Kuwait: Rights to Kuwaiti citizenship for an Iraqi man married to a Kuwaiti citizen
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | KWT30436.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Kuwait: Rights to Kuwaiti citizenship for an Iraqi man married to a Kuwaiti citizen, 1 December 1998, KWT30436.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac9718.html [accessed 20 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a publication by Middle East Watch entitled The Bidoons of Kuwait,
Under Kuwaiti law a woman's right to citizenship is limited and contingent: She acquires it through her father or husband and may not pass it on to her offspring or spouse...Kuwaiti citizenship law, while largely based on the jus sanguinis principle, recognizes only the right of male citizens to pass citizenship to their offspring. Similarly, while a foreign woman may be naturalized when she marries a Kuwaiti husband, a Kuwaiti woman may not petition to have her foreign or stateless husband naturalized (Aug. 1995, 80).
According to an official at the Embassy of Kuwait in Ottawa, an Iraqi man married to a Kuwaiti citizen does not have the right to Kuwaiti citizenship (3 Dec. 1998). The official added that the Iraqi man would have the right to permanent residency status, to work and to exit and return Kuwait only if sponsored by a Kuwaiti company or with proof of employment in Kuwait. If the Iraqi man has employment in Kuwait, he would need to provide a letter from the company stating it. This letter would have to be presented, with a valid Iraqi passport, to the Embassy of Kuwait for the issuance of an entry visa. Once in Kuwait, the man must apply to the Ministry of the Interior for a permanent residence status. This status would have to be renewed, alongside the Iraqi passport, regularly.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Embassy of Kuwait, Ottawa. 3 December 1998. Telephone interview with official.
Middle East Watch. August 1995. The Biddons of Kuwait: Citizens Without Citizenship. New York: Human Rights Watch Publication.
