Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. moci.gov.kw/en/
- Check access requirements. Account required: Optional. Local ID required: No.
- Plan budget. Price range: USD 0.00. Payment methods: Not published; confirm at source.
- Anticipate friction. Captcha / 2FA: Unknown. English UI: Partial.
- Plan turnaround. Expected: Unknown.
- Verify recency. Last verified: 4 Sept 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
TL;DR. Kuwait’s commercial registry is operated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI). https://moci.gov.kw/en/ is a ministry site with e-service links, not a commercial-registration search form. Its English home links “Electronic services for managing the commercial registry” to https://ereg.moci.gov.kw/ereg/WebPages/login.aspx, which blocked automated checks, as did https://e.gov.kw. https://e-kbc.moci.gov.kw/e-kbc/WebPages/login.aspx loads with Arabic text saying the visitor is not authorised to use the site at this time. No Kuwaiti dinar fees are published where they could be read, so fees in this guide are unknown rather than free; confirm at source.
What is the official Kuwait business registry?
Kuwait’s primary business registry is the Commercial Registry maintained by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI). All commercial entities operating in Kuwait must obtain a Commercial Registration (CR) from MOCI. The English ministry home is https://moci.gov.kw/en/, and the Arabic home is https://moci.gov.kw/ar/.
The statutory basis for commercial registration in Kuwait is the Commercial Companies Law (Law No. 1 of 2016).
The MOCI Commercial Registry covers Closed Joint Stock Companies (CJSC), Public Shareholding Companies (KSC), With Limited Liability Companies (WLL), general and limited partnerships, sole proprietorships, branches and representative offices of foreign companies, and holding companies.
Listed companies on Boursa Kuwait are additionally covered by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA). Banks and financial institutions require licensing from the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). Those bodies are separate from the MOCI commercial registry covered here.
What can you search?
The MOCI English home is not a CR search form. Its site search at /en/search/ answers “Search Results No results found” for an empty query. That is ministry site search, not the commercial register.
The commercial-registry e-service linked from the home blocked automated checks. CR number search, Arabic name search, shareholder fields and certified-extract ordering could not be confirmed; confirm at source.
No public beneficial-ownership register is described on moci.gov.kw/en; confirm at source.
How much does it cost?
| Item | Cost (KWD) | Cost (USD, approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic public entity search | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial register extract (standard) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Certified CR extract with MOCI seal | Unknown | Unknown |
| Apostillized certified copy | Unknown | Unknown |
No Kuwaiti dinar figures appear on moci.gov.kw/en, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source. Payment methods, including KNET, card and in-person payment, are not published there either.
Do you need a local account or ID?
Account rules for CR search could not be confirmed: ereg.moci.gov.kw blocked automated checks and e-kbc.moci.gov.kw answers with a not-authorised message. A free status search has been reported as needing no Civil ID; confirm at source.
Is the website in English?
Partial. https://moci.gov.kw/en/ is an English ministry home. The transactional CR search could not be reached. Official extracts have been reported as issued in Arabic; confirm at source.
What’s the turnaround time?
Unknown. MOCI does not publish a turnaround time where it could be read; confirm at source.
Is there an API?
No public API is published on moci.gov.kw/en.
What you legally cannot do
Kuwait’s AML/CFT framework is governed by Law No. 106 of 2013. Automated bulk extraction from MOCI portals is prohibited under typical platform terms and is also in view of Cybercrime Law (Law No. 63 of 2015). Director names and shareholder identity data extracted from MOCI records should be processed only for a documented legitimate purpose. Whether Kuwait has a standalone Personal Data Protection Law is not stated there; confirm at source.
Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers
- MOCI English home is not the CR search. Its e-service link points at ereg.moci.gov.kw, which blocked automated checks.
- e.gov.kw blocked automated checks. It is not a working company lookup.
- Arabic remains the working language for official CR documents.
- Annual CR renewal is mandatory under Kuwaiti commercial practice. Confirm expiry on any extract you do obtain.
- Kuwait is not on the FATF grey list as of the prior FATF language in this guide. Verify at fatf-gafi.org. For GCC context, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.
Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly
- OpenCorporates has very limited Kuwait MOCI coverage. Not suitable for compliance-grade verification.
- Kuwait Business Center (kbc.moci.gov.kw): online, with the Arabic title مركز الكويت للأعمال. That page is a company-formation window, not a CR search form.
- Local Kuwaiti law firms: licensed practitioners obtain MOCI certified extracts for foreign clients.
Local data suppliers
- Dun & Bradstreet Kuwait (dnb.com). D&B covers Kuwait as part of its GCC regional offering.
- CRIF Gulf (crif.com). Regional operation covering Kuwait and the GCC.
Use MOCI for official registry verification when the CR e-service is reachable. Use commercial suppliers when you need English-language structured reports or risk scoring.
FAQ
Can a foreign company access the Kuwait commercial registry directly?
The MOCI English home is reachable. The commercial-registry e-service login blocked automated checks, so search access and fees could not be confirmed; confirm at source.
What is the Commercial Registration (CR) number in Kuwait?
The Commercial Registration (CR) number is assigned by MOCI at registration and is the primary unique identifier for MOCI-registered entities.
What entity types are registered with MOCI?
MOCI registers sole proprietorships, WLL companies, closed and public joint stock companies, general and limited partnerships, holding companies, and foreign company branches and representative offices. Financial institutions are additionally licensed by the Central Bank of Kuwait.
Does Kuwait have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?
No public UBO search is described on moci.gov.kw/en. AML Law No. 106/2013 requires reporting entities to conduct beneficial ownership due diligence, which is not the same as a public UBO portal.
How current is the data in the Kuwait MOCI registry?
Data freshness is not stated on any reachable CR search-results page; confirm at source.
Is Kuwait on the FATF grey list?
No. Kuwait is not on the FATF grey list or the FATF High-Risk Jurisdictions list as of the prior FATF language in this guide. See fatf-gafi.org.
What is the difference between MOCI registration and KFTZ licensing?
MOCI commercial registration covers companies operating in Kuwait’s domestic economy under the Commercial Companies Law 2016. The Kuwait Free Trade Zone (KFTZ) is a separate licensing framework. A company registered only with KFTZ is not an MOCI-registered entity for domestic commercial purposes. The KFTZ licensing site is not covered in this guide.
Last verified: September 2026. Sources: moci.gov.kw/en/ and moci.gov.kw/ar/; the ereg.moci.gov.kw login and e.gov.kw, which blocked automated checks; the e-kbc.moci.gov.kw login, which answers with a not-authorised message; kbc.moci.gov.kw, a company-formation site. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.