Kuwait bans domestic worker recruitment from these 27 countries — Is your country on the list?

Kuwait has tightened its rules on hiring domestic workers, limiting recruitment to 10 approved countries while barring recruitment from 27 others under a new directive issued by the country's Interior Ministry.

The move follows observations and recommendations from several government bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Public Authority for Manpower, according to a report by Gulf News. 

Under the updated regulations, domestic workers can be recruited from South Africa, Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Nepal and Senegal. In Senegal's case, recruitment is restricted to male workers only.

Recruitment procedures will be completed through Kuwait's governorates.

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The circular has been distributed to residency affairs departments and service centres and came into effect after being updated two days ago.

The decision also includes a list of 27 countries from which the recruitment of domestic workers is prohibited. The banned list includes the Asian countries of Madagascar and Bhutan, and the African nations of Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo, Malawi, Chad, Djibouti, Niger, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo Verde, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola.

For some countries, the restrictions apply only to female domestic workers, while the recruitment of male workers remains permitted.

The updated rules are part of Kuwait's efforts to regulate the recruitment of domestic workers and strengthen oversight of the sector through revised administrative procedures and controls. 

New digital service launched

Separately, the Ministry of Interior has introduced a new digital service in coordination with the Public Authority for Manpower and the ministry's IT sector, allowing citizens and expatriates to issue and manage domestic worker and driver-related services online through the unified government application "Sahel", according to KUNA.

Part of wider digital transformation push

The ministry said the initiative is part of efforts to digitise government transactions, streamline recruitment procedures and simplify residency-related services. The platform allows users to complete applications without visiting service centres, improving efficiency and reducing processing time.

Updated sponsorship rules

The announcement also introduced revised rules governing sponsorship of domestic workers and drivers:

• Single women: eligible to sponsor one domestic worker only
• Married/divorced/widowed women with children: one domestic worker and one driver
• Married/divorced/widowed men with families: up to three domestic workers and one driver
• Single men: eligible to sponsor one driver only

The ministry said the updated system aims to better regulate domestic labour categories, ensure fair use of services and strengthen digital governance across government platforms.