Ten-year stay for those stripped of citizenship, fee-free
The First Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, issued a decision published in the official gazette, “Kuwait Today,” regarding amendments to certain provisions of Ministerial Decision No. 2249/2025, which is part of the executive regulations of the Decree-Law on the Residency of Expatriates. The decision introduced a new article, numbered “7 bis,” permitting the issuance of ordinary residency permits for a period not exceeding ten years to individuals against whom a decree had been issued stripping them of their Kuwaiti nationality, as well as those who acquired such nationality through dependency in accordance with the provisions of Clause Four of Article 13 of Amir’s Decree No. 15 of 1959, provided they have reverted to their original foreign nationality or acquired another nationality, and are exempt from fees.
The decision authorized the Director General of the General Administration of Residency Affairs to determine the necessary conditions and controls for granting and renewing such residency, along with permitting them to work in the State of Kuwait in accordance with the controls set by the Administration.
The decision also amended Article 37 concerning the duration of stay outside the country, stipulating that an expatriate holding a residency permit may not remain outside the State of Kuwait for a period exceeding six months. Exceptions were made for the children of Kuwaiti women who did not acquire nationality through dependency from their marriage to a Kuwaiti national, property owners, investors holding residency under Law No. 116 of 2013, and those holding residency under Article 7 bis.
Furthermore, the decision authorized granting expatriates with residency permits permission to stay outside the country for a period exceeding six months, in accordance with the conditions and controls determined by the General Administration of Residency Affairs, provided that their residency permit remains valid.
