The Kuwaiti government has raised the legal marriage age from 15 to 18 after amending the Personal Status Law. According to an official decree published in the Kuwait Today gazette, Article 26 of the law was modified to prohibit the registration or validation of marriage contracts for anyone under 18 at the time of documentation.
The explanatory memorandum states that the amendment aligns with the Kuwaiti Constitution, which emphasizes the protection of family, motherhood, and childhood, and ensures compliance with Islamic law.
It, according to the memorandum, also reflects Kuwait’s international commitments, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines anyone under 18 as a child and calls for protection against early marriage, as well as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which promotes free and full consent in marriage and encourages setting a minimum age.
Kuwaiti Minister of Justice Nasser Al-Smait previously stated that 30% of underage marriages in Kuwait involve foreigners, with most cases involving nationals from Syria, followed by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Qatar.
