Kuwait has revoked the citizenship of an estimated 70000 people since launching a major review in 2024, a figure that the Gulf Centre for Human Rights assessment placed alongside an existing stateless Bedoon population of more than 90000. Syrian diplomatic officials confirmed on September 17 that 1277 of those affected have since applied for Syrian nationality, many citing family origins that Kuwaiti investigators determined were misrepresented in decades-old records. The Supreme Committee for the Investigation of Kuwaiti Nationality has led the effort, focusing on cases where documents were allegedly forged to secure citizenship under Article 1 or through marriage provisions. In several documented instances, DNA testing has confirmed Syrian lineage that contradicted claimed Kuwaiti descent, prompting the revocations.
Investigations frequently trace back to the 1960s and 1970s, when a handful of Syrian nationals were fraudulently added to Kuwaiti family files, according to multiple reports from Kuwaiti security sources. One such case uncovered in 2025 involved two Syrian brothers whose actions led to the revocation of citizenship for 80 connected individuals, including descendants, after DNA evidence and admissions confirmed the falsehoods. Syrian authorities have cooperated with Kuwaiti probes in select files, providing records that helped verify origins in at least four major forgery networks that together affected more than 200 people. The process has extended to descendants, with entire family branches losing status once the original fraud was established.
Those stripped of citizenship receive a three-to-four-month window to demonstrate seriousness in adjusting their status by obtaining alternative nationality documents, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights report detailed. Applicants must surrender Kuwaiti identification, sign a waiver of prior citizenship, and accept a temporary stateless residency card while pursuing options such as Syrian passports. Kuwaiti officials have stated that the measures aim to restore the integrity of nationality records without providing a path for legal challenge to the administrative decisions. Many affected are women and children who acquired status through marriage or descent, complicating their ability to remain in the country long-term.
The campaign gained momentum after decrees in late 2024 expanded the grounds for revocation to include national security concerns and retrospective fraud findings, according to legal analyses published by the European University Institute. Syrian diplomatic posts in the region have seen a surge in applications from former Kuwaitis, with the 1277 figure representing only those who have completed initial filings and submitted required proof of ancestry. Kuwait maintains that dual nationality is prohibited, forcing many to choose between statelessness or reclaiming an original nationality that some had not actively held for generations.
Broader regional implications have emerged as similar reviews in other Gulf states draw comparisons, though Kuwait’s scale stands out in multilateral assessments. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights has documented cases where revoked citizens faced employment barriers, restricted travel and loss of state benefits, pushing some toward embassies of ancestral countries. Syrian officials processing the applications have required authenticated documents from both sides, including any prior Kuwaiti records now invalidated. Cooperation between Kuwaiti investigators and Syrian counterparts has accelerated the resolution of pending files.
Kuwait’s Central Agency for Illegal Residents has played a supporting role in cross-checking Bedoon and naturalized cases that overlap with Syrian claims, according to statements from the agency. In one extended family network exposed earlier this year, more than 100 revocations followed the identification of a single Syrian individual fraudulently inserted into records in the 1960s. The 1277 applicants for Syrian citizenship form part of a larger group estimated at up to 300000 when dependents are included, per the Gulf Centre for Human Rights tally. Authorities continue to publish lists of names in official gazettes to notify those affected.
