Kuwait City: Kuwait has introduced a significant amendment to its Civil and Commercial Procedures Law to speed up the issuance of travel ban orders, allowing more judges to handle such applications.
The amendment came into effect under Decree-Law No. 68 of 2026, published in the official gazette Kuwait Al-Youm, and revises Article 297 of the Civil and Commercial Procedures Law issued under Decree-Law No. 38 of 1980.
Under the new provisions, the authority to issue travel ban orders will no longer be limited to judges holding a specific judicial rank. Instead, any judge selected by the General Assembly of the Court of First Instance may now be assigned to consider and issue travel ban decisions.
The government said the change was introduced after a sharp increase in travel ban applications led to delays, with some courts facing shortages of judges authorised to handle such requests.
Officials expect the amendment to enable courts to process applications more quickly, improving the efficiency and timeliness of travel ban procedures, particularly in cases involving financial and debt-related disputes.
The decree-law was issued under the legislative powers granted by the Amiri Order of May 10, 2024, and took effect immediately upon its publication in the official gazette.
