The Civil Service Bureau issued a circular on May 18 directing ministries to verify overseas academic qualifications before nominating employees for supervisory posts, Arab Times reported Friday. Such certificates must be accredited and equivalent by the Ministry of Higher Education to strengthen public sector transparency and governance. The measure responds to a request from the committee responsible for examining academic certificates of government and private sector employees.
The circular was addressed to ministries, government agencies, public bodies and institutions subject to the Civil Service Law, according to the report. It requires updating of academic data for staff who earned degrees outside Kuwait to assess their suitability for leadership positions. The committee’s request focused on regulating accreditation in line with national standards and confirming the reliability of credentials. This applies to both Kuwaiti citizens and residents working in the relevant entities.
The committee had previously called for urgent updates to employee academic records in a February 2026 forum covered by Kuwait Times. All government entities and private companies were instructed to use the Sahel application to notify staff and complete verifications within set deadlines. Applications for equivalency of foreign qualifications are processed via the Ministry of Higher Education’s website, with clear steps provided for obtaining the necessary electronic certificate.
The Ministry of Higher Education maintains an online equivalency system for evaluating qualifications from foreign universities and institutes, its e-services page indicates. The department handles requests from citizens and employers seeking to confirm that degrees surpass the local secondary school benchmark for job purposes. Users follow a sequence of downloading forms, completing details and uploading authenticated documents to secure approval. The system supports employment decisions across public and private sectors.
Statistics from the Gulf Migration programme database show the Kuwaiti public sector employed 368,745 people in early 2015, including 91,448 non-Kuwaitis who are also covered by the rules. ILO research from recent years highlights that Kuwaitis are concentrated in public administrative jobs while expatriates support various sectors. This scale illustrates the potential reach of the verification requirement across the civil service workforce.
A related April 2026 decision by the Civil Service Commission set a one-month window for all staff to update their academic files, Lexis Middle East reported. The commission emphasised data accuracy to protect entitlements and prevent fraud in employment records. Coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education for equivalency processing has formed a central part of these initiatives since early in the year.
