How safe is Kuwait for travelers?

Crime

• Violent crime against foreigners is uncommon and Kuwait is a safe country to walk around.
• Robbery and petty theft occur in Jahra and Jleeb Al Shuyoukh, neither of which is a visitor area.

Alcohol - stricter than you expect

• Alcohol is prohibited entirely. Buying, selling, carrying it and public intoxication all carry fines, imprisonment and deportation.
• This is stricter than Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Oman, and it is the Gulf state most often misjudged by someone who has been to Dubai.
• Do not buy duty-free on the way in. There is no allowance and no discretion.

Drugs

• Possession carries 5 to 10 years. Trafficking can carry capital punishment.
• Trace amounts count. Arriving from a country where cannabis is legal is a genuine risk if you have not been careful about bags and clothing.

Photography

• It is illegal to photograph or film government, military, industrial or oil infrastructure, and restricted areas such as borders and oil fields.
• In an oil state, that infrastructure is part of the landscape. A casual shot from the road is how visitors are arrested here.

Dress and behaviour

• Modest clothing, particularly in conservative areas. Women should avoid shorts and revealing clothes.
• Visible tattoos or piercings that could be read as offensive - religious imagery especially - can bring legal consequences. This is unusual enough to be worth checking against what is on your own arms.
• Ramadan: no eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight, no loud music, no swearing. Driving at dusk during Ramadan is notoriously erratic as people rush home to break the fast.

LGBT+

• Same-sex relationships are criminalised.

The exit ban

• Unpaid fines, bills and commercial disputes can stop you leaving the country, and re-entry visas may be denied.
• Settle everything before departure day. This is the failure mode that turns a good trip into a legal problem, and it is entirely avoidable.