Kuwait enacts comprehensive drone and light aviation law with penalties up to three years in prison and KD5,000 fines
Why It MattersThe law tightens licensing, registration and airspace controls on drones and light aircraft, adding compliance obligations for operators, importers and manufacturers across Kuwait's aviation sector.
Kuwait has enacted a 44-article law regulating drones, light sport aircraft and air sports, establishing a licensing and security framework with criminal penalties ranging from fines of KD300 to KD5,000 and prison terms of up to three years, depending on the severity of the violation. Published in issue 1808 of the official gazette Kuwait Al Youm, the law took effect from its publication date and covers registration, import, manufacture, sale and operation of drones and light aircraft, as well as commercial and recreational air-sports activities. Operating a covered aircraft without Ministry of Interior approval carries up to two years in prison and a fine of KD1,000 to KD2,000, or either penalty, while the most serious offences include unlicensed air-sports activities, unauthorised imports or manufacturing, commercial operations without licensing, and flights around airports or over prohibited and restricted areas.
Penalties double when a violation causes an accident, and repeat offenders convicted again within five years may receive sentences above the standard maximum, capped at half that maximum. Courts may cancel or suspend licences for up to one year, close facilities for up to one year, and confiscate drones or other items involved in an offence. Owners must register covered aircraft with the civil aviation authority and obtain an airworthiness certificate, reporting registration changes within seven working days, while pilots and support personnel must hold proper licences. Importing, manufacturing, assembling, programming or modifying drones or their components requires an aviation authority permit and Interior Ministry approval.
Flights within airport zones and over prohibited or restricted areas are banned, along with night flying between sunset and sunrise and operations in unsuitable weather, unless special permission is granted. Photographing or recording people, private property or designated public facilities via aircraft is restricted unless conditions in executive regulations are met. Security and military authorities may detect, intercept, disable, take control of, or shoot down aircraft flying over prohibited or restricted areas or near military and security installations if they pose a threat to state security or public safety, without incurring legal or civil liability for resulting damage; the civil aviation authority may also use electronic jamming against non-compliant aircraft.
The Ministry of Defence is exempt from licensing for military use but must notify the aviation authority of operations not covered by secrecy provisions, while government bodies may use drones for emergency, relief, medical and research activities after obtaining required licences. Licence or permit applications must be decided within 90 days of full document submission, with no decision within that period counting as rejection, and licences cannot be transferred without aviation authority approval. Existing aircraft owners have one year from the law's entry into force to achieve compliance, and executive regulations detailing procedures, conditions and fees must be issued by 31 December 2026.
