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.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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