Free tool
Kuwait business activity code lookup
Search 50 common Kuwait business activities by name or code. Each row shows the premises class you will need and the approvals that typically sit behind it — the two things that decide whether your licence clears quickly or stalls.
Built on the ISIC Rev.4 classification Kuwait's activity list is derived from. Use it to plan; confirm the exact code and wording with MOCI when you file.
Showing 50 of 50 activities
| Code | Activity | Family | Premises class | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4690 | General trading (non-specialised wholesale) | Trading & wholesale | Office; warehouse if stock is held | Covers goods only — does not authorise consultancy or service invoicing. |
| 4610 | Wholesale on a fee or contract basis (commission agent) | Trading & wholesale | Office | Common for agency and representation models; agency agreements may need registration. |
| 4652 | Wholesale of electronic and telecom equipment | Trading & wholesale | Office + warehouse | Some telecom equipment needs sector approval before import. |
| 4663 | Wholesale of construction materials and hardware | Trading & wholesale | Warehouse / yard | Municipality storage conditions apply to the warehouse licence. |
| 4649 | Wholesale of other household goods | Trading & wholesale | Office + warehouse | Cosmetics, food supplements and toys may need product registration. |
| 4711 | Retail in non-specialised stores (supermarket, grocery) | Retail | Inspected shop unit | Health and Municipality inspection required before opening. |
| 4771 | Retail of clothing and footwear | Retail | Shop unit | Straightforward; signage approval handled with the Municipality file. |
| 4741 | Retail of computers and software | Retail | Shop unit | Pair with a services activity if you also intend to bill IT support. |
| 4759 | Retail of furniture and home furnishings | Retail | Showroom | Showroom class premises; a separate warehouse licence is common. |
| 4772 | Retail of pharmaceutical and medical goods | Retail | Approved pharmacy premises | Ministry of Health approval and a licensed pharmacist are prerequisites. |
| 4773 | Retail of other new goods (specialised) | Retail | Shop unit | Useful catch-all when the product group is narrow and defined. |
| 5610 | Restaurants and mobile food service | Food & beverage | Approved F&B premises | Heaviest approval load: Municipality, health cards, kitchen layout, extraction. |
| 5621 | Event catering | Food & beverage | Central kitchen | Requires an approved production kitchen even without a dine-in space. |
| 5630 | Beverage serving (café, coffee shop) | Food & beverage | Approved F&B premises | Same inspection track as restaurants at a lighter kitchen spec. |
| 1071 | Manufacture of bakery products | Food & beverage | Industrial / production unit | Production is licensed differently from retail — you may need both. |
| 7020 | Management and business consultancy | Professional services | Office | The correct home for advisory fees; general trading does not cover this. |
| 6920 | Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing | Professional services | Office | Audit work requires registered qualified practitioners; bookkeeping does not. |
| 6910 | Legal activities | Professional services | Office | Restricted; requires licensed advocates and a specific corporate form. |
| 7310 | Advertising and media buying | Professional services | Office | Outdoor advertising placement needs additional Municipality permits. |
| 7810 | Recruitment and employment placement | Professional services | Office | Regulated by the manpower authority; approval precedes the licence. |
| 8211 | Office administrative and support services | Professional services | Office | Back-office and PRO-style support work; check scope carefully. |
| 6201 | Computer programming and software development | Technology & media | Office | Best fit for product and custom development revenue. |
| 6202 | IT consultancy and computer facilities management | Technology & media | Office | Pair with 6201 if you both build and advise. |
| 6311 | Data processing and hosting | Technology & media | Office | Data hosting may attract additional regulatory conditions. |
| 5911 | Film, video and TV production | Technology & media | Office / studio | Filming in public locations needs separate shoot permits. |
| 7410 | Specialised design (graphic, interior) | Technology & media | Office | Interior design ≠ interior contracting; fit-out execution needs 4330. |
| 7420 | Photography activities | Technology & media | Office / studio | Studio premises need Municipality clearance. |
| 4100 | Construction of buildings | Contracting & technical | Office + store/yard | Contractor classification is usually required before bidding public work. |
| 4321 | Electrical installation | Contracting & technical | Office + store | Ministry of Electricity and Water registration is often a prerequisite. |
| 4322 | Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation | Contracting & technical | Office + store | MEP work commonly bundled with 4321 and 4329. |
| 4329 | Other construction installation | Contracting & technical | Office + store | Covers specialist systems: lifts, fire, low current. |
| 4330 | Building completion and finishing (fit-out) | Contracting & technical | Office + store | The right activity for joinery, painting and fit-out contracts. |
| 3312 | Repair of machinery | Contracting & technical | Workshop | Workshop premises class; residential-zone units will not clear. |
| 4520 | Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles | Contracting & technical | Approved garage | Garage zoning is restricted to designated areas. |
| 8121 | General cleaning of buildings | Contracting & technical | Office + labour accommodation | Labour-intensive; quota and accommodation requirements apply. |
| 4923 | Freight transport by road | Logistics & transport | Office + yard | Vehicle registration and transport authority permits are separate. |
| 5210 | Warehousing and storage | Logistics & transport | Licensed warehouse | Bonded or temperature-controlled storage carries extra conditions. |
| 5229 | Other transportation support (freight forwarding) | Logistics & transport | Office | Customs clearance work needs a separate clearing authorisation. |
| 5320 | Courier and delivery activities | Logistics & transport | Office + sorting space | App-based delivery models may need additional approvals. |
| 7911 | Travel agency activities | Logistics & transport | Office | Tourism authority licence and a bank guarantee are typically required. |
| 8620 | Medical and dental practice | Health & education | Approved clinic | Ministry of Health licensing governs premises, equipment and staff. |
| 8690 | Other human health activities | Health & education | Approved clinic | Physiotherapy, labs and home care each have their own MOH track. |
| 8510 | Pre-primary and primary education | Health & education | Approved school premises | Ministry of Education approval precedes everything else. |
| 8559 | Other education (training centre) | Health & education | Approved training premises | Training centres are licensed separately from consultancy. |
| 9311 | Operation of sports facilities (gym) | Health & education | Approved sports premises | Public authority for sport approval plus Municipality inspection. |
| 6810 | Real estate activities with own property | Real estate | Office | Ownership restrictions apply to non-Kuwaiti shareholders. |
| 6820 | Real estate activities on a fee or contract basis | Real estate | Office | Brokerage and property management; registration requirements apply. |
| 9602 | Hairdressing and beauty treatment | Personal & other services | Approved salon | Health inspection, gender-segregated premises rules and staff cards. |
| 9601 | Washing and dry-cleaning of textiles | Personal & other services | Approved laundry | Machinery, drainage and zoning conditions apply. |
| 9529 | Repair of personal and household goods | Personal & other services | Workshop / shop unit | Small-footprint activity, light approval load. |
How to use this list
- 1. Start from your invoices, not your mission statement — the activity must cover the line items clients will actually pay against.
- 2. Check the premises column before you sign a lease. Activity and premises are chosen together, never in sequence.
- 3. Read the approvals note. Where a sector regulator is involved, that approval governs the timeline of the whole formation.
- 4. List the job titles you expect to sponsor in the first two years and sanity-check they fit the activity.
- 5. Add one obvious adjacent activity now if you know it is coming — amending later costs more than including it up front.
Companies licensed via KDIPA fall under a separate framework. Alliance does not process KDIPA applications — clients apply directly with KDIPA, and Alliance handles WLL formation and the downstream setup.
Questions people ask
- Are these the official MOCI activity codes?
- This lookup is built on the ISIC Rev.4 classification that Kuwait's activity list is derived from. It is a planning reference: it tells you which family your business belongs to and what approvals to expect. The exact code and wording attached to your licence are confirmed with MOCI at the time of filing.
- Can I hold more than one activity on a licence?
- Usually yes, provided the activities are compatible with each other and with your premises. Stacking unrelated activities slows bank onboarding, so keep the set coherent.
- What happens if my activity is wrong?
- Work permits matched to a mismatched activity get refused, banks ask more questions, and some tenders become ineligible. The fix is a MOCI amendment, which costs fixed government fees plus professional handling typically quoted from around KD 100 to KD 400 depending on complexity.
- Does the activity affect how many visas I can get?
- Yes. Quota and permitted job titles are assessed against the nature of the activity, alongside premises size and your labour file history.
ملخص بالعربية
توفّر هذه الأداة قائمة بحث لأنشطة الرخصة التجارية في الكويت، مع بيان نوع المقر المطلوب والموافقات المتوقعة لكل نشاط. القائمة مبنية على التصنيف الصناعي الدولي الموحّد وتُستخدم للتخطيط، ويتم اعتماد الرمز والوصف النهائي لدى وزارة التجارة والصناعة عند التقديم.
Not sure which activity fits?
Alliance maps your real business plan against the MOCI classifications, flags the ones that trigger extra approvals, and files the licence or amendment for you.
Read the full guide: MOCI activity codes explained