Kuwait Amends Nationality Law Naturalised Citizens No Longer Eligible To Vote

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has approved a decree-law amending the country's nationality law, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA reported.

The changes affect the political rights of naturalised citizens, the use of nationality certificates and the rules governing citizenship files.

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Under the amendment, people who acquire Kuwaiti citizenship through naturalisation will no longer be allowed to vote, run for election or be appointed to any parliamentary body.

Previously, naturalised Kuwaitis could vote after holding citizenship for 30 years, although they were already barred from running for office or being appointed to parliamentary bodies, according to AFP.

Electronic nationality certificates introduced

The amendment also introduces electronic nationality certificates, which will carry the same legal validity and effect as paper nationality certificates and can replace them for official purposes.

The interior minister will set the technical and technological rules for issuing, storing and using the certificates, including procedures for verifying their validity, cancelling them or suspending their use.

Citizenship rules tightened

According to KUNA, the amendment also allows citizenship to be revoked from the children or descendants of a person who deliberately adds to their nationality file“an individual who is not their child or descendant.”

This would apply if the violation is established through an official investigation or final court ruling and the children or descendants are found to have known about it.

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