Kuwait has introduced residency permits of up to 10 years for certain individuals who have been stripped of Kuwaiti citizenship, giving them a legal pathway to remain in the country as foreign residents under a new regulatory framework.
The measure was introduced through Ministerial Decision No. 1410 of 2026, issued by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah and published in the official gazette, Kuwait Al Youm.
Under the newly added Article 7 bis, individuals whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn under Clause 4 of Article 13 of the 1959 Nationality Law may qualify for the new residency status. The provision also covers dependants who acquired Kuwaiti citizenship through them and were included in the citizenship withdrawal decree.
To qualify, applicants must have returned to their original nationality or obtained another nationality.
The new residency status does not restore Kuwaiti citizenship or reverse the withdrawal decision. Instead, it provides eligible individuals with a separate legal status allowing them to continue living in Kuwait as foreign residents.
New residency fee structure
The rules establish a separate fee structure for Article 7 bis residents. Those granted the status are exempt from annual residency fees, while their spouses, children and parents must pay 10 Kuwaiti dinars (around $32) per person annually.
Other relatives covered by the provision face an annual fee of 300 dinars (around $970). The 10-dinar annual fee also applies to immediate family members of Gulf nationals whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn and who subsequently returned to their original nationality.
Kuwait tightens rules on overseas absence
The regulatory changes also revise how long foreign residents can remain outside Kuwait without affecting their residency status.
Most foreign residents are subject to a six-month limit on time spent outside the country. However, Article 7 bis residents, certain foreign children of Kuwaiti women, property owners and qualifying investors are exempt from the restriction.
Domestic workers face a shorter four-month limit. Those who remain outside Kuwait for longer without prior approval could lose their residency rights.
The changes are significant for Kuwait's large expatriate population and employers that rely on foreign workers across sectors including construction, services, domestic work and other parts of the economy.
By June 2026, Kuwait had 5.31 million residents, including 3.74 million expatriates. Foreign workers numbered around 2.8 million, representing roughly three-quarters of the workforce, while domestic workers accounted for about 883,300.
What the changes mean for expatriates
The introduction of the 10-year residency status provides a specific legal route for people affected by citizenship withdrawals, but it does not represent a new long-term residency programme for foreign workers generally.
For the wider expatriate workforce, the more relevant change is the revision of overseas absence rules. The six-month limit for most foreign residents and the stricter four-month limit for domestic workers could affect employees who regularly travel outside Kuwait or spend extended periods in their home countries.
Employers and foreign workers will therefore need to pay closer attention to residency conditions and obtain the necessary approvals before extended periods outside the country.
The changes reflect Kuwait's continuing efforts to regulate residency while managing the legal status of its large foreign population. For affected former citizens, the new Article 7 bis framework provides a longer-term route to remain in Kuwait, while the revised absence rules introduce tighter requirements for other categories of foreign residents.