Kuwait Municipality is accelerating its transition to a fully digital operating model, with electronic building permits, online licensing, smart inspections and digital archiving becoming increasingly integrated into its daily operations.

The municipality’s Development and Information Sector, headed by Deputy Director General Engineer Yousef Al-Azmi, has made digital transformation a central component of its plans, supported by Decree Law No. 148 of 2025 on electronic transactions and digital signatures. The municipality aims to eliminate paper-based transactions across its sectors and governorates by the end of 2026.

The transformation has been under way since 2022, when Kuwait launched the unified government services application Sahl. Since then, the municipality has transferred most of its services to electronic platforms, reducing the need for citizens, businesses and property developers to visit municipal offices in person.

By 2026, the electronic systems for issuing building permits and licensing engineering offices will have reached full digital operation. According to official statistics , the new engineering-office system has reduced the time required to issue private-housing building permits from several weeks to less than 48 hours.

The faster processing is supported by electronic verification and direct data links with the Public Authority for Civil Information and the Public Authority for Manpower, allowing information required for municipal transactions to be checked automatically. Digital services have also expanded beyond construction permits.

Municipal reports issued in early January 2026 recorded a significant increase in the issuance and renewal of various municipal licenses through the electronic portal. Electronic payment has likewise been incorporated into transaction and auction fees, contributing to higher digital collections.

Electronic documents gain legal standing

Decree Law No. 148 of 2025 has provided the legislative foundation for the municipality’s wider shift away from paper. Under the law, electronic documents and digital signatures are given legal validity equivalent to their paper counterparts.
The municipality has consequently moved to digital procedures in areas including tenders and contracts, public auctions, submission of company documents and contractor qualification.

The 2025/2026 bidding and tendering processes, including auctions involving advertising sites, are being conducted electronically, with the stated aim of improving transparency and providing equal access for qualified companies.

Inspectors move to smart enforcement

The digital transformation has also reached municipal inspection operations. Inspection teams working in areas including health, sanitation and road occupancy have been equipped with tablets connected directly to the municipality’s central system. Inspectors can use the devices to record violations, issue warnings, attach photographs and transmit the relevant notifications electronically to property owners through Sahel.

The system is intended to allow violations and encroachments to be documented and processed more quickly while creating a digital record of inspection activity. The municipality has also been digitizing its property and planning records. Survey-plan data is updated electronically on a daily basis, allowing property owners, investors and consulting offices to check the legal and geographical status of properties online.

This is complemented by the Electronic Technical Building File project, under which millions of old and modern engineering plans and historical documents have been digitized and archived. Some of the records date back decades. The electronic archive is designed to protect documents from deterioration or loss while allowing municipal personnel to retrieve historical records within seconds when required for a transaction.

According to the figures cited in the report, more than 85% of direct municipal services for individuals and businesses are now available and can be completed through Sahel. The municipality’s stated objective is to reach 100% paperless operations across all sectors and governorates by the end of 2026, marking a broader shift toward digitally integrated government services.

Source discrepancy note: The supplied material attributes the detailed account and several figures to Al-Rai and municipal Development and Information Sector reports, but does not provide the underlying statistical reports or a separate official municipal release for every figure. Accordingly, figures such as the 85% digital-service rate, less-than-48-hour permit time and the scope of the “millions” of archived documents are presented as figures cited by those sources rather than independently verified here.