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The Gulf Expat

Do I get indemnity if I resign in Kuwait?

Only after 3 years. On an open-ended contract, it is half from 3 years, two thirds from 5 and all from 10 (Art. 53).

Checked 21 October 2026

Is it worth waiting to resign?

What to do now

  1. Count your years from your exact start date. If you are near 3, 5 or 10 years, see what waiting changes.
  2. Give notice in writing and keep a signed copy.
  3. Build your leaving plan for your other dates.
See an example plan
Example only: an expat who resigned, with a last working day of 7 Nov 2026. Tap it to build your own.

What to ask HR

  1. Is my contract open-ended or fixed-term?
  2. Which allowances do you count as wage for my indemnity?
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The resignation shares

  • Under 3 years: no indemnity.
  • 3 to 5 years: half.
  • 5 to 10 years: two thirds.
  • 10 years or more: the full indemnity.

These shares apply to open-ended contracts. Leaving a fixed-term contract early follows a different rule.

There, you may owe compensation for the damage, up to your wages for the rest of the term (Art. 47).

When resigning still pays in full

  • You left for a reason in Article 48, such as your employer breaking the contract or the law.
  • A woman resigns within 1 year of getting married (Art. 52).

The Article 48 reasons also include an assault, a risk to your health, and fraud when you were hired. In those cases you can leave without notice and keep the full indemnity.

How the full indemnity is worked out

  • 15 days' pay for each of your first 5 years.
  • A month's pay for each year after that.
  • Part years count in proportion.
  • The total is capped at 18 months' pay (Art. 51).

The law counts regular allowances and commissions as wage (Art. 55). Ask PAM which of yours count.

Absence and agreed exits

Your employer may treat unexcused absence for 7 days running, or 20 days in a year, as resigning (Art. 42). The resignation shares then apply.

A mutual agreement is not on the full-indemnity list in Article 52. Get any agreement in writing, with the indemnity amount stated.

Your notice

Give at least 3 months' written notice if you are paid monthly, or 1 month if not (Art. 44).

If you skip the notice, you owe your employer the wage for that period.

A worked example

Say you earn KWD 800 a month and resign after 4 years. The full figure is 4 half-months, or KWD 1,600. Half of that, KWD 800, is yours.

Keep your contract and payslips, as they show your start date and your pay.