Kuwait officially raises legal marriage age to 18
The explanatory note for Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, effective today, states it aligns with Kuwait’s Constitution, Islamic Sharia, and international obligations to protect family, motherhood, and childhood.
• A decree-law was issued adding a new paragraph to Article 15 of the Jaafari Personal Status Law, stating that “It is prohibited to document or authenticate a marriage contract for anyone under the age of eighteen at the time of documentation.”
Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, published in the Official Gazette Kuwait Today, amends Article (26) of Law No. (51) of 1984 on personal status, prohibiting the documentation or ratification of marriage contracts for individuals under the age of eighteen, according to Al Jarida newspaper.
The explanatory note for the law, which entered into force on Sunday, stated that “Based on the Constitution of the State of Kuwait, which affirms the protection of the family, motherhood, and childhood, and in accordance with the provisions of Islamic Sharia, and also considering Kuwait’s international obligations—especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines a child as anyone under the age of eighteen and requires states to protect them from early marriage, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which guarantees the free and full consent of spouses and encourages setting a minimum age for marriage—it was decided to replace Article (26) of Law No. (51) of 1984 regarding personal status to prevent the documentation of marriage unless both spouses are at least eighteen years old.”
It added that the draft decree-law has been prepared, and its first article stipulates the replacement of Article (26) of Law No. (51) of 1984, prohibiting the documentation or ratification of a marriage contract for anyone under the age of eighteen at the time of documentation. The second article stipulates that the Prime Minister and relevant ministers are obligated to implement this decree-law, effective from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
In the same issue, a decree-law was issued adding a new paragraph to Article 15 of the Jaafari Personal Status Law, stating that “It is prohibited to document or authenticate a marriage contract for anyone under the age of eighteen at the time of documentation.”
