Newborn registration delay in Kuwait to attract KD 2,000 penalty
Every Kuwaiti father or guardian must register a newborn in the father’s nationality file within 60 days, or face fines between KD 2,000–3,000, with limited settlement options.
The Council of Ministers has submitted to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah a draft decree-law amending certain provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015 on the rights of the child.
The draft notes that, after reviewing the Constitution, the Amiri Order issued on 2 Dhu al-Qi’dah 1445 AH (corresponding to May 10, 2024 AD), Amiri Decree No. 15 of 1959 concerning the Kuwaiti Nationality Law and its amendments, Law No. 36 of 1969 regulating the registration of births and deaths (as amended by Decree-Law No. 107 of 2024), and Law No. 21 of 2015 regarding child rights, and based on the proposal of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and the approval of the Council of Ministers, the following decree-law has been issued:
Article One: Two new articles, numbered (17 bis) and (81 bis), shall be added to Law No. 21 of 2015 as follows:
Article (17 bis): Every Kuwaiti father or legal guardian must apply to register the newborn under the father’s nationality file, attaching the necessary documents, within 60 days of birth.
Article (81 bis): Anyone who violates Article (17 bis) shall be subject to a fine of not less than KD 2,000 and not more than KD 3,000. A settlement may be accepted after the expiry of the period referred to in Article (17 bis) by paying KD 100 plus five dinars for each day of delay, provided the total does not exceed KD 2,000.
The settlement is paid to the competent authority at the Ministry of Interior, and once settled, the criminal case and all its effects shall be terminated.
The explanatory memorandum for the draft law amending certain provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015 regarding the rights of the child stated the following: The State has guaranteed the rights of the child under Law No. 21 of 2015 by providing all necessary legal and social protections.
Out of the State’s commitment to safeguarding these rights—particularly the preservation of national identity—and in light of the negligence of some guardians in obtaining official documents for the child, specifically the failure to add the child to the father’s nationality file, it became necessary to introduce legislation obligating the legal guardian to register the newborn in the nationality file, as set forth in Article (17 bis). Article (81 bis) further establishes a punitive penalty for anyone who violates this obligation.
