Interior cameras are now mandatory in Kuwait for ride-hailing passenger vehicles and rental cars supplied with a driver, under Ministerial Decisions No. 893 and 894 of 2026, published in Official Gazette Issue No. 1798 on 5 July 2026. Ride-hailing operators must retain recordings for at least 120 days, and all affected fleets must comply within 3 months, by early October 2026, or face penalties up to blocking of the operator's application.
Key Facts
| ITEM | DETAIL |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Ministerial Decisions 893/2026 and 894/2026, Ministry of Interior |
| Published | Official Gazette Al-Kuwait Alyoum No. 1798, 5 July 2026 |
| Covered vehicles | Ride-hailing passenger vehicles; rental cars supplied with a driver |
| Camera type | Interior, passenger-facing |
| Retention | 120 days minimum (ride-hailing) |
| Deadline | Early October 2026 (3-month grace period) |
| Enforced by | General Department of Traffic |
Who Must Install In-Vehicle Cameras in Kuwait?
If you operate a ride-hailing platform (التطبيقات الإلكترونية) or rent out vehicles with drivers in Kuwait, an interior camera is now a licensing condition, not an optional fleet upgrade.
Ministerial Decision No. 893/2026 regulates companies transporting passengers through licensed electronic applications. It replaces Decision 724/2020 in full.
Ministerial Decision No. 894/2026 amends Decision 723/2020 on the renting of cars and motorcycles (تأجير السيارات مع سائق).
Both are enforced by the General Department of Traffic and took effect on publication.
What Does Decision 893/2026 Require for Ride-Hailing Vehicles?
1. Interior Camera in Every Passenger Vehicle
A camera must be installed inside each passenger transport vehicle. This is an interior, passenger-facing requirement. A forward-facing dash camera does not satisfy it.
2. Minimum Recording Retention: 120 Days
Camera recordings must be retained for a minimum of 120 days (4 months). This requires:
- Adequate storage capacity per vehicle
- Continuous recording
- No overwriting before 120 days
- Footage retrievable upon official request
The same 120-day floor applies to fixed CCTV under Law 61/2015, Kuwait's general security-camera law. Undersized storage is the most common point of failure.
3. Data Handover on Request
Any passenger-related data must be handed over to the competent authorities upon request. A defined retrieval and export procedure must exist before the request arrives.
Related Operating Conditions
- Maximum of 7 passengers besides the driver
- Driver licence appropriate to the activity
- Annual driver permit from the General Department of Traffic, renewed yearly
- App-based transport intermediaries are bound by the same conditions
What Does Decision 894/2026 Require for Rental Cars With a Driver?
Where a rental car is provided with a driver, an interior camera must be fitted, and recorded data must be delivered to the concerned authorities on request.
No fixed retention period is stated for this category. The handover obligation is unqualified, so plan storage conservatively.
The same amendment also updates general rental licensing conditions, including vehicle-age limits at licensing (cars, light pickups, and small buses must enter the activity within 3 years of the year of manufacture) and comprehensive, non-cancellable insurance renewed annually.
Who Is Exempt From the Requirement?
- Private cars: not covered
- Self-drive rentals (without a driver): not covered
The obligation attaches to ride-hailing passenger vehicles and the car-with-driver rental model only.
What Is the Compliance Deadline and What Are the Penalties?
| ITEM | REQUIREMENT |
|---|---|
| Effective date | 5 July 2026 (publication in Official Gazette No. 1798) |
| Grace period | 3 months from the effective date |
| Compliance due | Early October 2026 |
| Supervising authority | General Department of Traffic, Ministry of Interior |
| Warning period | 1 month to rectify violations |
| Penalty for app operators | Permit cancellation or blocking of the application |
| Penalty for rental companies | Administrative action against the operating licence |
Compliance Summary Table
| REQUIREMENT | RIDE-HAILING (893/2026) | RENTAL WITH DRIVER (894/2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Interior camera | Mandatory | Mandatory |
| Recording retention | 120 days minimum | Not specified; handover on request |
| Data handover | Mandatory | Mandatory |
| Grace period | 3 months | 3 months |
| Annual driver permit | Mandatory | Not required |
| Vehicle-age limits | Not applicable | Yes, at licensing |
How Do You Bring a Fleet Into Compliance?
- Identify every in-scope vehicle
- Install an interior camera with full cabin coverage
- Size and verify storage for 120-day retention
- Confirm continuous recording with no early overwrite
- Define the footage retrieval and handover procedure
- Renew driver permits
- File installation records ready for inspection
Our vehicle and fleet camera systems and security solutions for fleet operators cover each of these steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do private cars in Kuwait need interior cameras? No. Decisions 893/2026 and 894/2026 apply to ride-hailing passenger vehicles and rental cars supplied with a driver. Private vehicles are outside their scope.
Do self-drive rental cars need cameras? No. The camera obligation in Decision 894/2026 applies only when the car is rented together with a driver.
Does a dash camera satisfy the requirement? No. The decisions require a camera inside the passenger vehicle. A forward-facing dash camera does not meet an interior, passenger-facing requirement.
How long must ride-hailing camera footage be kept? A minimum of 120 days, under Decision 893/2026.
When is the compliance deadline? Both decisions took effect on 5 July 2026 and allow a 3-month adjustment period, effectively early October 2026.
What happens if an operator does not comply? The General Department of Traffic issues a one-month warning. If the violation is not rectified, the Director General of Traffic may cancel the permit or block the operator's application. Rental companies face administrative action against their licence.
Final Note
The in-vehicle camera requirement is both hardware-based and operational. The system must be installed in every covered vehicle, retain footage for the required period, and produce recordings on official request before early October 2026.
Retrofitting a fleet takes weeks, not days. Early action avoids the one-month warning cycle entirely.
Operating a Fleet Under the New Rules?
If you run a ride-hailing fleet or chauffeur-driven rental vehicles in Kuwait, Aspire Security can review your obligations and support you with camera selection, installation, storage sizing for 120-day retention, and documented handover procedures.
Book a fleet compliance assessment with our technical team to bring your fleet into compliance before the deadline.
Source: Official Gazette Al-Kuwait Alyoum, Issue No. 1798, 5 July 2026: Ministerial Decisions No. 893/2026 and 894/2026, Ministry of Interior, State of Kuwait. This guide is informational and does not constitute legal advice; consult the official Arabic gazette text for binding requirements.
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