Kuwait Opens a Conciliation Route for Fire Safety Violations

Kuwait has issued Decree-Law No. 85 of 2026, amending Law No. 13 of 2020 on the Public Fire Force. It was signed on 6 September 2026 and published in Kuwait Al-Youm Issue 1808 on 13 September 2026, taking effect the same day.

The change businesses will feel is a new settlement option. A new Article 32 bis lets an establishment settle a fire safety violation, either before a criminal case is filed or while one is under way, as long as nobody died or was injured, by paying up to KD 10,000 and fixing whatever caused the violation. A completed settlement closes the case, or stops one from being opened, but it does not affect anyone’s separate right to claim civil damages. The competent minister still has to issue a decision listing which violations qualify and setting out the settlement procedure, so the route is not yet operational.

The decree-law also replaces the Fire Force’s internal disciplinary scale for officers up to the rank of colonel with eight graduated penalties running from a simple notice to dismissal, adds a training stipend for Kuwaiti nationals studying at the Force’s educational institutes, and creates a faster appointment track for specialist medical doctors joining its ranks.

WEFAQ’s view: the KD 10,000 ceiling suggests this route is meant for genuine violations rather than paperwork gaps, and businesses running premises with higher fire risk, warehouses, industrial units, hospitality venues, should hold off assuming a particular violation qualifies until the implementing ministerial decision is published.

Read more: for the full analysis, read our companion blog article: “Kuwait’s New Fire Safety Conciliation Route: A Compliance Roadmap for Business Premises.”