Kuwait to allow foreign-born women stripped of citizenship to retain benefits

Kuwait has highly restrictive criteria for citizenship, especially for non-Arabs and non-Muslims. Kuwait allows limited naturalisation, including in the case of marriages to Kuwaiti men.

By: Express Web Desk
August 14, 2025 09:03 PM IST

Kuwait to allow foreign-born women stripped of citizenship to retain benefits

Kuwait has a population of 5 million, out of which only 1.5 million are Kuwaiti citizens. (Photo: Unsplash)

The Ministry of Social Affairs in Kuwait has said that foreign-born women who became naturalised Kuwaiti citizens through marriage can continue to access benefits, even after their citizenship is revoked. This comes after Kuwait recently revoked the citizenship of nearly 50,000 people, out of which nearly 29,000 were women who acquired citizenship through marriage to Kuwaiti men.

Can avail of citizenship benefits

According to the Social Affairs Ministry, the women who had their citizenship revoked would be treated “as Kuwaiti citizens in all benefits and services” if they “regularised their status”, meaning that they must comply with the revocation process.

“All social and service-related benefits will continue without any change in line with government directives, to preserve the stability of the women concerned and their families,” it said.

How can foreigners acquire citizenship in Kuwait?

Kuwait, like most other countries in the Middle East, has highly restrictive criteria for citizenship, especially for non-Arabs and non-Muslims.

Kuwait allows limited naturalisation, including in the case of marriages to Kuwaiti men, after an extensive review by a high committee comprised of Kuwaiti nationals designated by the Minister of the Interior.

What happens if citizenship is revoked

Kuwait does not recognise dual citizenship, and according to the Nationality Law, 1959, women who acquired Kuwaiti nationality through marriage shall not lose it upon the termination of the marriage unless she re-acquires her nationality of origin or acquires another nationality.

Losing citizenship means that people who have been affected will not have access to generous state benefits, including health care and education, public-sector employment, subsidised housing and utilities, interest-free marriage loans and monthly food rations.

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However, with the new announcement, the government has granted a temporary period for foreign-born women to adjust their status and maintain access to services during the appeal process.

Kuwait population

Kuwait has a population of 5 million, out of which only 1.5 million are Kuwaiti citizens, while the remaining 3.29 million are foreign nationals. With a one million-strong diaspora, Indians are the largest expatriate community in Kuwait and constitute 21 per cent of the country’s total population.

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