Kuwait Revokes 12,000 Citizenships in Three Months

Kuwait’s government has intensified its crackdown on dual nationality holders, stripping citizenship from 2,863 individuals across 54 countries in its latest wave of revocations, which it announced on December 13.

This action brings the total number of citizenship revocations to more than 12,000 since August 2024.

First Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah initiated the sweeping reforms to address what he describes as issues of “purchasing loyalties” and fraudulent naturalization.

Under Kuwait’s nationality law Article 11, citizens who voluntarily acquire another nationality automatically lose their Kuwaiti citizenship.

The government has abolished Article 8 of the nationality law, which previously provided certain pathways to Kuwaiti citizenship.

Constitutional experts have set 1987 as the cut-off year for citizenship revocations under Article 8.

Anyone who has forged documents, provided false information, or engaged in deception will lose their citizenship because they do not deserve it,” a government source explains.

The Interior Ministry now operates a confidential hotline encouraging citizens to report cases of illegal dual citizenship or cases of citizenship fraud, promising complete anonymity to whistleblowers.

Courts have sentenced several individuals who illegally obtained citizenship to jail terms.

Despite its aggressive stance on fraud, the government has implemented protective measures for affected individuals.

Women married to Kuwaiti men, divorcees, and widows who lose citizenship will keep their employment and current salaries. Those already retired will continue receiving their pensions.

The reforms also introduce new regulations for non-Kuwaiti spouses, requiring a 15-year residency for foreign wives of Kuwaiti citizens to qualify for naturalization instead of the previous average wait time of five years.

Children of Kuwaiti women who obtained citizenship through their mothers face uncertain futures.

While not all will lose their citizenship, “a considerable number of them will indeed lose their Kuwaiti citizenship,” according to government sources.

The Council of Ministers plans additional amendments to strengthen Kuwait’s nationality law, aiming to close existing loopholes while protecting national identity.

These changes represent Kuwait’s most consequential citizenship reform since its independence.