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Housing Market

Current law restricts property ownership, business or residential, to Kuwaiti nationals.

Recently, however, Kuwait's Parliament has started to draft legislation allowing foreign ownership of residential and commercial property by non-Kuwaitis. Even then, prospective property owners will have to adhere to strict guidelines, like:

• Obtain permission from The Ministry of Interior
• Be a resident in Kuwait for at least 10 years
• Have no criminal record
• Earn a respectable salary

Additionally restrictions include, owning only one property of no more than 350sqm. Ownership does not guarantee immediate residency in Kuwait. Finally, if a property owner leaves Kuwait for permanently, they will be required to sell their property.

How to Search for Real Estate

Online Listing

Below is a list of prominent real estate companies in Kuwait.

• Al-Tijaria
• Salhia Real Estate Company
• Mabanee Real Estate Company
• Abyaar Real Estate Company
• United Real Estate Company

Newspapers

Several papers have a helpful classified section. Occasional property listings do come up. Your best bet, however, is to contact a real estate agent and ask for help.

• Al-Watan Daily
• The Kuwait Times
• The Arab Times
• EEK! (Expats Express Kuwait) is a subscription only weekly newsletter.

Auction

Kuwait General Administration of Customs is an authorized auction house. From time to time, KGAC has public auctions. A list of items being auctioned off is available on their website in Arabic, as too are rules and guidelines for participants.