On 27 September 2026, Kuwait issued Decree-Law No. 102 of 2026 Promulgating the Media Regulation Law, which was published in the Official Gazette (Issue 1811) on 4 October 2026. The Decree-Law will enter into force six months after publication (roughly April 2027) and replaces three separate statutes that had governed the sector for up to two decades:

• Law No. 3 of 2006 on Printed Matter and Publication;
• Law No. 61 of 2007 on Audio-Visual Media; and
• Law No. 8 of 2016 Regulating Electronic Media.

The result is a single 80-article law, organised in fifteen chapters, that covers newspapers, books, satellite channels, rebroadcasting, electronic media, cinemas, public concerts, artistic production and, for the first time in a dedicated chapter, advertisers and promoters operating on social media platforms.

The law opens by affirming that freedom of opinion and of the press, printing, publication and media is guaranteed, within the limits the law sets to protect public order, public morals, the rights and reputation of others, national security and national unity. Importantly, the media activities regulated by the law are not subject to any prior censorship. The exceptions are the screening of cinema films and the printing or publication within Kuwait of books and other non-periodical printed matter, which continue to require the Ministry of Information’s prior approval.

Why a Unified Law?

The Explanatory Memorandum explains that the media environment has been transformed by technology, giving rise to activities that did not exist when the earlier laws were drafted, such as influencer and advertiser accounts, social media platforms, digital rebroadcasting services and digital advertising. Because the three existing laws were written at different times and each followed its own logic, the rules on licensing, offences and violations had become fragmented and unable to keep pace with the sector. The legislature’s view is that a single field calls for a single regulatory framework, an approach the Memorandum aligns with UNESCO’s treatment of media regulation as one integrated system.

The law also sets out core principles and leaves detailed conditions, procedures and technical matters to an implementing regulation, so that the framework can follow technological change without frequent legislative amendment.

Who Needs a Licence?

Article 4 lists the regulated activities:

• printing and publishing, from the Holy Quran and books to periodicals;
• paper and electronic newspapers;
• satellite radio and television channels;
• advertising;
• artistic production;
• cinemas;
• public concerts and technical broadcasting services; and
• engaging in a wide range of electronic media, including electronic publishing houses, electronic news agencies, news services, electronic press, electronic media websites and outlets, commercial electronic media and advertising services, and the websites of licensed newspapers and channels.

Individuals may now hold licences for most media activities, either personally or through a sole proprietorship, provided they are Kuwaiti nationals aged at least 21, of good conduct and holding the qualifications the regulation will specify.

Paper newspapers and satellite channels, however, remain reserved for companies and investment entities. Companies must be established under the Companies Law (Law No. 1 of 2016), or be investment entities permitted to operate under Law No. 116 of 2013 on the Promotion of Direct Investment, and media activity must be among their objects.

Licence fees are capped at KD 10,000 per activity, and licences are granted for renewable five-year terms. The Ministry of Information must decide on a complete application within 60 days, and if it does not, the application is deemed approved. Once approved, licensees must lodge a financial guarantee or bank guarantee and name their responsible editors or managers within three months, and must begin operating within six months.

Rejected applicants may lodge a grievance with the Minister within 60 days and, failing a response, challenge the refusal before the Administrative Court.

A further safeguard for the sector is that, outside a closed list of circumstances such as failure to commence operations, loss of licensing conditions, leasing or unapproved transfer of the licence, or failure to renew, a media licence may be cancelled only by a final court judgment or at the licensee’s own written request.

Ongoing Licence Obligations

Obtaining a licence is only the first step. Article 15 imposes continuing obligations on every licensee, including compliance with ministerial decisions, the licence’s permitted purposes and Ministry of Information-approved technical specifications to be detailed in the implementing regulation. Licensees must provide information requested by the Ministry and the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) and allow their officials to verify it, access records and inspect equipment.

If the editor-in-chief or deputy, channel manager or deputy, responsible manager of an electronic outlet, or cinema manager leaves office or no longer meets the required conditions, a qualified replacement must be appointed within six months. The licensee remains responsible for the media activity in the meantime, and the implementing regulation may impose further obligations.

Satellite radio and television channels face additional requirements. They must submit their broadcasting or rebroadcasting carrier agreement with the Ministry’s and CITRA’s approvals, display the channel logo or announce the radio station’s name and frequency during broadcasts, and obtain prior approval for changes to these identifiers. They must also comply with applicable rules on towers, equipment and stations and with approved broadcasting specifications. Channels must maintain programme logs showing broadcast dates and times for 12 consecutive months and retain full recordings for three months for Ministry of Information inspection. Ministry of Information approval is also required to change the main broadcast language or add other languages.

Electronic Media and the Corporate Account Exemption

Chapter Seven brings electronic media firmly within the licensing regime.

Anyone wishing to operate an electronic media outlet must obtain a licence, although licensed newspapers and channels need only submit a copy of their existing licence to launch an online outlet, and government bodies, public benefit societies, unions and federations need only notify the Ministry of Information. Every electronic outlet must appoint a responsible manager, who must be a Kuwaiti national aged at least 21 holding at least a secondary school certificate.

Separately, Article 63 allows investment entities licensed under Law No. 116 of 2013 to be exempted from the Kuwaiti nationality requirement that otherwise applies to those responsible for media activities, in circumstances and on conditions to be set by the implementing regulation in coordination with the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority. This is a significant opening for foreign-owned media and advertising businesses.

Moreover, two other exemptions will be of particular interest to businesses:

• Personal accounts and websites used purely for personal purposes are outside the licensing requirement.
• Websites, applications and accounts that companies, investment projects and licensed professionals use to introduce themselves, present their products or services, or communicate with customers are also exempt.

That corporate exemption is lost, however, where the channel is used for regular advertising activity beyond what is needed for those purposes, including in particular publishing paid or sponsored content prepared by an advertiser or promoter under an agreement or in return for any benefit.

Influencers and Advertisers on Social Media

The Explanatory Memorandum describes Chapter Eight as among the most important and novel parts of the law.

Any advertiser or promoter, whether a citizen, resident or visitor, whose content targets an audience inside Kuwait must obtain a licence before engaging in advertising, whether paid or unpaid, and applicants must be at least 18 years old.

The Ministry of Information has 60 days to decide, and silence is treated as a rejection rather than an approval. Licences last two years, renewal applications must be filed at least two months before expiry, and licensed advertisers will be recorded on the Ministry’s electronic licensing platform.

Licensed advertisers must also:

• comply with the law’s content standards;
• not infringe individuals’ privacy or use their names, images or data without a lawful basis; and
• clearly disclose any advertising or promotional content. This disclosure obligation extends not only to the advertiser but also to anyone with an interest in the advertisement, so that responsibility rests with the party that benefits from a campaign and not only with the person who appears in it.

The Minister of Information may issue further rules on professional ethics, disclosure methods, the protection of children and consumers, reviews, hidden advertising, competitions and giveaways, and the use of artificial intelligence in content production. Those rules apply as standards for after-the-fact accountability and do not require prior approval of content.

For breaches of this chapter, the administrative sanctions are limited to a notice and a warning, but the Ministry of Information may also withdraw an advertiser’s licence for up to six months, renewable, without prejudice to the criminal penalties discussed below.

Content Standards and the Right of Reply

Article 17 sets out fifteen content standards binding on all licensees.

Among them, content must not offend the Divine Being, the Holy Quran, the Prophets or the fundamentals of Islamic law, or insult other religions. It must not criticise or insult the Amir, or attribute statements to the Amir or the Crown Prince without written permission.

The content must also avoid harming Kuwait’s foreign relations, inciting sectarian or tribal strife, offending public morals, violating privacy, exploiting or harming children, or promoting crime. Media outlets must take care over accuracy and must not spread false or misleading news, nor publish content that damages the national currency or undermines confidence in the national economy.

Editors-in-chief, channel managers and responsible managers must also publish, free of charge, any reply, correction or denial from a government body or from a person named or referred to, in the same place, manner, language and prominence as the original material.

Advertising Licences and Foreign Influence

Chapter Twelve regulates advertising content itself, whoever publishes it. Advertising, competitions and giveaways promoting persons, products, services, shops, companies, exhibitions or events, whether paid or not, require a licence from the Ministry of Information, and every advertisement must clearly state that it is promotional material. That said, content a business publishes on its own channels within the corporate exemption is not treated as licensable advertising. The Minister of Information may also prohibit a particular advertisement by a reasoned decision.

Notably, the same penalty that applies to undisclosed or misleading advertising also applies to any media practitioner who receives direct or indirect funding or financial support from any person or body to influence public opinion in Kuwait or to steer media content, without the Ministry of Information’s prior authorisation.

Foreign Media and Broadcasting

Arab and foreign media must be licensed to operate, open offices or accredit correspondents in Kuwait. The Ministry has 60 days to decide, with silence again treated as rejection, and licences last two years.

If a foreign outlet broadcasts or publishes non-compliant content, the Ministry of Information may warn it or cancel its licence and close its office without waiting for a court judgment. Broadcasters must obtain a separate licence for each channel, appoint a Kuwaiti general manager, keep a 12-month log of broadcast programmes and retain full recordings for three months. Possession or import of broadcasting equipment requires prior approval, and existing holders have six months from the law’s entry into force to obtain it.

Penalties and Enforcement

The criminal penalties in the law take the form of fines only, with no custodial sentences. The Explanatory Memorandum explains that because these offences are essentially financial and commercial in nature, fines are better suited than imprisonment to make non-compliance more expensive than compliance. The offences fall into three bands according to the maximum fine.

• The most serious band, with fines of KD 1,000 to KD 50,000: covers advertisers, promoters or media practitioners who publish direct or indirect advertising or promotion, or run competitions or giveaways, without a Ministry of Information licence, regardless of payment. The same penalties apply to advertising that is not clearly labelled as promotional or contains inaccurate, misleading or incomplete information intended to deceive consumers. This band also covers media practitioners who receive direct or indirect funding or financial support to influence public opinion in Kuwait or steer media content without the Ministry of Information’s prior approval.
• A middle band, with fines of KD 1,000 to KD 20,000: covers obstructing judicial officers or auditors in performing their duties; a licensee’s breach of its Article 15 operating obligations; possessing broadcasting or rebroadcasting equipment without the Ministry of Information’s approval, with mandatory confiscation; and breaching a court judgment or order for blocking, closure, suspension or a ban on media appearance.
• The lowest band, with fines of KD 1,000 to KD 10,000: covers conducting regulated media activities without a licence and defying a Ministry of Information administrative closure unless annulled by a final Administrative Court judgment or decision. It also covers publishing or broadcasting a child’s interview without prior written permission from a parent, guardian or custodian, with prosecution requiring a complaint from one of those persons.

Alongside these fines, the courts may order confiscation, deletion of the offending content, temporary blocking for up to one year or permanent blocking of a website or account, licence withdrawal, and a ban of up to one year on appearing or publishing in any media, including running social media accounts. Licence cancellation and closure become mandatory for repeat offences. During an investigation, the court may suspend a licence or block an electronic outlet for renewable two-week periods. The Public Prosecution has exclusive jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute, and cases are heard by the Criminal Division of the Court of First Instance.

Separately, the Ministry of Information may impose graduated administrative sanctions, from a notice and warning to a financial penalty of KD 100 to KD 10,000 (doubled on repetition up to KD 20,000), administrative closure for up to six months, and permanent closure of unlicensed premises. These may be challenged by written grievance within 15 days and then before the Administrative Court.

Criminal liability for unlawful content is allocated by role, falling on:

• the editor-in-chief and the author, for newspapers;
• channel managers, producers and presenters, for broadcasts; and
• the responsible manager, for electronic outlets.

A welcome clarification is that channel staff are not liable for unlawful statements made by a guest during a live broadcast unless they knew of them in advance, took part, or failed to take reasonable steps to prevent them. Journalists acting in good faith, within their licence and with due care to verify information are protected from criminal liability, and the State guarantees media organisations’ right of access to government information, subject to confidentiality and national security limits.

Timeline and Next Steps

The Minister of Information must issue the implementing regulation within six months of publication, and the law itself takes effect six months after publication (roughly April 2027). Existing media operators then have six months from the issuance of the implementing regulation to regularise their position, failing which their licences will be cancelled. Businesses should also note that a media licence does not replace any other licence required under Kuwaiti law.

In the meantime, publishers, broadcasters, digital platforms, agencies and brands are strongly encouraged to review their activities against the new licensing categories, assess whether their corporate social media channels remain within the exemption, and where applicable, update influencer and sponsorship agreements to address these new obligations.

For advice on how these new rules may affect your organization, contact GLA & Co.

Authors: Alex Saleh, Managing Partner, and Liana Rashed, Trainee Lawyer.