Kuwait: Nationality Law Revisions Implemented

An amended nationality law introduces key changes, including:

• Citizenship by marriage no longer allowed. The revised law permanently restricts a foreign national woman married to a Kuwaiti man from acquiring Kuwaiti citizenship through marriage. Previously, they could obtain citizenship following five years of marriage to a Kuwaiti man.
• Citizenship rights for some children of Kuwaiti women. Children born to foreign national fathers and Kuwaiti mothers will be considered a Kuwaiti citizen until the age of 21 if their father is deceased, a prisoner of war, or has divorced the mother. This specific type of citizenship right did not exist under the previous law.
• Verification of ethnic lineage. The law authorizes using modern scientific methods to verify ethnic lineage for naturalization purposes. This approach was not included in the previous legislation.