Kuwait Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in kuwait, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Trade Agreements
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Regional Trade Agreements

In December 2008, Singapore and the GCC signed a free trade agreement (FTA), the GCC’s first FTA. In June 2009, GCC countries concluded an FTA with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes the countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

Customs Union

Kuwait is a member of the GCC along with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Oman. People from these countries can travel freely throughout the GCC. There is a 5 percent duty for most goods at the first point of entry to the GCC and then the goods can travel freely throughout the GCC. 

Bilateral Investment Treaties

Kuwait has signed bilateral investment treaties with 93 countries, 71 of which are in force, 16 others have investment provisions, and six have been terminated. More information about these may be found at: Bilateral Investment Treaties 

Trade and Investment Framework Agreement

Kuwait signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the United States in 2004. In 2012, the United States signed a TIFA with the GCC, which the Kuwait National Assembly ratified in 2014. The last U.S.-GCC TIFA Council meeting took place in 2015. 

Resources

Government of Kuwait: Public Authority for Industry
NIST Notify U.S. Service

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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