Switching jobs in Kuwait: how to resign and what you keep
- Give notice in writing: at least 3 months if you are paid monthly, 1 month if not (Art. 44).
- Resigning from an open-ended contract keeps nothing under 3 years (Art. 53). Then it is half, two thirds from 5 years and all of it from 10.
- Ask PAM when your final pay is due.
Checked 22 October 2026
On this page
On this page
Fill in your resignation letter with the notice rule for Kuwait already in it.
How to resign
Write your notice, date it and hand it to your employer. Keep a copy that shows the date.
Fill in a Kuwait resignation letter with your own names and dates.
Skip the notice and you owe your employer a notice allowance: your wage for the same period (Art. 44).
Leaving without notice
Article 48 lets you leave without notice and keep your full indemnity in listed cases. They include a breach of the contract or the law, an assault, a risk to your health, and fraud at hiring.
Stay away without a good reason for 7 days running, or 20 days in a year, and you may be treated as resigned (Art. 42).
How much notice you give
- Open-ended contract, paid monthly: at least 3 months in writing (Art. 44).
- Open-ended contract, paid another way: at least 1 month in writing (Art. 44).
- Fixed-term contract: leave early without a right and you pay for the damage. The cap is your wages for the rest of the term (Art. 47).
- Probation: no notice is needed from either side (Art. 32).
Three months is long. Plan your new start date around it before you hand in your letter.
Your indemnity after you resign
Your full indemnity is 15 days' pay a year for your first 5 years, then a month a year. If you are paid monthly, it is capped at 18 months' pay (Art. 51).
Resigning from an open-ended contract keeps a share of it (Art. 53):
- Under 3 years: nothing.
- 3 years until you reach 5: half.
- 5 years until you reach 10: two thirds.
- 10 years or more: all of it.
The share moves up on the day you reach 3, 5 or 10 years. Regular allowances and commissions count as wage (Art. 55).
Your service counts to the day the contract ends, which can come sooner than you plan. If you are close to a threshold, wait until you are past it before you hand in your letter.
A woman who resigns within 1 year of marrying keeps the full indemnity (Art. 52).
A mutual agreement is not on the full-indemnity list (Art. 52). Get any agreed exit in writing, with the amount stated.
More: do I get indemnity if I resign in Kuwait?
Resigning during probation
Probation lasts up to 100 working days. During it, you or your employer can end the contract with no notice (Art. 32).
If your employer ends it, the indemnity is still due (Art. 32). If you end it, ask PAM what is due. A resignation from an open-ended contract under 3 years keeps no indemnity (Art. 53).
Your final pay
Ask PAM when your final pay is due, and ask your employer for the date in writing.
Your monthly wages during the notice must not be paid later than 7 days after their due date (Art. 56).
Not paid? Take it to PAM before any court (Art. 146). Claims your employer denies are not heard 1 year after the contract ends (Art. 144).
Moving to a new employer
Before you resign, ask PAM and your new employer how your work permit will move, and in what order.
If your residence is to be cancelled, ask the residency affairs office how long you may stay afterwards.
Kuwait's unemployment insurance covers Kuwaiti nationals only (Law 101/2013, Art. 1).
Questions
- How much notice do I give in Kuwait?
- At least 3 months in writing if you are paid monthly, and 1 month if not (Art. 44).
- What share of my indemnity do I keep if I resign?
- From an open-ended contract: nothing under 3 years, half from 3, two thirds from 5 and all of it from 10 (Art. 53).
- Can I leave during probation without notice?
- Yes. During probation no notice is needed from either side (Art. 32).
- What if I leave without serving my notice?
- You owe your employer your wage for the notice period (Art. 44), unless an Article 48 case applies.