The Council of Ministers issued four decrees that withdrew Kuwaiti citizenship from 11 individuals as well as from any who had acquired it through dependency on them. Kuwait Al-Youm, the official gazette, published the decisions on September 27, 2026 after the cases were examined by relevant authorities. The revocations rested on Article 21 bis (A) of Amiri Decree No. 15 of 1959 concerning the Kuwaiti Nationality Law and its amendments. That provision allows withdrawal when nationality is shown to have been granted on the basis of fraud, false statements or incorrect documentation.
These measures reflect the continued work of the Supreme Committee for the Investigation of Kuwaiti Nationality, which the Amir formed by decree in May 2024. The committee is chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef. The National reported that Kuwait revoked citizenship from 2,192 people through eight decrees in June 2026, with one decree alone covering 1,594 cases. The newspaper noted that the official gazette listed the names of those affected along with any dependents.
Kuwait’s nationality legislation permits revocation on multiple grounds that include fraudulent acquisition, unauthorised dual nationality and actions deemed contrary to the state’s supreme interests. The law extends to naturalisations originally granted for distinguished services that are later reassessed. Cabinet decisions on such matters follow proposals submitted by the Minister of Interior, according to the published decrees.
In a televised address in March 2025 the Amir described the citizenship review as a national effort to restore Kuwait to its rightful people. Interior Minister Fahad Al-Yousef stated on state television around the same time that the country had been affected by other nationalities. These statements provided the policy context for the Supreme Committee’s ongoing examinations of nationality files.
The scale of the review has been substantial over the past two years. The National placed the total at nearly 50,000 people whose citizenship was revoked in 2025 during a comprehensive examination that officials indicated left no files exempt. That total does not count additional dependents whose status was also affected by the primary withdrawals. Regular publication of names in Kuwait Al-Youm has kept the public informed of each new batch of decisions.
Further decrees have covered both withdrawal of citizenship obtained irregularly and its stripping on public-interest grounds. The Supreme Committee’s determinations have formed the basis for many of the Cabinet resolutions. Kuwait Al-Youm has continued to release the detailed lists connected with each fresh set of revocations.
