Kuwait boosts biometric tech to expose dual nationals across GCC

• The biometric fingerprint will help close the file on dual nationality easily and reveal dual citizens who may use different identities and documents in their movements between countries.

• Anyone holding another nationality will have their Kuwaiti nationality immediately withdrawn and lost.

• Biometric linking between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia is nearly complete following Kuwait’s September 30 fingerprinting deadline.

A special source revealed to Al-Rai newspaper that Kuwait is swiftly advancing in the field of biometric fingerprinting, preparing to complete the Gulf biometric link project. This initiative aims to detect all cases of dual nationality among the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and automatically resolve the issue of dual nationality.

The source said, “In the past, there were manipulations with names that always kept the state of doubt disturbing, but now, even if the entire quadruple name of the dual national between Kuwait and any other Gulf country is different, it will be revealed because the fingerprint does not lie, and its result is certainty that knows no doubt.”

The source pointed out that the biometric fingerprint will help close the file on dual nationality easily and reveal dual citizens who may use different identities and documents in their movements between countries. This issue is a common Gulf concern due to the social, economic, and financial burdens it carries.

Regarding the fate of dual nationals in Kuwait, the source stressed that the law is clear: anyone holding another nationality will have their Kuwaiti nationality immediately withdrawn and lost.

When Al-Rai asked about the possibility of choosing between nationalities, the source replied, “The choice is essentially an exceptional case and does not apply to the correct law, which confirms withdrawal without hesitation.”

The source pointed out that the process of biometric linking between Kuwait and its big brother, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has already begun and is nearing completion, especially after Kuwait finished the task of taking biometric fingerprints from citizens by the September 30 deadline announced by the Ministry of Interior.

Regarding forgers of nationality using false names, the source said, “In such cases, the matter depends on the discovery through a complaint by the concerned party who informs the responsible authorities about the forgery and allegations. Accordingly, necessary investigations are carried out, and all legal measures are taken, starting with the loss of nationality and continuing through all stages of the criminal investigation and the resulting legal effects.”

In response to a question about whether hundreds or perhaps thousands of names currently under scrutiny will be presented to the relevant authorities and the Council of Ministers, the source said, “We are not anticipating events.”

It is noteworthy that the Board of Directors of the Central Agency for Addressing the Situations of Illegal Residents met a few days ago under the chairmanship of the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef.

The meeting was attended by the head of the agency, Saleh Al-Fadala, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sheikh Jarrah Al-Jaber, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Pilot Bandar Salem Al-Muzain, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant General Sheikh Salem Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and other members of the Board of Directors. They reviewed a number of emerging topics and made decisions regarding them.