Expat Women Who Marry Kuwaitis Can Become Citizens After 18 Years

20 March 2023 Expats

Kuwait's Parliamentary Interior and Defense Committee is reviewing a draft law to amend Article 8 of Amiri Decree 15/1959 of its Kuwaiti Nationality Law, which was submitted by the previous government. The proposed changes pertain to the naturalization of foreign women who are married to Kuwaiti men.

Amiri Decree 15/1959 Article 8 is replaced with new provisions in the draft law. Under the proposed amendments, a foreign woman who marries a Kuwaiti man will not automatically become a Kuwaiti citizen unless she declares her desire to do so to the Minister of Interior and maintains legal residence in Kuwait for a period of eighteen years from the date of marriage. The Minister of Interior may also prevent her from acquiring Kuwaiti nationality if he deems it necessary.

In the event that the woman's marriage ends due to death or divorce and she has a son or children, she may apply to acquire Kuwaiti citizenship, provided that she maintained her legal and normal residence in Kuwait and cared for her children until one of them reaches the age of ten. The Minister of Interior may grant her Kuwaiti nationality by decree based on his proposal.

Also, the amendments stipulate that the Minister of Interior may grant a foreign woman, who is married to a Kuwaiti, the treatment of a Kuwaiti individual after she announces her desire and maintains the marriage for three years. The widow of a Kuwaiti man may also be granted the treatment of a Kuwaiti individual if she has a declaration of desire and has a son or children.

According to the explanatory memorandum to the draft law, foreign women who marry Kuwaitis can acquire Kuwaiti citizenship after only five years of marriage without having children, reports Al Rai. This has led to many cases of foreign women gaining Kuwaiti nationality and then separating from their Kuwaiti husbands, without having any ties to Kuwait. A proposed amendment seeks to address this issue by extending the period to eighteen years and requiring proof of loyalty and integration into Kuwaiti society.

 

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