Safety in Kuwait

General picture: Kuwait is one of the safest countries in the world for visitors, women included. Violent crime is extremely rare and walking around in the evening is entirely normal, though basic care with belongings still applies.
Heat: The real danger is the temperature, which hits 50 degrees in summer. Between June and September, more than ten minutes outdoors is genuinely hazardous. Carry water constantly and use sunscreen even under cloud.
Traffic: Cross roads with total attention, because drivers rarely yield to pedestrians. Highway speeds are high and manoeuvres unpredictable. If you drive, drive defensively and wear the seatbelt.
Law: Drug offences carry life sentences or worse and are enforced without exception. Photographing government buildings, royal palaces and military sites is forbidden. For any emergency, dial 112.
Women: Kuwait is liberal by regional standards, but modest clothing is expected. Shoulders and knees covered avoids both unwanted attention and disapproval, and licensed taxis or Careem are the sensible way to travel alone.
Health: Do not drink from the tap. Pharmacies stock plenty of imported medicine, but prescription drugs require a local prescription. Healthcare for foreigners is private and very expensive, so insurance is essential.

Kuwait has very low street crime and almost no tourist fraud. Visitors are few and there is no industry of deception.

Taxis. Ordinary taxis have no meters and prices are agreed beforehand. A foreigner will be quoted more. Careem and Uber operate and settle the question.

The gold souq. Gold is sold by weight against the world price plus workmanship, and the market is regulated. Haggling applies only to the making charge.

Car hire. Standard claims on return.

Online fraud. As across the Gulf, telephone schemes impersonating banks and government bodies are growing. They barely touch tourists.

Kuwait is not a tourist country in the usual sense: visitor infrastructure is limited and most foreigners here work rather than travel. Accordingly, there is simply nothing to cheat a tourist out of.

Alcohol is banned completely. As in Saudi Arabia: production, import, sale and consumption. A bottle in a suitcase is not an administrative matter but a serious case with a real risk of imprisonment and deportation. Bring nothing in, duty-free included.

Drugs. Among the harshest laws in the world, up to the death penalty for trafficking. Trace amounts found in a test are enough for a case. CBD products are prohibited.

Pork may not be imported.

Ramadan is strictly observed. Eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight bring a fine and detention, and this applies to non-Muslims too. Many venues open only after sunset.

Dress. Modest in public: shoulders and knees covered. Hotel beaches are less restricted.

Public conduct. Displays of affection are not the custom. Same-sex relations are criminalised.

Photography. Do not photograph people without permission, women especially, nor military installations, oil infrastructure or palaces.

Drones. Prohibited without permission and confiscated at customs.

The heat is the most extreme in the world. Kuwait has recorded some of the highest temperatures on the planet: summer days sit consistently above 45°C and pass 50 on occasion. This is not "hot" but conditions in which being outside during the day is life-threatening. From June to September life moves entirely indoors and into the night. Plan a trip for November to March.

Dust storms. Sandstorms arrive in spring and summer, reducing visibility to nothing and making breathing hard. People with asthma need a mask and their medication.

Water. Tap water is desalinated and safe, though most people drink bottled.

Healthcare. Good standards with modern hospitals. Emergency care is given to everyone; beyond that foreigners are billed. Insurance is needed.

Roads are the main physical risk. Kuwait's road death rate is among the region's highest: speed, an aggressive driving style and large powerful cars. Pedestrians are not expected on the roads.

Emergency number is 112.

Kuwait ranks in the upper part of the regional corruption table. Street crime is almost absent and nights are safe.

Police. Correct, with English spoken in the main services. Foreigners are treated calmly.

Traffic police. Cameras are numerous and fines arrive automatically at the rental company. Speed enforcement is dense.

If detained. You have the right to a consul; ask immediately. Do not sign Arabic-language documents without a translation. Alcohol and drug charges mean an exit ban for the duration of proceedings, which can run to months.

What actually matters. Kuwait is physically safe and legally strict. Foreigners' problems come from three things: alcohol, conduct during Ramadan, and photographing people. All three are a matter of discipline rather than luck.

Emergency number is 112, for every service.