The Kuwaiti Cabinet approved on Tuesday draft decree-laws amending provisions of the civil law and the notarization law, aiming to enhance protections for family rights, streamline official documentation, and modernize procedures. The decisions were made during the Cabinet’s weekly meeting chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and were subsequently referred to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for further consideration.
One key amendment targets Article 830 of the Civil Code, which addresses jointly owned residential properties. The revision limits the article’s application exclusively to such properties and empowers courts to order continued joint ownership temporarily under specified conditions. This measure is designed to protect co-owners who do not have alternative housing options. Additionally, it permits other co-owners to purchase the share of an owner seeking to partition a property at fair market value, instead of mandating a public auction when physical division is not feasible. The amendment includes safeguards such as deadlines for payment and provisions to preserve existing judicial decisions where auctions have already been conducted.
In parallel, the Cabinet approved changes to Law No. 10 of 2020 on notarization, which aim to simplify procedural requirements, strengthen electronic integration between government authorities, and improve the accuracy and security of official records. The reforms transfer responsibility for authenticating corporate documents—such as incorporation contracts, amendments, dissolutions, and liquidations—from government notaries at the Ministry of Justice to the relevant unit within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Commercial Registry. The ministries will coordinate closely to ensure smooth information exchange, and previously notarized corporate documents will retain their legal validity.
The amendments also introduce measures to regulate notarization processes related to personal status matters, including marriage, divorce, marital separation, and reconciliation. Notably, the draft law requires that marriage contracts cannot be notarized unless both parties complete a premarital qualification program, the details of which—such as curriculum, duration, and implementation—will be determined by the Minister of Justice. The legislation includes exemptions specified through executive regulations. The reforms mandate that couples seeking divorce or khula first approach the Family Dispute Settlement Center for reconciliation efforts, except in cases where reconciliation is not legally permissible or a final judicial ruling has already been issued.
Justice Minister Nasser Al-Sumait highlighted the amendments as a significant step toward enhancing family stability and protecting rights, emphasizing that the changes reflect efforts to modernize notarization services in line with digital transformation. The legislation will permit notarization through electronic systems or remote video communication under stringent identity verification and consent protocols, while preserving requirements for in-person attendance in certain cases.
The approved amendments are set to take effect six months after publication, allowing time for the necessary regulatory and technical arrangements to be established.
Separately, the Cabinet reviewed outcomes of the recent official visit by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to Bern, Switzerland, including discussions with Swiss President Guy Parmelin on bilateral relations and cooperation. The visit yielded a memorandum of understanding aimed at promoting direct investment between Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) and Switzerland Global Enterprise.
During the session, the Cabinet strongly condemned ongoing attacks by the Houthi militia targeting Saudi cities and facilities, reaffirming Kuwait’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for actions to safeguard regional security. The Cabinet also received updates from the Foreign Minister on political and diplomatic efforts amid regional developments and addressed various other governmental matters.