Kuwait Media Law 2026: What It Means for Influencers, Companies and Media Businesses

Short answer: Kuwait's new Media Regulation Law (Decree-Law No. 102 of 2026) puts almost every media and advertising activity under one licensing system run by the Ministry of Information. The biggest change is for influencers: anyone who promotes or advertises products, services, people or events on social media to an audience in Kuwait needs a licence, paid or not. Companies, brands, agencies, news websites, publishers, broadcasters, printers, foreign media offices, journalists and the public are all addressed too. The law was published in Kuwait Al-Youm Issue 1811 on 4 October 2026 and applies from around 4 April 2027. Last updated: 4 October 2026.

Part 1: Influencers and advertisers

Do influencers in Kuwait need a licence under the new media law?

Yes, if you advertise or promote. Article 34 applies to every advertiser or promoter, whether a citizen, a resident or a visitor, who practises or wants to practise advertising or promotion for commercial purposes, when the content targets the public in Kuwait. No one may do so, with or without payment, without a licence from the Ministry, except in cases the Executive Regulations set out. How the Ministry will treat gifted products or occasional posts is likely to be settled in those regulations.

Does my personal account need a licence?

Not if you use it for personal purposes and do not run regular professional or commercial media or advertising activity through it (Article 30). The line is regular commercial use, not the number of followers; the law sets no follower threshold. Regular brand partnerships, giveaways or paid promotion put an account inside the law.

Who can get an influencer licence, and for how long?

The applicant must be at least 18. The licence lasts two years and can be renewed for the same or another period, with the renewal request filed at least two months before expiry. The Ministry has 60 days to decide, and no decision within that time counts as a refusal. Licensed advertisers are registered on the Ministry's electronic platform. Application fees and forms have not been published yet.

What must influencers do in every post?

Say clearly when content is advertising (Articles 35 and 52), and keep to the content standards in Article 17. Do not use people's names, images or data without a lawful basis. The Ministry can also issue decisions on professional and ethical rules, how to disclose ads, protection of children and consumers, contests and gifts, and the use of artificial intelligence in content (Article 36). There is no prior approval of content (Article 3), so you are responsible once you post. The Minister can also ban a particular ad by a reasoned decision (Article 53).

Are giveaways, contests and gifted products covered?

Yes. Article 55 names running contests, handing out gifts and distributing prizes as part of advertising activity that needs a licence, and Article 36 lets the Ministry set rules for them. If you run a giveaway for a brand, treat it as a licensed activity.

What content is banned?

Article 17 includes respect for religion, no insult to the Amir, no incitement against the system of government or on sectarian or tribal grounds, no content that harms Kuwait's foreign relations, respect for privacy and public morals, care with children, and no false or misleading news. A person named in your content has a right of reply (Article 16).

What are the penalties for influencers?

Advertising or promoting without a licence carries a fine of KD 1,000 to KD 50,000 (Article 55). An ad that is not clearly marked as an ad, or that is misleading, carries the same fine (Article 56), as does receiving funding to influence public opinion in Kuwait or steer content without a licence and coordination with the authorities. Publishing an interview with a child without written consent from a parent or guardian carries KD 1,000 to KD 10,000 (Article 54). The Ministry can warn you, fine you KD 100 to KD 10,000 (doubling on repeat, up to KD 20,000), or withdraw your licence for up to six months, renewable (Articles 37 and 61). A court can block accounts, order devices used in the offence seized, and ban you from appearing or publishing for up to a year (Articles 64 and 65). You can file a grievance within 15 days of an administrative penalty, and no reply within a month counts as refusal (Article 62).

Does it apply if I live outside Kuwait or am a visitor?

Article 34 covers citizens, residents and visitors whose content targets the public in Kuwait. How it will be enforced against accounts based abroad is not addressed in the text and may be clarified in the Executive Regulations.

What should influencers do now?

There is nothing to apply for yet. Keep personal and business accounts separate, record every paid or gifted partnership, label ads the same way every time, and check your contracts for who handles licensing. Plan to apply once the forms are out.

Part 2: Companies and brands

Does my company need a licence to promote its own products?

Generally no, if the account or website only presents your own products and services and is not used for wider media or advertising activity (Articles 30 and 51). The exemption does not cover paid promotion of other people's products. A company that runs a channel or page that promotes others for a fee is carrying on a media activity.

Are brands responsible for what influencers post?

Yes, in part. Anyone on whose behalf or for whose benefit an ad is published counts as an advertiser (Article 1), and Article 52 puts the duty to make ads clear on both the advertiser and the party who benefits. A company can also be fined for offences committed in its name or for its benefit, at double the fine that applies to a person (Article 69). Brands should check an influencer's licence before signing.

What should companies change in their contracts?

Add a licence warranty, a clause requiring clear ad labelling, a right to pull content and end the deal if the licence is withdrawn, and a clause for who handles giveaways and contests. Licences cannot be leased or sold without approval (Article 11), so a brand should not run campaigns through someone else's licence.

Does a company website, app or news-style page need a licence?

If it works as an electronic media outlet, yes (Article 31). Each such outlet must appoint a responsible manager, who must be Kuwaiti, at least 21, hold a secondary certificate and have a clean record (Article 33). Government bodies, public-benefit societies, unions and similar bodies must notify the Ministry before launching a site or media account (Article 32).

Part 3: Media businesses and others named in the law

What does the law require from newspapers and publishers?

A newspaper may only be issued with a licence (Article 18). It needs an editor-in-chief who is Kuwaiti, at least 21, holds a degree, and has at least five years' experience in the field (Article 19). Publishers must keep the licence conditions, replace a vacant editor-in-chief or manager within six months, and keep the licence in their own hands (Articles 11 and 15).

What about printers, publishing houses and advertising offices?

Opening a printing press, a bookshop, a distribution, translation or advertising office, or a media production house needs a licence (Article 20). Printers must notify the Ministry before printing any item, must show the print date, printer, publisher, author and title on it, and must deposit two electronic copies before circulation (Article 21). Imported publications are allowed under conditions, and foreign newspapers may only be printed in Kuwait with a licence (Articles 22 and 23).

What about TV, radio and satellite channels?

Broadcasting or rebroadcasting needs a licence for each channel (Article 24). Each channel appoints a general manager who answers to the Ministry (Article 25). Channels must keep recordings of programmes for at least three months, show the channel name, and get approval before changing a name, frequency or main language (Article 15). Importing broadcast equipment needs prior approval (Article 27), and technical broadcast services need their own licence (Article 28).

What about foreign media offices and correspondents?

Foreign and Arab media may open offices or appoint correspondents in Kuwait only with a licence (Article 38). The Ministry has 60 days to decide, silence counts as refusal, and the licence lasts two years, renewable, with the renewal request filed two months before expiry (Article 39). Foreign media must follow Kuwait's content standards while working here (Article 40).

What about production companies and cinemas?

Production companies and cinemas have their own licensing rules, and films shown in cinemas go through approval before screening (Articles 41 onwards). Anyone planning content production or screening should wait for the Executive Regulations for the detailed process.

What protections do journalists and the public get?

Journalists are protected while carrying out their work and cannot be held criminally liable for what they publish if they acted in good faith and checked their facts (Article 77). The State guarantees the right to access official information, subject to secrecy and national security rules (Article 78). Anyone named in published content has a right of reply (Article 16). A compensation claim over media content lapses six months after the victim learns of the harm, unless a criminal case is still running (Article 71).

Who is personally liable when content breaks the law?

Article 68 names the people behind the content: the editor-in-chief or author for press, the channel manager, presenter or programme editor for broadcast, the responsible manager for electronic media, and the cinema manager for screenings. Guests on live broadcasts are not liable unless the presenter and channel knew in advance. Court orders can block or suspend a licensed activity for up to two weeks, renewable, during an investigation (Articles 66 and 67).

What are the penalties for businesses?

Operating without a licence carries KD 1,000 to KD 10,000 and closure (Article 58). A licensee who breaks the duties in Article 15 faces KD 1,000 to KD 20,000, and so does anyone who obstructs judicial officers or auditors (Articles 57 and 59). Holding broadcast equipment without approval carries the same range (Article 59). The Ministry can also close a business for up to six months, or permanently if unlicensed (Article 61). Repeat offenders face at least half the maximum fine (Article 70).

Part 4: Timeline and next steps

When does the law apply and what happens to existing licences?

The law applies about six months after publication, around 4 April 2027, and repeals the Press and Publications Law (No. 3 of 2006) and two later laws. The Minister must issue the Executive Regulations within six months. Existing operators then have six months to regularise their position or lose their licence (Article 3 of the Decree-Law). Most new licences last five years, with fees capped at KD 10,000, and the Ministry has 60 days to decide, with silence counting as approval (Articles 6 and 7).

WEFAQ's view: the law is broad on paper. Influencers carry the most new exposure because the licence is new for them and the fines are the highest in the law. Companies carry risk through their influencer contracts, their own accounts and their news-style content. The practical answers on gifted products, small creators, foreign-based accounts, production and events will sit in the Executive Regulations, so the next six months matter. We will report when they are issued.

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Source: Decree-Law No. 102 of 2026 promulgating the Media Regulation Law, with its explanatory memorandum; Kuwait Al-Youm Issue 1811, pages A2 to A16, dated 4 October 2026.

This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact WEFAQ Law Firm.