KUWAIT: The interior ministry announced on Thursday that thousands of wives of Kuwaiti men who had their citizenship revoked in the past year will be allowed to travel abroad using their Kuwaiti passport during the summer months. The ministry however added that such women must prove that they have started the process of obtaining their original country’s identity to avail of this facility and be treated like Kuwaitis.

Over the past year, Kuwait revoked the citizenship of over 29,000 foreign women who were naturalized after getting married to Kuwaiti husbands since 1987. Authorities said the measure was taken because of a legal error in granting Kuwaiti citizenship to them. The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that such women can travel overseas using their Kuwaiti passport only between June 1 and September 30 this year.

But they must commit to start the process of reverting to their original nationality through their embassies in Kuwait, adding that all women have only one year to return to their original identity, starting June 1. After obtaining their original country’s passport, the women will be given an official residency in Kuwait, the statement said. The ministry warned that obtaining their original country’s passport is a precondition to availing of the special benefits that will be given to them by the government, mainly treating them like Kuwaitis. The women must show that they have started the process to obtain their nationality within the first three months of the one-year period, ending on Aug 31, the ministry said.

Amending their nationality status does not prevent the women from submitting grievances against revoking their Kuwaiti citizenship to a special committee set up by the government, the ministry added. The ministry also said that after obtaining their country’s passport, women will be issued new civil IDs carrying their nationality and stating that they will be treated like Kuwaitis.