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Kuwait Opens 15-Year Residency Track For Investors · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Kuwait approved a long-term residency track that grants qualified foreign investors permits of up to 15 years, making it the last Gulf Cooperation Council country to formally introduce an investor path to long-term residency.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: The Interior Ministry issued the update under Article 7 of the Executive Regulations, approved by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Fahad Al Youssef, allowing investors to qualify for Kuwait's long-term residency by either investing in local real estate, the 10-year route, or establishing a business, the 15-year route.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: There is no fixed minimum investment for either pathway.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: In most estimates, the average price of a private house in Kuwait is between 200,000 Kuwaiti dinars and 300,000 Kuwaiti dinars, or 650,000 US dollars to 980,000 US dollars.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Business route applicants must comply with the foreign investment standards set out in law number 116 of 2013 on the promotion of direct investment.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Under this framework, the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, also known as KDIPA, may license eligible projects as a 100% foreign-owned Kuwaiti company, a branch of a foreign company, or a representative office for market studies.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: The residency reforms follow Kuwait's citizenship crackdown, which began last year.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: By September 2025, Kuwait had revoked up to 42,000 passports, primarily those of naturalized citizens and the spouses of Kuwaitis.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Emir Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, ruler of Kuwait, said last year in a televised speech that citizenship revocations aim to deliver Kuwait back to its original people, clean of impurities.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: KDIPA and the cabinet assess investors' eligibility holistically rather than by a single threshold.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: They look at the business project's expected contribution to technology and know-how transfer, including modern management practices and technical and marketing capabilities.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: They also evaluate how the project serves local and GCC demand and supports non-oil diversification.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Export potential and productivity matter as well, with emphasis on raising non-oil exports and improving the quality and volume of output.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Another eligibility criterion authorities assess is employment and training.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Proposals should demonstrate how the business would create jobs for Kuwaiti nationals and should outline credible training plans.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: The cabinet maintains a negative list of excluded business activities for foreigners.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: In 2025, the negative list includes sectors such as oil and gas, media and publishing, and certain types of manufacturing, among others.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Alongside formalizing the investor residency track, the Interior Ministry outlined broad updates to the residency regime.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: On November 23rd, it announced a revised rulebook that raises most visa fees, introduces new residence categories, and tightens rules for dependents and domestic workers.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: The ministry reaffirmed a minimum monthly income of 800 Kuwaiti dinars, around 2,600 U.S.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: dollars to sponsor a family and increased the annual fee for dependents other than a spouse or children to 300 Kuwaiti dinars, or 977 U.S.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: dollars.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Residency renewals remain available upon application, including for investor and real estate routes.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: The new regulations and investor residency routes take effect on December 23rd.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Authorities have indicated they will issue additional circulars to clarify documentation requirements and more precisely define the eligible investor categories.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: This episode first appeared as an article by Mustafa Daily on IMIDaily.com.
• 3:52
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• 3:58
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