Kuwait Offers Former Citizens a 10-Year Residence Permit
For former citizens, Kuwait offers a 10-year residency permit with no annual costs, extended stays overseas, and privileges for family sponsorship.
For those who lost their Kuwaiti nationality as a result of recent reforms, Kuwait has implemented a 10-year resident permit starting in September 2026, providing a longer-term substitute for regular residency arrangements.
The new category includes former Kuwaiti citizens whose citizenship was revoked as well as individuals who obtained Kuwaiti nationality through dependency but subsequently lost their Kuwaiti status after choosing a different nationality.
What The New Residence Permit Offers
The new 10-year residence visa exempts eligible former Kuwaiti citizens from annual residency payments, provides greater flexibility to stay abroad, lowers domestic worker sponsorship expenses, and allows them to sponsor eligible family members.
Eligible holders have many benefits:
Longer time abroad: They can leave Kuwait for more than six months without losing their residency, subject to the standard absence limits.
No annual residency fees: Holders are exempt from annual residence permit payments.
Domestic workers have lower sponsorship costs because they pay the same sponsorship payments as Kuwaiti natives.
Family residency: They may seek for residence permits for qualifying family members.
However, one key question remains unanswered: whether this visa allows holders to work in Kuwait. Authorities have yet to define work permission privileges, although additional information on eligibility and application procedures is forthcoming.
The amendment provides a longer-term residency option for anyone affected by Kuwait's nationality revisions, but it does not automatically reinstate citizenship or work privileges.Travunited Take:
We regard this as a feasible long-term residency alternative for eligible former citizens, particularly those residing overseas, but with unknown employment rights and forthcoming application rules, waiting for official clarification is prudent.
