KUWAIT CITY, Jan 4: The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, has issued Ministerial Decision No. (10) of 2025 regulating the issuance of civil ID cards equipped with electronic chips for certain categories of Non-Kuwaiti residents.

Under Article One of the decision, a new civil ID card containing an electronic chip will be issued to specific non-Kuwaiti groups registered in the Civil Information System, in accordance with the first paragraph of Article Two of Law No. 82/32 concerning the Civil Information System. The eligible categories include non-Kuwaitis who own real estate in the State of Kuwait, for whom the civil ID card will be valid for a period of ten years, as well as foreign investors subject to the provisions of Law No. 116 of 2013 on the Promotion of Direct Investment, whose cards will carry a validity period of fifteen years.

Article Two grants the Director General of the Public Authority for Civil Information the authority to amend the information printed on the new civil ID card or any of its components. This authority also extends to determining, modifying, adding, or removing data stored on the electronic chip and in the machine-readable zone of the card. In addition, the Director General is empowered to specify and update all procedures, documentation, and paperwork required for the issuance or renewal of the card, or for any change to its data or components, in line with public interest requirements.

Article Three confirms that all provisions of previously issued decisions related to the civil ID card will remain in force, provided they do not conflict with the provisions of this new decision. The decision will come into effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette, and the Director General of the Authority, along with all relevant entities, shall be responsible for its implementation within their respective areas of competence.