KUWAIT: Kuwait has approved a new long-term residency plan granting foreign investors and their families residence permits valid for up to 15 years. The decision, published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm on Sunday, is aimed at encouraging foreign investments, luring foreign capital and promoting Kuwait’s position as a center of direct investment. The new program grants long-term residency to owners of investment entities, business partners, managers and senior executives holding approved job titles, as well as their immediate family members, including parents, spouses and children.
Under the decision, the general department of residency affairs at the interior ministry may grant investor residency permits upon recommendation from Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), provided that applicants meet a set of specified conditions and criteria. To qualify, the investment entity must hold a valid investment license issued by KDIPA.
Applicants are also required to provide a clean criminal record, possess a passport valid for at least six months and submit documentation verified by the investment entity, which assumes legal responsibility for the accuracy of all submitted information. The decision further stipulates that investment entities sponsoring investor residency permits must meet several technical requirements. These include maintaining a minimum investment value of KD 5 million and a minimum capital of KD 1 million, with proof that the capital has been deposited within Kuwait.
Meanwhile, eight Amiri decrees published in the official gazette Al-Kuwait Al-Youm on Sunday revoked the Kuwaiti citizenship of 2,193 people and an unspecified number of their dependents. Six of the decrees gave no specific reasons for stripping the citizenship of 2,184 people, while the remaining two decrees said the citizenship of nine were revoked because they obtained them through cheating and by providing false information.
Separately, statistics released by the interior ministry show a significant decline in red-light and speeding violations following the implementation of the new traffic law, reflecting a higher level of compliance among motorists with traffic regulations. In figures published on Sunday, the ministry said speeding violations dropped by 65 percent during the period from April 22, 2025 to April 21, 2026, compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
The number of speeding violations fell to 561,820 after the new law came into force, compared with 1,618,739 violations recorded before its implementation. The ministry added that red-light violations also declined by 63 percent, with 51,732 violations recorded after the new law took effect, compared with 140,539 violations during the corresponding period of 2024–2025.
The new traffic law entered into force on April 22, 2025, introducing a package of key amendments aimed at reducing serious and repeat traffic offenses through tougher penalties for violations such as running red lights, exceeding speed limits and using a mobile phone while driving.
