KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait's Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Youssef Saud Al-Sabah, announced on Wednesday that individuals who have had their Kuwaiti citizenship revoked will retain the same benefits they previously enjoyed as citizens until their death. As chairman of the Supreme Committee for Kuwaiti Citizenship, Sheikh Fahad clarified in a press statement that these individuals will be issued blue Kuwaiti passports without granting them nationality. They will also receive a civil identification card similar to the Kuwaiti blue ID and will be treated as Kuwaiti nationals for all practical purposes. The minister revealed that individuals stripped of their nationality due to fraud, forgery, or dual nationality did not file grievances against the decision. He emphasized that these individuals were aware of their violations, with some fleeing the country within 48 hours of the hotline for citizenship complaints being activated in May, June, and July of this year. Sheikh Fahad highlighted cases where individuals obtained Kuwaiti citizenship under Article 8 of the Nationality Law through sham marriages, only to divorce shortly after securing their nationality. Some of these individuals received citizenship within two years of marriage, in clear violation of nationality regulations. The Kuwaiti government is currently conducting a comprehensive review of citizenship files, uncovering thousands of cases where nationality was obtained through fraud or individuals retained dual citizenship, violating Kuwaiti law. The revocation of citizenship has also included foreign spouses of Kuwaitis who acquired nationality through marriage. Last month, the government revoked the citizenship of a significant number of individuals, including prominent figures such as singer Nawal and actor Dawood Hussein, as part of a broader effort to restructure and enforce the Nationality Law.
