Kuwait’s family court bill lets custodial parents handle a child’s papers without a court order
Cabinet approved the draft decree-law on Tuesday. It also brings fines for whoever blocks visitation or overnight stays.
Kuwait’s Council of Ministers approved a draft decree-law creating a Family Court law at its meeting on Tuesday 10 November 2026, and sent it to the Deputy Amir, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The stated aim is faster, simpler handling of family disputes, and judgments that actually get carried out in the child’s interest.
It is not law yet: it takes effect once the decree is issued and published in the official gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm. Here is what Justice Minister Nasser Al-Sumait says it changes.
For the parent with custody
- They can obtain, renew and collect the child’s official documents, including the civil ID and passport, without first winning a separate court ruling that allows it.
- They can enrol the child in school, or move them to another school inside Kuwait, without going to court.
The minister’s point was blunt: a custodial mother should not have to file a lawsuit just to get or renew her child’s papers.
Making visitation orders stick
- Coercive fines are new. The parent seeking enforcement can ask the enforcement judge to impose one when the other side breaches a visitation or overnight-stay order, including repeated refusals without a valid excuse.
- The duty runs both ways: a mother who deliberately fails to bring the child, or a father who takes the child for a visit and does not bring them back.
- Handover and visitation centres are regulated under the law and staffed with family and child specialists.
- If the child keeps refusing visits, they can be referred to a psychologist or social worker to find out why and recommend what serves them best.
Settlements without a second lawsuit
A settlement signed off with an enforcement formula by the head of the Family Dispute Settlement Centre becomes directly enforceable, so both sides can act on what they agreed without filing a new case.
Photo: Ministry of Justice card designed by Kuwait One, over a blurred photograph of a judge’s gavel and law books by succo, public domain (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: Council of Ministers statement and the Justice Minister’s remarks, as reported by Al-Rai and Al-Qabas (10–11 November 2026).
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