Kuwait Opens 10-Year Residency Path for Former Nationals Who Lost Citizenship
Updated: 6 hours ago
KUWAIT CITY, October 8, 2026 — Kuwait has created a dedicated long-term residence permit for people who lost their Kuwaiti nationality under the country's recent citizenship reforms — a move that gives thousands of affected individuals a formal route to stay in the country they previously called home.
The permit, established under Ministerial Decree No. 1410/2026, adds a new Article 7-bis to the executive regulations of Kuwait's Foreigners' Residence Law. It was issued by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah and published in the official gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm. VisasUpdate has previously documented the nationality changes that prompted this measure in its Kuwait Nationality Law Restrictions 2026 guide.
The Legal Basis
Article 7-bis introduces a residence category built around a specific circumstance: people who were Kuwaiti citizens, or who held citizenship through dependency on someone who was, and who then had that status withdrawn.
The measure does not reverse the withdrawal or restore nationality. It creates a separate status that allows affected individuals to remain in Kuwait as foreign nationals, on terms more favourable than the standard expatriate residency regime.
Eligibility: Who the Permit Covers
Two groups fall within scope.
The first consists of former Kuwaiti nationals whose citizenship was withdrawn under Clause 4 of Article 13 of Amiri Decree No. 15 of 1959. That provision permits withdrawal where a person's conduct is deemed harmful to the state's economic or social order.
The second covers individuals who acquired Kuwaiti nationality through dependency and were named in the same withdrawal decree.
In both cases, a prerequisite applies: applicants must have resumed their original nationality or obtained another one. The permit therefore assumes the person is now a foreign national, and regulates their residence on that basis.
What Holders Gain
The permit carries several advantages that distinguish it from ordinary Kuwaiti residency.
Entitlement | Provision |
Validity | Up to 10 years |
Annual residency fee | Exempt |
Extended absence | Permitted beyond six consecutive months abroad |
Family sponsorship | Eligible to sponsor qualifying family members |
Domestic worker fees | Charged at the Kuwaiti national rate |
Employment rights | Not yet defined |
The absence provision is among the most consequential. Standard Kuwaiti rules strip residency from foreign nationals who stay outside the country for more than six consecutive months. Article 7-bis holders are expressly carved out of that rule, giving them freedom to travel, study, or work abroad without jeopardising their status.
Family Sponsorship and Fees
The decree sets out a two-tier fee structure for family members sponsored by Article 7-bis holders:
Sponsored Relative | Annual Fee |
Spouse, children, father, mother | KD 10 |
Other relatives | KD 300 |
The lower KD 10 rate also extends to the immediate family of Gulf nationals whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn and who reverted to their original nationality.
Domestic workers employed by these residents attract the same fee applicable to Kuwaiti households — a further indication that the permit is designed to approximate, rather than replicate, the entitlements of citizenship.
The Unresolved Question: Work Rights
One significant gap remains. Authorities have not clarified whether Article 7-bis holders may work in Kuwait, and if so, under what conditions.
The Director General of the General Department of Residency Affairs has been given authority to determine the terms on which permits are granted and renewed, including provisions relating to employment. Until those conditions are published, employers and permit holders face uncertainty about the practical scope of the status.
Further details on permit requirements are expected in future announcements.
Why Kuwait Created This Category
The permit responds to a policy problem created by Kuwait's own nationality crackdown. Since 2024, authorities have withdrawn citizenship from thousands of people on grounds including fraud, security concerns, and nationality acquired through dependency rather than descent.
Those affected were given a one-year window to regularise their position by securing their original or an alternative nationality. The Article 7-bis permit formalises the outcome of that process by creating a residence category tailored to people who have completed the transition but retain deep ties to Kuwait.
For a group that otherwise faced the prospect of living in Kuwait as ordinary foreign residents — subject to standard sponsorship rules, fee obligations, and the six-month absence limit — the new category represents a materially different legal position.
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Quick Reference Summary
Aspect | Details |
Effective | September 2026 |
Legal Instrument | Ministerial Decree No. 1410/2026; Article 7-bis |
Eligible Groups | Former nationals under Article 13, Clause 4; dependency-based nationals named in withdrawal decrees |
Prerequisite | Resumed original nationality or acquired another |
Permit Validity | Up to 10 years |
Residency Fee | Waived |
Absence Limit | Six-month restriction does not apply |
Family Fees | KD 10 for immediate family; KD 300 for other relatives |
Work Rights | Undetermined |
Issuing Authority | Ministry of Interior |
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