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Law No. 24 of the Year 1962 1
On Clubs and Public Welfare Societies

We, Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
Having obtained the approval of the Constitutional Council on the Law hereunder, we
ratify and issue the law.

Chapter 1
Founding Societies and Clubs

Article 1
For purposes of implementing the provisions of this Law, Public Welfare Societies
and Clubs refer to organized societies and clubs working for a limited or unlimited
period of time and comprised of natural or artificial persons for purposes other than
achieving profit and shall target social, cult ural, religious or sports activities.

Article 2 2
Societies or clubs may not conduct any activi ties and shall not be proved an artificial
person if their statute is not announced in acco rdance with the provisions of this Law.

Article 3
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor shall undertake registration of societies and
clubs and shall publish the founding thereof in the official gazette and assist them in
achieving their goals in servi ng society when conforming to conditions stated in this
Law.

Article 4 (3)
For establishing any society or club, the fo llowing conditions must be fulfilled:
A. Number of founders shall not be less than ten persons provided that all of them
are Kuwaiti nationals.
B. The age of any founder shall not be less than twenty one years and must not be
sentenced with a crime violating honor or honesty before unless cleared
thereof.

Article 5
For purposes of founding societies or clubs, founders must convene in the capacity of
a founding committee to enact a written st atute signed by them and including the
following data in particular:
A. Name of the club or society incorporated in Kuwait.
B. Purpose of establishing such society or club.
C. Names of founding members, their titles, ages, nationalities and occupations.
D. Membership conditions and rights as well as duties of members.
E. System of the management board and general assembly, specializations of
each, methods of election of members, manners of expelling them and legal
representatives of th e society of club.
1 Al Kuwait Al Yawm – Edition 389 on 12/8/1965 2 2, 3 and 4 replaced with Law no. 28 of the y ear 1965 – Al Kuwait Al Yawm – Edition 534 on
4/7/1965

F. Resources of the club or society and manners of utilizing and disposing of
them as well as the beginning and end of the fiscal year.
G. Methods of internal financial monitoring.
H. Manner of amending the statute, merger, division and establishing branches.
I. Rules of optional dissolving of the club or society and the party entitled for
their monies in case of dissolve.

Societies and clubs shall seek guidance from the standard statute prepared by the
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor when enacting their own statutes.

Article 6 (4)
Societies and clubs are not allowed to seek achieving any purpose that is illegal or
defies ethics or related to purposes stipulated in the statute of any. Clubs or societies
are prohibited from interfering with po litics and religious conflicts or provoking
fanaticism, sectarianism and racism.

Article 7
A special record shall be kept at the Mini stry of Social Affairs and Labor for each
society or club showing name, headquart ers, purposes, fiscal year, number of
management board members, name of chairm an and treasurer and legal representative
of each society or club. The Ministry sha ll undertake announcing the establishment of
the club or society by publishing a summary of its statute in the official gazette for
free. The provisions of this Article shal l apply on any amendment affected on the
statute.

Article 8
Registration of any club or society shal l be studies by means of an application
submitted to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor within thirty days of
establishment accompanied with the following documents:
A. Two copies of the statute ratified by founders.
B. Copy of the minutes of meeting of the founding committee during which
management board members are selected.
C. Names of members of the management board.
D. Certificate from the Ministry of Interi or stating its approval on all founders.

Article 9
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor may reject the registration of any club or
society within one month of the date of submitting documents stated in the previous
Article, showing reasons for rejection. It ma y also amend the regulations thereof in
line with public welfare. The club or soci ety may appeal the rejection or amendment
before the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor or the committees he appoints for that
purpose. The decision issued after the appeal shall be considered final and not subject
to any further appeal.

Chapter Two
Management Board

Article 10
Each society or club must have a management board whose specia lizations, manner of
members selection and end of their membership shall be specified by the statute

thereof. Members of the management board shall not be less than five and their
membership shall not exceed five years. Membership may be renewed in accordance
with the statute of the club or society.

Article 11
Any management board member must be a Ku waiti national and entitled to attend the
general assembly. It is not allowed to simu ltaneously be a member of the management
board and assume any paid position in the society or club
3

Article 12
The management board shall run the affair s of the society or club and provide all
ways for members to perfectly carry out their duties.

Chapter Three
General Assembly

Article 13
The General Assembly is comprised of all members who have covered the
commitments stipulated by the statue and have been members for at least six months.

Article 14
The General Assembly must convent once a year two months before the end of the
fiscal year to look into the following matters:
A. Report of the management board
B. Budge and closing statement
C. Proposals of members submitted in the date specified by the statute.
D. Election of management board members
E. Draft budget of the next year.

Article 15
The management board may call on the ge neral assembly for an extraordinary
meeting if needed or requested by one thir d of members entitled to attend the general
assembly provided that they shall expl ain reasons for requesting a meeting.

Article 16
The Extraordinary General Assembly sh all look into the following matters:
A. Important and urgent issues that the management board and members decide
to discuss.
B. Deciding on the resignation of the head of the club or resignations submitted
by members of the management board due to reasons related to the society or
club or public welfare
C. Withdrawing membership from all or some members of the management
board.
D. Amendment of the statute of the club.
E. Dissolving, entering into federa tion or merger of the club.
3 Replaced with Law no. 28 of th e year 1965 – Al Kuwait Al Yawm – Edition 534 on 4/7/1965

Article 17
The General Assembly may not look into issues not listed on the agenda. Also, an
extraordinary general assembly shall not convene to look into matters previously
decided upon except after one year of the issuance of decision.

Chapter Four
Finances of Societies or Clubs

Article 18
Monies of societies or clubs include member ship fees, fixed and transferable assets,
grants, donations, assistance and others are considered a property of the society or
club and its members has no right thereon a nd withdrawn or expelled members has no
right in such monies.

Article 19
The Society or club must deposit their cash monies in one of the banks in Kuwait
under the name of the society or club. Regulations and statutes of societies shall state
the system of preserving sustainable loans and their value for unexpected expenses.

Article 20
Societies and clubs may not spend monies thereof for purposes other than those for
which it is established and they may not be involved in stock exchange.

Article 21
Management boards of established societies and clubs must provide the Ministry of
Social Affairs and Labor with a copy of th e closing statement of the ended year as
well as draft budget of the coming year during a period not exceeding one month of
the end of the fiscal year of the society or club signed by the treasurer and chairman
after the approval of the boar d. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor may review
books and records and dispatch representatives at meeting of the general assembly.

Article 22
Registered and established societies may request permission for collecting money to
achieve their goals once a y ear abiding by rules and manne rs stated in the Law of
Permitting Collection of Money for Public Purposes.

Article 23
Clubs and societies must keep at their headquarters the following records in
particular:
A. Records of names of subscribed members and coverage of subscription fees.
B. Records of minutes of meetings of the management board and general
assemblies.
C. Financial records of revenues, ex penditures and donations supported by
related documents.

Article 24
The budget of the Ministry of Social Affair s and Labor shall include an allocation for
providing assistance to public welfare clubs and societies. The Ministry of Social

Affairs and Labor may provide the determined assistance one time or gradually after
the submission of draft budget of the following year ratified by the General Assembly.

Article 25
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor ma y contribute to the financing of societies
and clubs on the conditions determined by the committee in charge at the ministry
provided that the following shall be am ong the bases for granting governmental
assistance:
1. Carrying out activities that fill gabs in th e fields of cultural or social care to
develop society.
2. Level of activity in achieving goals, increasing members and payment of
related membership fees.
3. Implementing a creative social project that serves social objectives in Kuwait.
4. Serving local society in the social, cu ltural, sports or religious fields.
5. Periodical reports prepared by the minist ry of Social Affairs and Labor on the
activity of the club or society.

Article 26
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor ma y increase or stop assistance according the
circumstances of the society or club or to the annual budget of the Ministry.

Chapter Five
Dissolving the Society or Club

Article 27
By a decision of the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor club or society may be
dissolved in one of the following cases:

1- If members are decreased to ten.
2- If it breached its objectives or committed a serious violation of its statute.
3- In case it became incapable of fulfilling its financial commitments.
4- In case if violated any of th e provisions of this Law.

Notwithstanding the above, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor may appoint a
provisional management board to carry out the duties of the elected management
board instead of dissolving the club or so ciety if for the welfare of members and
social targets.

Article 28
Society of club may be optionally disso lved by means of a decision of an
extraordinary general assemb ly attended by more than half members and by approval
of the majority of attendance. The Minist ry of Social Affairs and Labor must be
notified of the date and place of such mee ting at least fifteen days in advance.

Article 29
Persons responsible for any society or club decided dissolved optionally
or
compulsory may not dispose of its monies and documents except by a decision of
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor th at determines manner of liquidation and
disposal of monies and documents as well as the party entitled for monies if not stated
by the statute or in case impleme nting the statute is hindered.

Article 30
Any club or society may not join any society, commission or club incorporated
outside the state of Kuwait be fore obtaining an approval fro m the Ministry of Social
Affairs and Labor. Also, any club or society is prohibited from receiving or obtaining
directly or indirectly or by any means money or benefits in the form of subscriptions
or assistance of any kind from any i ndividual, society, commission or club
incorporated outside the state of Kuwait without the prior approval of the Ministry of
Social Affairs and Labor.

Article 31
A person violating the provisions of this law shall pay a fine not exceeding fifty
dinars without prejudice to any harsher pe nalty stipulated by the penal law or any
other law.

Article 32
Recording violations of the provisions of this law and related decisions shall be
undertaken by employees appointed by the Mini ster of Social Affairs and Labor and
they shall report such violations to the authorities concerned.

Article 33
Societies and clubs established in accordan ce with this Law may form federations
among themselves provided that each shall ma intain their artificial personality. Such
federations shall have their artificial personality upon registration and announcement
in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

Article 34
Established public welfare societies and clubs at the time of issuing this Law must
apply for registration and announcement in accordance with the provisions of this
Law within two months of the date of en trance into force or otherwise shall be
considered dissolved and the Ministry of So cial Affairs and Labor shall liquidate their
monies and specify the party entitled to receive them.

Article 35
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor shall issue needed decisions for the
implementation of this Law.

Article 36
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor shall implement this Law and it shall enter into
force upon publication in the official gazette.

Issued on 6/8/1962.