RIYADH: Kuwait has introduced a new residency pathway allowing qualifying foreign investors, senior executives and their immediate families to remain in the country for up to 15 years, as the government steps up efforts to attract global capital.
The framework was approved under Cabinet Resolution No. 651 of 2026 and developed through coordination between the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Residency Affairs and the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, the ministry said in a statement on June 15.
The eligible categories include owners of licensed investment entities, approved partners, qualifying immediate family members and senior executives.
Under the program, entities licensed by the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority must maintain an investment value of at least 5 million Kuwaiti dinar ($16.2 million) and capital of no less than 1 million dinar in approved investment activities.
Long-term residency programs have become an increasingly important policy tool across the Gulf, with governments anticipating that offering greater certainty to investors and business leaders will encourage capital inflows, support private-sector growth and deepen economic integration beyond the region’s traditional reliance on hydrocarbons.
