In Kuwait, roughly 100,000 people exist in a legal grey zone – stateless Arab residents known as the Bidoon (Arabic for ‘those without documentation or nationality’), constituting around 4% of the country’s population. For due diligence providers operating in the region, understanding this community is essential.

Due to a heavily politicised and complex historical background, the Bidoon have long faced structural barriers such as limited access to documentation, formal employment, banking services, and freedom of movement. But recent years have dramatically escalated their precarious position. In 2024, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior revoked the citizenship of over 12,000 Kuwaitis, many of whom were originally Bidoon, as part of a campaign targeting what the government labelled as ‘fraudulent and dual citizenships.’ Kuwait does not recognize dual nationality, and these revocations have left thousands in legal limbo.

In June 2024, Kuwait halted the issuing and renewal of Article 17 travel documents – temporary passports previously used by Bidoon for humanitarian travel, including medical treatment and education. With conventional pathways largely blocked, many Bidoon are now actively seeking alternative citizenship routes abroad.

Due Diligence Application

For compliance and KYC professionals, this is important because individuals from the Bidoon community may present documentation red flags: references to illegal residency status, unrelated indicators of nationalities such as Iraqi and Jordanian, and residency cards issued in lieu of the standard national IDs. Structural exclusion from formal financial systems may push some toward informal or cash-based economic activity – a key risk indicator in due diligence context.

To add another layer of complexity, enquiries into Bidoon status can be politically sensitive. Official narratives asserting undisclosed foreign nationality, coupled with legal actions targeting Bidoon community activists – such as Mona Kareem – mean that navigating this space requires both jurisdictional expertise and regional nuance.

FACT can advise on the due diligence implications of the dynamic environment in Kuwait and its impact on your business, so follow us for further insights.