Domestic Worker Rights
Written in plain language for general understanding. This is educational content, not legal advice. Based on Kuwaiti national legislation, Amiri decrees, and ministerial decisions.
Kuwaiti National Law
What is this right?
Kuwait was one of the first Gulf states to pass a dedicated law protecting domestic workers:
- Domestic workers are entitled to a minimum of 1 day off per week.
- Maximum working hours are 12 hours per day with rest breaks.
- Employers must provide adequate food, accommodation, and medical treatment.
- Workers are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave after 1 year of service.
- End-of-service indemnity of 1 month's salary for each year of service.
- Employers cannot confiscate passports — this is a criminal offence.
- A domestic worker shelter operated by the government provides refuge for abused workers.
When does it apply?
- You are a domestic worker — housekeeper, nanny, cook, driver, or gardener — in a private household in Kuwait.
- Your employer is not paying you, withholding your passport, or mistreating you.
- You want to change employers or leave Kuwait.
What should you do?
- If you are being abused or your passport is being held, contact the Domestic Labour Department at the Ministry of Interior or call the police.
- File a complaint at the MSAL domestic worker complaints office.
- If you need immediate shelter, go to the government-run domestic worker shelter.
- Contact your embassy for assistance — most embassies have dedicated labour attachés.
What should you NOT do?
- Do not run away without reporting — absconding makes you an illegal resident and limits your legal options.
- Do not accept working conditions that violate the law (no days off, no pay) without filing a complaint.
- Do not sign documents in Arabic you cannot understand — ask your embassy for translation help.
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