Municipality: Business owners' compliance with activity licensing to ensure sustainability and protect investments

Kuwait Municipality has emphasized the importance of adhering to its regulations and bylaws governing business activity licensing to ensure sustainability and protect investments from violations and penalties, which may include financial fines and the closure of commercial activities.

Abdullah Al-Ajmi, Director of the Audit and Service Follow-up Department at the Municipality, told KUNA that the Municipality launched a public awareness campaign titled “License Your Activity… Take the Right Steps” a few days ago, with the aim of enhancing compliance with municipal regulations and consolidating a culture of adherence to systems and instructions.

He clarified that the campaign covers all activities, whether conducted in commercial, investment, or industrial complexes, which require prior approval from the Municipality.

He noted that the Municipality has disseminated awareness messages through its various social media accounts to educate the concerned parties about the types of violations and penalties, explain the importance of obtaining necessary approvals before commencing business activities, and inform project owners of the resulting violations and prescribed fines.

He outlined the top three violations related to commercial licenses as follows: First, opening or operating a shop without a license or municipal approval, which incurs a fine ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 Kuwaiti dinars, in addition to the issuance of a closure order for the shop.

Al-Ajmi stated that the second violation involves adding unlicensed space or modifying the shop’s conditions without municipal approval, resulting in a fine ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 Kuwaiti dinars, along with a closure order.

He pointed out that the third violation is adding or conducting an unlicensed activity without municipal approval, which carries a fine ranging from 500 to 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars, plus a closure order for the establishment.