Legally, a foreign national must maintain at least 20 consecutive years of legal residence in Kuwait (or 15 consecutive years for nationals belonging to other Arab countries) to be structurally eligible to apply for naturalization. However, Kuwaiti citizenship is exceptionally restrictive and discretionary, governed directly through government decrees and quotas rather than a standard open application pathway, meaning long-term residency alone rarely guarantees approval. Additional strict prerequisites include proven fluency in Arabic, a clean criminal record, a legitimate source of income, and practicing the Muslim faith for a designated period. Furthermore, Kuwait strictly prohibits dual nationality, requiring successful applicants to fully renounce their original citizenship.