The Kuwaiti government has issued a decision amending the executive regulations of the Foreigners' Residency Law, providing a 10-year residency permit free of charge to those whose Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn and their dependents, who have returned to their original nationality or acquired another nationality.
The official gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm, published the decision on Sunday. It authorizes the Director General of the General Department of Residency Affairs to determine the conditions and regulations governing the granting and renewal of residency permits.
It also allows beneficiaries to work in Kuwait in accordance with regulations set by the department.
The amendment also introduced rules governing the length of time residents may remain outside Kuwait, setting the period at six months while exempting several categories, including children of Kuwaiti women who have not acquired citizenship by dependency, property owners, investors covered by Law No. 116 of 2013, and holders of residency permits.
The General Department of Residency Affairs may grant permission for an absence of more than six months under specific conditions and regulations, provided that the residency remains valid.
The decision also sets the period domestic workers may remain outside Kuwait at four months unless they obtain prior permission for an extended absence.
The amendment is intended to regulate the legal status and residency arrangements of the categories covered by its provisions, establish rules governing the granting and renewal of residency and employment in the country, and regulate the periods residents may remain outside Kuwait.
