# Kuwait (KW) **Capital:** Kuwait City **Currency:** Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD) (KWD) **Population:** 5'098'539 **Area:** 17'818 km² > Kuwait is an oil-rich Gulf state on the northern Persian Gulf and a member of the GCC customs union. Foreign trade is heavily focused on crude oil, petroleum products and petrochemicals, while the country depends strongly on imports of food, machinery and consumer goods. Sea cargo is handled mainly via the ports of Shuwaikh and Shuaiba, air freight via Kuwait International Airport (KWI). Customs clearance runs through the Kuwait General Administration of Customs under the unified GCC customs law with a common external tariff of 5 percent. No value-added tax is currently levied. With the new Mubarak Al Kabeer deep-water port on Bubiyan Island, Kuwait aims to expand its regional transit role. Kuwait (KW) sits at the northern end of the Persian Gulf between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, acting as an oil export hub and an import-dependent GCC market. The country belongs to the GCC customs union with the unified GCC customs law and a 5 percent external tariff on the CIF value; since 1 January 2025 the integrated 12-digit GCC tariff applies, administered by the Kuwait General Administration of Customs (KGAC). No VAT is levied, and none is planned before 2028. Key gateways are the container port of Shuwaikh, Shuaiba in the south and the Mina Al Ahmadi oil terminal; the Mubarak Al Kabeer deep-water port on Bubiyan Island is under construction. Air freight moves through Kuwait International Airport (KWI). By road, the Kuwait City–Basra and Kuwait City–Riyadh/Dammam axes link the country to neighbouring markets; all sea traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Exports are crude oil, petroleum products and petrochemicals, mainly to China, India and South Korea; imports include machinery, vehicles, electronics and food from China, the US and the Gulf states. **Top Import Partners:** CN, US, AE, SA, JP **Top Export Partners:** CN, IN, KR, JP, US **Top Import Goods:** Maschinen, Fahrzeuge, Elektronik, Nahrungsmittel, Chemikalien **Top Export Goods:** Rohöl, Erdölprodukte, Petrochemikalien **Key Airports:** - [Kuwait International Airport (KWI)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/kuwait-international-airport-kwi) - [Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base (XIJ)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ahmed-al-jaber-air-base-airport-xij) - [Ali Al Salem Air Base](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/ali-al-salem-air-base-airport-506) - [Al Abdaliyah Highway Strip](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/al-abdaliyah-highway-strip-airport-495) - [Skydive Kuwait Airport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/skydive-kuwait-airport-578) - [Udairi Army Air Field](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/udairi-army-air-field-airport-5302) - [Al Adan Heliport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/al-adan-heliport-airport-12870) - [Al-Nuwaiseeb Heliport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/al-nuwaiseeb-heliport-airport-580) - [Failaka Heliport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/failaka-heliport-airport-2120) - [KOC Heliport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/koc-heliport-airport-496) ## Customs & Import **Import VAT:** Keine Einfuhr-Mehrwertsteuer (Stand Juni 2026). Die GCC-VAT ist in Kuwait nicht umgesetzt und laut Regierungsplan nicht vor 2028 vorgesehen **Customs complexity:** mittel **Customs system:** GCC-Zollunion mit gemeinsamem Aussenzoll 5 Prozent (CIF) auf die meisten Waren; Tabak 100 Prozent; rund 417 Grundnahrungsmittel, Medizin- und Pharmaartikel zollfrei. GCC-Integrierter Zolltarif (12-stellig) seit 1.1.2025. **Customs authority:** [Kuwait General Administration of Customs (KGAC)](https://cs.kgac.gov.kw) ## Logistics & Risk **Logistics role:** Erdöl-Exporthub / GCC-Importmarkt **Economic area:** GCC (Zollunion) **Logistics risk:** hoch **Dangerous goods relevance:** hoch **Pharma/cold chain:** mittel ## Sources & Last Verified - [https://cs.kgac.gov.kw](https://cs.kgac.gov.kw) - [https://cs.kgac.gov.kw/Main.aspx](https://cs.kgac.gov.kw/Main.aspx) - [https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-import-tariffs](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-import-tariffs) - [https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-customs-regulations](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-customs-regulations) - [https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-prohibited-and-restricted-imports](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-prohibited-and-restricted-imports) - [https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-trade-agreements](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kuwait-trade-agreements) - [https://www.efta.int/trade-relations/free-trade-network/gulf-cooperation-council-gcc](https://www.efta.int/trade-relations/free-trade-network/gulf-cooperation-council-gcc) - [https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/kuwait/corporate/other-taxes](https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/kuwait/corporate/other-taxes) *Last verified: 2026-07-24* --- *Freight Academy — Country Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/kw](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/kw)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/country/en/kw](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/country/en/kw)*