All You Need to Know About Women Sponsoring Children in Kuwait

21/10/2025

All You Need to Know About Women Sponsoring Children in Kuwait

In Kuwait, the issue of women sponsoring their children under dependent or family visas continues to be a topic of legal and social debate. While residency laws traditionally allow only male expatriates to sponsor their families, exceptions exist for women under specific humanitarian or legal circumstances — such as cases of widowhood, divorce, or when the husband resides in Kuwait but is unable to sponsor. These regulations, governed by the Ministry of Interior, aim to balance family unity with immigration control, yet often leave many expatriate mothers navigating complex documentation and procedural hurdles to secure residency for their children.

Below are two questions regarding women sponsoring children in different scenarios, submitted to Arab Times.

Question 1:

Dear Arab Times, I am an Indian passport holder working in Kuwait. I am divorced (got divorce from both Kuwait and Indian court). Now the child custody is with me. I have a daughter living in India under the care of my parents. I want to sponsor dependent visa for my 10 year old kid. However I will remove my Ex-husband's name from my passport and update my passport with the current husband name. My child's passport has my Ex-husband-s name on it, but my passport doesn't have his name.

Child Passport: Mother name - My name Father name - My Ex-husband Name

My passport: ( Visa sponsor) Spouse Name - Husband name (second marriage)

Question 1 - In this case, can I sponsor visa for my kid ?

Question 2 - Once I change my Spouse name on the passport, how can I update my Civil Id?

Please help me understand to keep records clear as per legal rules of Kuwait, also to bring my child to Kuwait.

Answer:
You have a somewhat complex situation with multiple moving parts, we can walk you through what the current rules say in Kuwait and point out the issues you’ll need to hire a lawyer in such cases. Then you can evaluate your chances and next steps.

What the rules allow

A mother (expatriate woman) can sponsor her children (usually under Article 18 – private sector visa or Article 17 – government employee) if she is divorced, widowed, husband is in prison or her husband has permanently left the country, and meets the other requirements (salary, etc.)
The minimum salary requirement for a sponsor is around KD 800 per month

You’re an Indian passport holder working in Kuwait, you’re divorced (both in Kuwait and India), you have custody of your daughter and she is living in India under your parents’ care. You plan to change your passport (to reflect your new husband’s name) while the child’s passport still has the previous father’s name. Key points you need to check:

Mother as sponsor: Since you are divorced and you have custody of the child, you potentially qualify as the sponsor under the rule that divorced mothers can sponsor their children. That’s a positive.
But you must also meet the salary/employment criteria and maybe other conditions (such as residence permit status). Confirm your salary (and category of employment) meets the current minimum eligible threshold (e.g., KD 800)

Child’s passport/father’s name:
The child’s passport shows the ex-husband’s name as father; your passport shows your current husband’s name. This mismatch can complicate documentation because Kuwait immigration will typically want clear proof of relationship between sponsor and child, and authority/custody arrangements. Having the father’s name different on the child’s passport by itself is not necessarily a deal-breaker, but you’ll need:

Proof of your custody of the daughter (official court order from India and/or Kuwait, translated and attested).
Clear documentation that you are the legal guardian and that father either consents or is out of the picture as far as legal sponsorship is concerned.
Possibly a “No Objection” or official clearance from the father (or proof that his parental rights are terminated/waived) if required by the Kuwaiti authorities.

Changing your passport (spouse name update):
When you change your passport to reflect your new husband’s name, you’ll also need to update your Civil ID and residence/sponsor information in Kuwait. That process will involve your employer’s HR, immigration/residency affairs, etc.

As part of that update, you should ensure that your sponsorship eligibility remains valid (you continue to meet salary, job permit, residence requirements) and that there’s no gap in your residence/refuge status. The child’s visa application should reflect your current status as sponsor (with your current husband’s name in your passport) but also linking clearly to your custody and relationship to the child.

Timing:
Because you are planning a passport update, it may be wise to complete the sponsor-child visa application after your passport and Civil ID are updated, or ensure the process is ready so you do not face any conflict due to mismatch of details.

Other practical checks:

Housing / accommodation proof in Kuwait (sometimes required). Rental Contract
Your work permit/residence visa must be valid and show your salary certificate.
Child’s Indian passport validity, vaccination/medical requirements.
Divorce certificate attested by the foreign ministry in India (You can get attestation done through passport offices in India)
Attestation by Indian Embassy in Kuwait and Foreign Ministry in Kuwait
Your Civil ID copy

Can Second Husband Sponsor Wifes Previous Marriage Child?

Based on Kuwait Residency Law (Article 22 – Dependent Visa) and the Ministry of Interior’s current practice.

A second husband cannot sponsor his wife’s child from her previous marriage under his dependent visa — unless the child is legally adopted, which is not recognized under Kuwaiti law for non-Muslim expatriates in most cases.

Under Kuwait’s Residency Law, the right to sponsor dependents (family visa under Article 22) is given to a male expatriate employee who meets the salary and residency criteria.

He can sponsor his wife and his biological children (whose names match on birth certificate and passports).
The child’s birth certificate must list him as the father.
A stepchild — i.e., a child from the wife’s previous marriage — is not considered a direct dependent of the new husband under Kuwait’s family visa law, even if they live together.
Immigration authorities in Kuwait require proof of biological relationship (birth certificate, attested) for all dependents.

Question 2:
Hi Legal Team @ Arab Times Online,
I would like to inquire about the possibility of sponsoring my children for residence in Kuwait.
I am a female employee under Article 18, earning more than 800 KD per month. My husband is alive but currently resides abroad and is not a resident of Kuwait. I would like to bring my children, aged between 8 and 14 years, to stay with me and attend school here.
Kindly advise if I am eligible to sponsor them under my current visa status, and what documents or procedures are required.
Thank you very much for your assistance.

Answer
Since in your scenario your husband is alive but living abroad, you would not be eligible to sponsor your children under your Article 18 visa. The law requires that the father be either absent permanently (e.g., resides abroad in some cases with MOI discretion) or that you fall under one of the exceptions above.

Under current Kuwaiti law, a female expatriate cannot normally sponsor her children if her husband is alive and resides abroad. Sponsorship by women is only allowed on humanitarian grounds in specific exceptional cases, such as:

Divorced mother – she has legal custody of her children. (Salary rules apply)
Widowed mother – her husband has passed away. (Salary rule doesn't apply if husband passed away in Kuwait and currently residing in Kuwait)
Husband in prison in Kuwait – unable to act as sponsor.
Husband resides in Kuwait but is medically unfit to sponsor (rarely applied, requires medical documentation and official approval).