How to Resign in Kuwait: Notice, Indemnity and Final Pay

To resign from an open-ended contract in Kuwait, give notice: at least 3 months if you are paid monthly and at least 1 month if you are not (Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 of 2010, Art. 44). Do it in writing so you have proof. Whichever side skips the notice pays the other wages for the notice period.

On an open-ended contract, resigning cuts your end of service indemnity unless you have 10 years, with a few exceptions: nothing under 3 years, half from 3 to under 5 years, two thirds from 5 to under 10 years, and the full indemnity from 10 years (Art. 53).

Write your letter with the resignation letter generator, or compare the six Gulf countries.

Either party to an open-ended contract may end it after giving the other notice (Art. 44). Put your notice in writing so you have proof. The date your contract ends, including any notice you serve, decides which band you fall in. The resignation indemnity guide shows how much a few weeks can change.

• Open-ended contract, monthly wage: at least 3 months' notice.
• Open-ended contract, other workers: at least 1 month's notice.
• Not served: the party who ended the contract without the full notice pays the other party the worker's wage for the same period (Art. 44).
• Fixed-term contract: if either side ends it early without a right to do so, it owes the other compensation for the damage, but no more than the worker's wage for the rest of the contract (Art. 47). A fixed-term contract that ends without being renewed pays the full indemnity (Art. 52).

If you stop coming to work without an acceptable reason for 7 days in a row, or 20 days in total within one year, your employer may treat you as having resigned. The resignation shares in Article 53 then apply (Art. 42). Do not use absence as a way to resign.

Probation lasts at most 100 working days. Either side may end the contract during probation without notice. If the employer ends it, the employer pays the worker's end of service indemnity (Art. 32).

The full indemnity is 15 days' wage for each of the first 5 years and a month's wage for each year after that, capped at one and a half years' wage for monthly-paid workers. Part years are paid pro rata (Art. 51). When you end an open-ended contract yourself, you receive a share of it (Art. 53):

• Under 3 years: nothing.
• 3 years to under 5 years: half.
• 5 years to under 10 years: two thirds.
• 10 years or more: the full indemnity.

Example at KWD 600 a month basic, whole years of service:

The full indemnity is also paid if your employer ends the contract, if a fixed-term contract expires without renewal, if you leave for one of the reasons in Articles 48 to 50, or if a woman resigns within one year of her marriage (Art. 52).

The calculator uses your basic salary. The law defines "wage" to include allowances, commissions and similar payments you receive regularly (Art. 55), so ask your employer which pay it counts. Use the Kuwait calculator with your own dates.

You may end the contract without notice and still receive the full indemnity in these cases (Art. 48):

• Your employer does not follow the contract or the law.
• You are assaulted.
• Your health is at risk, as decided by the Medical Arbitration Committee.
• Your employer used fraud when hiring you.
• You are acquitted of a charge your employer brought against you.
• An immoral act is committed against you.

Read Article 48 for the exact conditions before you rely on it. Leaving in any other way without notice means paying wages for the notice period (Art. 44).

Ask PAM when your final pay is due. If you are not paid what you are owed:

• Apply to the labour department first. It summons both sides. If it cannot settle the dispute, it sends the case to the Court of First Instance within one month (Arts. 146 and 147).
• Mind the deadline. Claims are not heard after one year from the end of the contract (Art. 144).
• No court fees for workers' claims (Art. 144).
• Online filing: register your phone number at your labour relations unit to get a login, then file and track complaints online.

More: the complete Kuwait guide.

Your letter should give your name and job, the date, one sentence saying you resign, and the date your notice ends. Sign it. The Kuwait resignation letter generator writes one for you. Keep a signed copy or proof that you sent it.

Before your last day, ask for a written breakdown of your indemnity, leave and wages, and check it with the settlement checker.