Domestic Workers’ Rights in Kuwait Under Law No. 68 of 2015

Why the law was enacted

Before Law No. 68 of 2015, Kuwait’s general private-sector Labor Law (No. 6 of 2010) did not apply to domestic workers at all, despite them making up a large share of the expatriate workforce. This law closed that legislative gap and granted domestic workers clear legal rights for the first time. Its explanatory memorandum states the purpose was to close the legislative gap in regulating domestic worker affairs, since the general labor law did not cover them despite their large share of the foreign workforce.

Working hours and rest (Article 22)

Maximum working hours are 12 hours per day, interspersed with rest periods. Workers are entitled to a weekly paid rest day and paid annual leave — the law itself does not specify the exact number of annual leave days in its text; that detail is set by executive regulations, so verify the current regulation for a precise figure.

Core employer obligations

• Food, housing, and clothing: fully the employer’s responsibility.
• Medical treatment: the employer covers treatment and nursing costs (Article 9).
• Suitable housing: the employer must provide housing with a decent standard of living (Article 11).
• No hazardous work: assigning work that harms health or dignity is prohibited (Article 10).
• Repatriation on death: the employer must repatriate the worker’s body, plus pay the salary for the month of death (Article 22).

Passport retention

The law explicitly states the domestic worker’s passport is a personal document they are entitled to keep, and the employer may not confiscate it except with the worker’s own consent. Passport confiscation without that consent is an explicit legal violation under the law’s text, not merely a discouraged practice.

Wages

Wages are defined as the basic wage set in the employment contract, which must not fall below the minimum wage set by Ministry of Interior decision — the law does not state a fixed figure itself, and the actual minimum is set by a separate, potentially changing ministerial decision. Wages must be paid at the end of each month, and no portion may be deducted under any circumstances (Article 8).

Legal age for domestic work (Article 21)

Recruiting or employing domestic workers under 21 or over 60 years of age is prohibited, except by ministerial exception.

End-of-service gratuity (Article 23)

The domestic-worker gratuity system differs entirely from the general private-sector system: the worker is entitled to one full month’s wage per year of service, after contract completion — with no tiered split between the first five years and beyond, unlike Labor Law No. 6/2010.

Late wages and unpaid overtime

• For delayed wages, the worker is entitled to KD 10 for every month of delay past the agreed payment date. Source: Law No. 68/2015, Article 27.
• If an employer refuses to compensate overtime, the worker can file a complaint with the Domestic Labor Department, which can order compensation of not less than double the contractually agreed wage. Source: Law No. 68/2015, Article 28.

Contract renewal and dispute resolution

Contracts renew automatically unless either party gives notice of non-renewal at least two months before the contract term ends. Disputes first go to the Ministry of Interior’s Domestic Labor Department for settlement; if unresolved, they are referred to the civil court’s labor circuit on an urgent basis. All domestic-worker cases where the worker is the plaintiff are exempt from court fees at every level of litigation, meaning a domestic worker bears no filing-fee cost to sue an employer.