Kuwait is facing criticism after introducing sweeping amendments to its Nationality Law as part of broader efforts to tighten the Gulf country’s citizenship regulations.
According to Kuwait’s official KUNA news agency, Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah approved a decree “amending certain provisions of the Kuwaiti Nationality Law.”
Under the amendment, individuals who acquired Kuwaiti nationality through naturalisation will not be allowed to vote, run for office or be appointed to any parliamentary body.
Previously, naturalised Kuwaitis were allowed to vote after holding citizenship for 30 years, but were prohibited from running for office or being appointed to parliamentary bodies.
Govnt tightens nationality rules, regulates electronic certificates
The amendment will also allow authorities to revoke citizenship from individuals who knowingly register someone as their child or descendant despite having no such relationship, subject to findings by the Supreme Committee for Kuwaiti Nationality.
The move is part of the government’s efforts to tighten existing rules governing the addition of family members to nationality records.
Additionally, it will introduce new provisions regulating electronic nationality certificates after authorities verify an individual’s citizenship status, Arab Business reported.
Officials stressed that the digital certificates would carry the same legal validity and effect as existing paper documents and are part of efforts to advance digital transformation.
Changes spark authoritarian concerns
The changes have sparked concerns among experts over Kuwait’s political direction, particularly after the emir dissolved Parliament and suspended parts of the constitution just five months after taking power in December 2023.
Anastasia Barna, chief executive officer of One World Migration, said the move was a blatant violation of the rights of naturalised citizens.
“Revoking the right to vote from naturalised people is not right. It affects trust and it is a serious issue,” she said, as quoted by IMI Daily.
Meanwhile, Dr Courtney Freer, a fellow at Emory University, told Amwaj.media that Kuwait may be reducing the number of citizens allowed to vote to guarantee a “smaller and more politically quiescent population of voters” if parliamentary polls are reintroduced.
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Authorities defend amendments
Despite the mounting criticism, the government defended the amendments, arguing that such measures are necessary following reports that several naturalised Kuwaitis held dual nationality or obtained citizenship through fraud.
The government also said the changes were aimed at streamlining practices that had affected citizenship records and creating clearer legal controls over the granting and revocation of Kuwaiti nationality, Arab Times Online reported.
Authorities expressed optimism that the measures would help protect national identity, strengthen national belonging and ensure the state’s authority over citizenship-related matters.
They further hope that the changes will accelerate the government’s shift towards more modernised public services in the long run.
Kuwait launches mass citizenship revocation
The changes came after the government launched a mass citizenship revocation campaign in 2024, which affected tens of thousands of individuals.
The government revoked the nationality of almost 50,000 individuals by August 2025 over alleged forged documents, fraud, prohibited dual nationality and other violations of naturalisation rules, the Arab Weekly reported.
It also abolished naturalisation by marriage in 2025, a provision that applied only to women, and stripped citizenship from wives who had been granted nationality since 1987.
The revocation initiative has raised concerns over the impact of the government’s citizenship policies on legal protections and vulnerable populations.
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