Kuwait Issues New Freelance Business Rules: Single-Person Company, No Shop Needed

Kuwait's Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has issued Ministerial Decision No. 216 of 2026 regulating freelance business activities, together with Ministerial Decision No. 217 of 2026 adopting the table of permitted freelance activities. Decision 216 was issued on 8 November 2026 and takes effect from its issue date; it will also be published in Kuwait Al-Youm. MOCI announced the rules on 10 November 2026.

The new rules let a Kuwaiti run a licensed business without a shop. The licensed entity must be a single-person company whose founder is also its manager: a Kuwaiti individual with full legal capacity, at least 21 years old, and with no final conviction for a felony or a crime involving honour or trust unless rehabilitated. The company needs an address (a chosen domicile, a P.O. box or an email registered with PACI), with the owner's consent if the domicile is a private home. Applications go through the Kuwait Business Centre, the Sahel or Sahel Business apps, or any other channel MOCI approves.

The licence lasts four years and is renewable. The company must open a bank account in its own name and receive payments only through electronic payment methods approved by the Central Bank of Kuwait, and must show its name and commercial registration number on its website and social media accounts. Receiving clients at a private home is prohibited. The company may sell through exhibitions, temporary markets and online platforms, and may contract licensed factories and warehouses for manufacturing, packaging, storage and delivery, under written contracts. Activities that need a regulator's approval still need it.

The permitted fields cover professional, technical, consulting, commercial, administrative and business-support services, arts and entertainment, education and training, tourism, rental, simple repair crafts, IT and communications, real estate, and textiles, clothing and leather. Ministerial Decision No. 168 of 2025 is repealed. Existing licences continue until they expire, but holders must bring their position into line with the new rules, and deleted activities will not be renewed.

WEFAQ's view: anyone holding a freelance licence under the 2025 rules should check now whether their activity is still on the new table and plan the move to a single-person company before renewal.

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.