🧭 Region & Middle East · #60
Does Kuwait require court permission or notice to the wife before a man takes another wife?
No. Kuwait's Personal Status Law of 1984 does not require court permission or any duty to inform the wife; the limit set is not marrying a fifth wife until one of the marriages is dissolved and its ʿiddah has ended (Article 21).
This differs from Malaysia, where Syariah Court permission is required (Act 303 s.23). Malaysians working in Kuwait remain bound by Malaysian law: marrying again in Kuwait without court permission in Malaysia can be an offence on return, and the marriage must be registered. Kuwait also has family courts that handle judicial divorce on grounds such as maintenance and harm. Allah still makes justice a condition in every country (an-Nisa' 4:3). See The Gulf & Iran.
This differs from Malaysia, where Syariah Court permission is required (Act 303 s.23). Malaysians working in Kuwait remain bound by Malaysian law: marrying again in Kuwait without court permission in Malaysia can be an offence on return, and the marriage must be registered. Kuwait also has family courts that handle judicial divorce on grounds such as maintenance and harm. Allah still makes justice a condition in every country (an-Nisa' 4:3). See The Gulf & Iran.