Kuwait nears final phase of citizenship review, impacting over 9,400 women

Dubai: Kuwait’s Supreme Committee for Citizenship Investigation is moving into the final phase of its review into citizenship withdrawals under Article 8, with 9,418 women publicly identified as affected by the decision.

Authorities are conducting a comprehensive verification process to ensure all cases are accounted for and to prevent any inadvertent omissions.

The review follows the issuance of four decrees and two ministerial decisions, leading to the withdrawal or revocation of 9,464 citizenships involving both men and women.
These actions primarily target individuals linked to national security and loyalty violations, including those convicted of financing Hezbollah, involvement in the Lions of the Peninsula case, and participation in the Abdali Cell case.
As part of the legal measures, thousands of women who had obtained Kuwaiti citizenship through dependency have been affected by the withdrawal process.

Among them, 5,694 women were impacted under Decree No. 24 of 2025, while another 3,724 women were named in Decree No. 28 of 2025.

A separate ruling under the same decree led to the revocation of citizenship for 38 individuals, while Decree No. 27 of 2025 resulted in the withdrawal of citizenship from three individuals along with their dependents.
The Council of Ministers also issued decisions affecting citizenship status, including the withdrawal of citizenship from four individuals and the revocation of one case due to forgery.

The government has framed the sweeping citizenship review as a necessary measure to uphold national security and legal compliance.

Authorities have stressed that these actions align with Kuwait’s constitutional and legal frameworks, particularly in cases involving fraud, misrepresentation, or security threats.