still in effect and will never change I heard. what is the point of it I want to know, are there any real benefits of one over the other? or just for bragging rights?

Could anyone confirm that this info is legit and could someone pass a comment on how easy/difficult the process is?

My father has been in Kuwait for more than 20 years now. He is like it will never happen. Its just bullshit.

hello
I am a jordanian who was born in kuwait in 1990 right before the war stated and lived my whole in kuwait my father passed away in 09 . my residency was on him so therefore I was trying to figure out a way to stay in my country , didnt wanna leave my hometown didnt wanna leave my friends nor my family althought in 2011 i had no options except going to the united states to stay with my sibling.
jordan was not an option for me because. I dont have a family there.
my question now is Is it possible to get the kuwaiti citizenship after living there for almost 21 yearsknowing that i lost my kuwaiti residency?
thank you fajir

this whole blog or whatever is wrong theres no such thing as the requierments for the kuwaiti nationality ….now i wont tell my life story here but i will tell you that even if you have proof that you lived here for 100000000 years you will not get the nationality even if you made a HUGE contribution to kuwait you will not get the nationality even if worked ,studied ,or whatever in kuwait you will not get the nationality , theres jus simply couple ways to get it which are ….. being born with it means you are one of the luckiest in obligated way your father must had it before you and therefor you grandfather should to …..yep make sense huh? OR if u were from an iranian decent and you got some connections with BIG PEOPLE down town 😉 . period

I would just like to add my two cents. my grandfather moved to Kuwait in 1937. my mother was born in Kuwait along with 7 of her brothers and sisters ranging from the 1950s to the 1960s. NO ONE FROM MY FAMILY HAS EVER BEEN GRANTED NATIONALITY. it is all a farce. Kuwait pretends it is willing to give nationality to legal residents when in fact it is an elitist and classist country. unfortunately I had to leave the country because I couldn’t stand being treated like a second class citizen where i can’t even own my own home let alone open up a business of my own.

My grandmother came to Kuwait in 1965 or1966.Her husband came in 1968.Their first daughter was born in 1976 in Kuwait.They left in 1990 or 1991 during the Iraq – Kuwait War.Her parents went to Kuwait shortly after the war ended.My mother went back to Kuwait in 1999.I am a Christian .

Can I get a citizenship?(considering that chiristians get citizenship and Muslim requirement is not enforced) I learned that my grand mother’s uncles and cousins have worked in kuwait.I think her first uncle to work in Kuwait was around 1950’s.My father’s relatives worked in the middle east since the 1950’s too.

Does an Iranian woman who was barn in KW, worked and spent most of her 35 years in KW get the Kuwaiti citizenship if she marries a Kuwaiti man? Note: she is currently residing the USA!

I was terminated from my current company on 28th feb 2014 . And then i rejoined to other project under same sponsor. Without giving a notice period of 90 days they terminated me. So did i am eligible for getting my 90 days pay. I approach to my company but they refused to give me money, stating that they offered a new job under same sponsor. But my salary is very much low that i getting from previous project. Please let me know if i am eligible for getting my 3 months pay.
Now i am going to cancel my current visa and going back home. But the cancellation letter is in Arabic language but i don’t know to read Arabic language.If i asked them translation in English language legally the company need to give me English translation copy or not. And if i cancelled my current visa is it possible me to come back in another visa within 3 months period. Kindly please let me know the above matters.

Hello, My Grandfather from my mother’s side resided in Kuwait before 1965 and my mother was born there, they left right before the gulf war .Is it possible for my mother to gain citizenship and pass it on to me when I reach the age of 18 I am currently 17 residing in the UAE my parents are divorced. Note : My grandfather and mother both have jordanian passports and proof of residence. My mother is willing to renounce her jordanian citizenship

Hello,
Im from india but was born in kuwait in 1988 but after kuwait iraq dispute in 1990 my family left kuwait and came back in 1998 so is it possible for me to apply for citizenship in 2019 or its not worth it??

Hello
my dad lived in kuwait for 50 years, I was born in kuwait. I consider Kuwait as my home where I would love to spend the rest of my life. We Are Muslims
I like to sing kuwait’s national anthem and learn more about kuwait culture and traditions.
My dad used to say me we are foreigners only kuwaiti people get citizenship but I said him that someday government will give us citizenship but I think my dad was right we will never get citizenship or respect. Living life as foreigners in kuwait we can’t buy a shop without kuwaiti and we can’t build a house
My dreams I want to serve my country and build a house for my family and give them all happiness in life

Assalamu Alaykum!
My name is Mihadah Rasheed Al Yassin and I have an australian Passport but I was born in Norway.
Could I have a kuwaiti passport if I’m Arab speaks arabic fluently, if I come from Eritrea, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Libya? Because I’ve family from my mother’s side who have been in Kuwait over the past 30 years and Yeah I’m muslim, alhamdulillah!

Hello, I was wondering if you can help me I’m doing a research paper on the Bedouins of Kuwait and I’m having some trouble understanding the nationality law and how it affected the bedouins.

Hello,
My name is Mariam Al-Sayegh and I need your advice as to how I can obtain a Kuwaiti citizenship. Here is a little bit of my background: My mother is Filipino and was once married to my Kuwaiti father in California. They separated when I was only 2 years old, and my father went back to Kuwait, leaving behind 2 children, me and my brother, Zade.
Unfortunately, my father has never provided us with child support growing up. He never came once to visit or even attempted to contact us.

How can Zade, my brother, and I obtain a Kuwaiti citizenship? There has to be some way to obtain it without going to Kuwait and hiring a lawyer. We do not have sufficient funds to fly out to Kuwait and hire a lawyer.
Please advise, I would greatly appreciate it. It has been 27 years for me without a father. I do have my birth certificate to prove that my father is Kuwaiti.

Thank you for your time,
Mariam Al-Sayegh

Very similar story to Mariam ! I’m intrigued on what you look like since I am half Kuwaiti (father) and half Filipino. Saddam invades Kuwait father takes off from the US to go back and help his family in Kuwait. No word since. Like I said very similar story only have birth certificate as record.

Hi, you can go to any of your nearest kuwait embassy and show them all the documents you have as proof. They will apply on behalf of you.

My Name is Fahad Khan. Our family is living here in Kuwait since the 1950s. My Grand Father, My Father and now I am the third generation. My Grand Father passed away here in Kuwait in 1980 and My Father died in 2016. My self here in Kuwait since childhood. I have documents as proof since 1948. I am working in the government sector in Kuwait for the last 14 years.

Am I eligible to apply for citizenship.

In case if I am eligible, Is it possible to share the procedure.

Warmest Regards,
Fahad Khan

I believe you have to go to the General Directorate of Nationality and Travel Documents. They would be able to tell you what to do.

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