Kuwait legislated heavily in 2025 and 2026. Court deadlines changed, blood money doubled, the marriage age rose, the residency framework was replaced, and a new commercial concealment regime arrives in February 2027. In this guide, Attorney Meshari Obeid Alenezi sets out the instruments that matter to expatriates and investors, with numbers and effective dates.
The instruments at a glance
| Instrument | Subject | Main effect |
|---|---|---|
| Law 114/2024 | Residence of foreigners | Replaced the 1959 decree; in force January 2025 |
| Decree-Law 5/2025 | Traffic law | Article 33 bis, eight serious offences, KD 150 settlement; in force 22 April 2025 |
| Decree-Law 6/2025 | Civil procedure | Cassation deadline 60 days; threshold above KD 30,000 |
| Decree-Law 7/2025 | Property ownership by non-Kuwaitis | Relief for heirs of a Kuwaiti mother; licensed funds may own |
| Decree-Law 8/2025 | Article 251 Civil Code | Full diya raised to KD 20,000 |
| Decree-Law 10/2025 | Personal status | No marriage documentation below age 18 |
| Decree-Law 59/2025 | Civil procedure | Garnishment widened; detention of a solvent evading debtor restored |
| Decree-Law 71 and 72/2025 | Small claims | Threshold raised to KD 2,000; those judgments are final |
| Decree-Law 157/2025 | Criminal procedure | Penal orders extended in minor misdemeanours |
| Decree-Law 10/2026 | Digital commerce | Registration, disclosure and record-keeping duties |
| Decree-Law 78/2026 | Commercial concealment | Effective February 2027; heavy penalties |
| Decree-Law 80/2026 | Judicial organisation | 75 articles; electronic hearings permitted |
Numbers that actually changed
| Item | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Cassation appeal deadline | 30 days | 60 days |
| Cassation threshold | Lower | Above KD 30,000 |
| Small claims threshold | KD 1,000 | KD 2,000 |
| Full diya | KD 10,000 | KD 20,000 |
| Marriage documentation age | Below 18 | 18 |
These are the figures most often stated incorrectly, because older versions of the texts remain widely available online.
What matters most to expatriates
- Residency: Law 114/2024 sets ordinary residence at up to five years, ten years for children of Kuwaiti women and property owners, and fifteen years for investors under Law 116/2013.
- Notification duties: employers must notify departure within two weeks; sponsors must notify expiry.
- Visit visas: automatic extension of entry visas stopped on 1 September 2026 and statutory periods now apply, including for absence permits.
- Traffic: eight serious offences carry a KD 150 settlement for a first offence, with court referral and possible imprisonment on repetition.
- Compensation: the doubling of the diya materially changes the value of fatal accident and medical death claims.
What matters most to investors and employers
- Commercial concealment: prison, fines to KD 100,000 or the value of profits, confiscation, closure and deportation from February 2027.
- Property: licensed real estate funds and listed companies with foreign partners may own, with in-kind property shares distributed to Kuwaitis and cash value to non-Kuwaitis.
- Enforcement: garnishment now reaches future debts and the garnishee must report within ten days.
- Litigation strategy: a judgment at or below KD 2,000 from the summary court is final, so the first instance is now decisive.
- Digital business: registration in the ministry’s records is a precondition for operating in digital commerce.
How to check whether a text is current
- Look for the amending instrument by number and year, not just the title of the original law.
- The Civil and Commercial Procedure Law was amended three times in 2025 alone, so a 1980 version without those amendments is unusable.
- Check for implementing regulations, since some laws do not take full effect before they are issued.
- The Official Gazette is the reference; everything else is commentary that may be out of date.
Frequently asked questions
Do these changes apply to my existing case?
Procedural rules such as deadlines and thresholds generally apply to steps not yet completed, while substantive rules are not retroactive as a matter of principle. Which rule governs your file depends on the date of the events, the date the action was filed and the date the amendment took effect, so a general answer is unsafe.
Why was the civil procedure law amended three times in one year?
Each amendment addressed a different stage: cassation and its deadlines, then enforcement and debtor detention, then the finality of summary court judgments. The common thread is speeding up litigation and strengthening the collection of judgment debts.
I am a foreign investor. Can I own property in Kuwait now?
Decree-Law 7/2025 opened defined routes rather than general permission. Listed companies with foreign partners, licensed real estate funds and licensed portfolios may own where dealing in property is among their purposes, and entities licensed under Law 116/2013 may own for operational needs or staff housing but not for speculation.
Where can I read the Arabic detail?
The office publishes a dedicated Arabic article for each significant amendment, with article numbers and effective dates, together with consolidated Arabic guides to the 2025 and the 2026 legislation.
If you need to assess how these changes affect your case or your business, you may book an appointment with the office of Attorney Meshari Obeid Alenezi or call 22204490.
Disclaimer: this article provides general legal information and is not a substitute for specialised legal advice.
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