Guide: Understanding Alcohol Law in Kuwait

Unlike its GCC neighbours such as the UAE and Qatar, where alcohol is restricted but widely available, Kuwait has a different stand when it comes to alcohol laws since there there’s no alcohol available in Kuwait. So you can’t expect find any even in hotels and restaurants.

And while it seems that the law bans alcohol here in Kuwait, the act of drinking alcohol in private is not entirely illegal. However, buying/selling, and bringing alcohol to public places or being intoxicated in these areas including a car as a passenger, is considered serious crimes in the country.

Guide: Understanding Alcohol Law in Kuwait

What Expats Need to Know About Alcohol Laws in Kuwait

To be clear, as per the Kuwait Penal Law, “any person who brings, imports, or manufactures alcoholic or intoxicating beverages for the purpose of trading shall be penalized for a period not exceeding 10 years.”

However, if the alcohol is for personal use, and is not intended for trading or promotion, the person responsible for this shall be slapped a fine of not more than KD 100. In the instance of a repeat act, the penalty shall be imprisonment of not more than six months and/or a fine of not exceeding KD 100.

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And as for public intoxication, the law states that any person who takes alcoholic or intoxicating beverages to a public place or to a place where he may be seen by others whether it be a public place or a private club, and any person who brings the alcoholic or intoxicating beverage to the said place for someone else to consume shall be punished for a period not exceeding 6 months and/or fined not exceeding KD 50. Anyone who is found drunk will be punished in this same way.

This being the case, many expats find alternative ways to consume alcohol in private, but as implicated above, this is not generally advised.

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