Kuwait's Interior Ministry has issued a new directive, effective as of early June 2026, significantly tightening regulations on the recruitment of domestic workers. The new rules prohibit the hiring of domestic staff from 27 countries while restricting new recruitment to just 10 approved nations.
This decision follows comprehensive observations and recommendations from various government entities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Public Authority for Manpower. The primary goal is to enhance oversight and streamline administrative procedures within the domestic labor sector.
Approved Countries for Domestic Worker Recruitment
Under the updated regulations, domestic workers can now be recruited from the following ten countries:
- South Africa
- Benin
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- India
- Vietnam
- Nepal
- Senegal (recruitment restricted to male workers only)
Countries Banned from Domestic Worker Recruitment
The directive explicitly prohibits the recruitment of domestic workers from 27 nations. For some of these countries, the ban applies specifically to female domestic workers, while male worker recruitment may still be permitted. The banned list includes:
- Madagascar
- Bhutan
- Kenya
- Uganda
- Nigeria
- Togo
- Malawi
- Chad
- Djibouti
- Niger
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Cabo Verde
- Sierra Leone
- Liberia
- Mali
- Burkina Faso
- Gambia
- Cameroon
- Equatorial Guinea
- Central African Republic
- Republic of the Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Burundi
- Angola
New Digital Services and Sponsorship Rules
In a separate but related development, Kuwait's Ministry of Interior has launched a new digital service via the unified government application, "Sahel." This platform allows citizens and expatriates to manage domestic worker and driver-related services online, aiming to digitize transactions, simplify recruitment, and reduce processing times without the need to visit service centers.
Alongside these changes, updated sponsorship rules for domestic workers and drivers have also been introduced:
- Single women: Eligible to sponsor one domestic worker.
- Married, divorced, or widowed women with children: May sponsor one domestic worker and one driver.
- Married, divorced, or widowed men with families: Can sponsor up to three domestic workers and one driver.
- Single men: Eligible to sponsor one driver only.
These new measures underscore Kuwait's commitment to regulating its domestic labor categories, ensuring fair service utilization, and strengthening digital governance across its government platforms.