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Working in Kuwait

The basic rules on hours, pay, leave, your passport, and changing jobs — and where to get help when they are broken.

The basics at a glance

These are the minimums in Kuwait's private-sector Labour Law for people who work for a company. If you work in a household, different rules apply — see Domestic workers.

Working hours
Up to 8 hours a day, or 48 hours a week. In Ramadan, up to 36 hours a week.
Overtime
125% of your wage for each extra hour, and no more than 2 hours of overtime a day.
Weekly day off
One full day off with pay after 6 working days. If you work on that day, you are paid at least 150%.
Paid leave
30 working days of paid leave a year — weekends and public holidays don't count against it. You can take your first leave after 6 months of work.
End-of-service pay
15 days' pay for each of your first 5 years, then one month's pay for each year after that — up to 18 months' pay in total.If you resign, you get less: nothing under 3 years, half for 3–5 years, and more the longer you have worked.
Summer heat
No outdoor work from 11:00 to 16:00, from 1 June to 31 August.

Your passport is yours

Kuwaiti rules say a company may not take a worker's passport. For domestic workers the law is weaker: it lets an employer hold the passport if the worker agrees. You do not have to agree. The 2018 Philippines–Kuwait agreement on domestic workers also says employers may not keep a worker's passport.

It still happens often. If your passport has been taken: write down when it happened and who has it, keep a photo or copy of it if you can, and tell the Migrant Workers Office.

Your contract and your pay

Before you left the Philippines, you signed an employment contract approved by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). If your employer gives you a worse contract after you arrive — less pay, a different job, longer hours — that is called contract substitution, and it is illegal under Philippine law. Keep a copy of the contract you signed at home.

If you are a domestic worker: your DMW-approved contract must pay at least US$400 a month — well above Kuwait's own minimum for domestic workers. (DMW encourages US$500, but in the Gulf it is not required.) A recruitment agency may not charge you a placement fee.

If you are not being paid, keep a record of every missed payday — the dates and the amounts — and any messages about your pay.

Domestic workers: different rules

If you work in a household (usually on a “Visa 20”), you are covered by Kuwait's separate law for domestic workers, not the main Labour Law. The main points:

Working hours
Up to 12 hours a day, with rest breaks — including an hour's rest after 5 hours of work, and rest at night.
Weekly day off
One day off a week.
Paid leave
30 days of paid leave a year.
End-of-service pay
One month's pay for each year of work, paid when the contract ends.

Changing jobs and leaving the country

Company workers can generally move to a new employer with their employer's agreement after one year of work, and without it after 3 years, after giving notice. Since 2026, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) can allow an earlier move without the employer's agreement in some cases where the employer broke the rules — for example, a false absconding report, or an employer who fails to process your residency. Ask the Migrant Workers Office if this may apply to you.

Exit permits: since 1 July 2025, company workers need an exit permit approved by their employer to leave Kuwait. If you cannot get one, contact the Migrant Workers Office.

⚠ Important warning

Before you leave your employer — read this first

In Kuwait, leaving your employer can be treated as “absconding” (huroob). If you're reported as absconding, you risk arrest, deportation, or fines. There are ways to protect yourself — don't leave without taking these steps first.

Where complaints go

Start with the Migrant Workers Office (MWO). It is where OFW work cases go — wages, contracts, passports, and abuse — and it can tell you which Kuwaiti office applies to you.

On the Kuwaiti side, work complaints — including domestic workers' complaints — go to the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM). PAM first tries to settle a complaint; if that fails, it goes to court. Domestic workers do not pay court fees.

In the Philippines, you can also bring a money claim against your recruitment agency, which is responsible together with your employer. That claim must be brought within 3 years, and it usually starts with a conciliation step at the DMW.

Philippine offices in Kuwait

For a work problem, go to a Migrant Workers Office first. The embassy handles passports, documents, and concerns that are not about work.

Phone numbers, addresses, and the date we last checked each one are in the Handa app preview — open it and tap Offices.

Open the Handa app preview

What to keep

A copy of your contract, any proof of non-payment, messages with your employer, and a photo of your passport if you have one.

What this guide is based on

Handa's plain-language summary of the sources below. It has not yet been checked by a lawyer.

Last updated 14 September 2026.

Something here out of date or wrong? Tell us at contact@handahelp.org.