Kuwait Al-Youm on May 7 published decrees and Cabinet decisions revoking citizenship from 316 individuals, including dependents, under amended provisions of the 1959 Nationality Law. The action is the latest in a campaign that, according to the Newsroom Initiative, had revoked the citizenship of more than 71,000 people by mid-April 2026.
The official gazette detailed Decree No. 72 of 2026 as covering revocation for 288 individuals who held citizenship through dependency. Decree No. 73 of 2026 withdrew certificates from five people and extended revocation to their dependents citing Article 21 bis (A) of Amiri Decree No. 15 of 1959. Decrees 74 and 75 addressed two and one primary cases respectively with parallel measures for dependents while Decree 78 applied to three under Article 21 bis (1). Cabinet Resolution No. 84 of 2026 covered 11 cases and Resolution No. 125 of 2026 covered six with all including dependent revocations. The listed components sum exactly to the reported total of 316.
Amendments to the Nationality Law enacted in December 2024 expanded the framework for such revocations according to a KPMG analysis of the changes. The updated Article 21 bis (A) permits certificate withdrawal by decree if obtained through fraud, false statements or incorrect testimony upon recommendation of the Minister of Interior. Article 21 bis (B) sets penalties of up to three years imprisonment and fines not exceeding KD 3,000 for providing inaccurate information during investigations. The Supreme Committee to Investigate Kuwaiti Citizenship chaired by the First Deputy Prime Minister reviews related cases.
Minority Rights Group International reported more than 35,000 citizenship revocations between August and December 2024. The organization noted the campaign continued with an additional 10,000 affected by January 2025. Subsequent tallies placed the direct revocation figure above 50,000 by mid-2025 before climbing further. Kuwait’s citizen population stands at approximately 1.5 million according to multiple regional assessments of the ongoing process.
The 1959 Nationality Law primarily grants citizenship by origin through paternal descent from those present at the time of its enactment. Discretionary naturalization under earlier provisions has come under intensified scrutiny in the current review. Many affected have included women who acquired citizenship through marriage to Kuwaiti nationals as well as their dependents. Arab Times reported that the decrees were issued without publication of individual names in the gazette notices.
The measures follow proposals from the Higher Committee for Kuwaiti Citizenship Investigations and Cabinet approval. Similar decree batches have appeared periodically in the official gazette throughout the multi-year campaign. Kuwait does not recognize dual nationality so the revocations require affected persons to rely on alternative citizenship documentation where available.
