Kuwait has changed its Nationality Law, removing voting rights from naturalised citizens and introducing tighter rules around citizenship records.
What Has Changed For Naturalised Citizens Of Kuwait?
Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has approved an amendment to the country’s Nationality Law.
Under the new rules, naturalised citizens will no longer be allowed to vote, stand in parliamentary elections, or be appointed to parliamentary bodies. Previously, naturalised Kuwaitis could vote after holding citizenship for 30 years. However, they were already not allowed to stand for parliamentary elections or hold parliamentary positions.
The latest amendment removes their voting rights completely, regardless of how long they have held Kuwaiti citizenship. The law also introduces electronic nationality certificates, which will have the same legal status as paper certificates and can be used for official purposes.
Part Of A Wider Review Of Citizenship
The voting change comes as Kuwait continues a wider review of citizenship records that began in 2024. The review has resulted in many citizenships being revoked in cases involving issues such as fraudulent applications, prohibited dual nationality and citizenship granted through marriage.
The new amendment also allows citizenship to be revoked if someone knowingly and falsely lists another person as their child or descendant. People who were fraudulently added to a citizenship file could also lose their citizenship if they were aware of the false information.
Also Read: Kuwait Issues New Citizenship Law With New Rules On Nationality, Fraud & Family Rights
Why Does This Matter?
Kuwait has around 1.5 million citizens within a total population of roughly 4.5 million. This makes citizenship and voting rights particularly important issues in the country.
The latest amendment further separates the political rights of naturalised citizens from those of Kuwaiti citizens by origin. For now, the changes have been approved, while further details on implementing electronic nationality certificates will be set by Kuwait’s Interior Ministry.
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FAQs
What does Naturalised citizens mean?
Any individual born in a country but later attains citizenship of a new country through formal procedures will be called a naturalised citizen.
What is the electronic nationality certificate?
A new digital certificate introduced under the amendment that carries the same legal validity as the paper nationality certificate.