Kuwait restricts domestic worker recruitment to 10 countries, bans 27 others

Kuwait has limited the recruitment of domestic workers to 10 approved countries and prohibited hiring from 27 others under new regulations aimed at tightening oversight of the domestic labour sector, according to a report by Gulf News.

The new directive was issued by Kuwait's Interior Ministry following recommendations from several government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Public Authority for Manpower.

10 countries cleared for recruitment

Under the updated rules, domestic workers can be recruited from South Africa, Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Nepal and Senegal. Recruitment from Senegal will be limited to male domestic workers only. Authorities said recruitment procedures will be handled through the country's governorates.

The circular has been distributed to residency affairs departments and service centres and came into effect after being updated two days earlier, according to the report.

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The decision also sets out a list of 27 countries from which domestic worker recruitment is prohibited. The countries include Madagascar and Bhutan in Asia, along with several African nations such as 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 allowed.

Officials said the revised measures are part of Kuwait's broader efforts to regulate domestic worker recruitment and strengthen monitoring of the sector through updated administrative procedures and controls, as reported by Gulf News.

The move comes as Kuwait continues to introduce changes to its labour and visa systems, including new services and compliance measures affecting domestic workers and recruitment agencies.