Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Kuwait
The Kuwait Fire Force (formerly Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, KFSD) regulates lifts. Its Elevators and Escalators Section gives the preliminary approval for a lift installation (e.gov.kw service listing), every lift is examined before a facility licence is issued, lifts are inspected regularly, and owners must sign maintenance contracts with KFSD-certified lift maintenance companies. The Fire Force Law No. 13 of 2020 and its executive regulation (issued late 2020) cover, among other things, inspection companies for elevators, with penalties of up to one year in prison and fines up to KD 50,000; the Fire Force has warned lift companies that breaching their licence conditions brings legal accountability (May 2020). Standards family not established: no Kuwaiti act or Fire Force requirement naming EN 81, ASME A17.1 or BS was found (English and Arabic searches); the only lift standards seen for the GCC are the GSO adoptions of EN 81-20/-50 (2025) and EN 115-1 (2023), voluntary unless adopted.
Who regulates lifts
Kuwait Fire Force (formerly Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, KFSD), Elevators and Escalators Section
Periodic inspection
Kuwait Fire Force inspects lifts 'regularly' and before a facility licence; fire licences for commercial/investment buildings are renewed every two years and need a maintenance contract; lift-specific interval not stated
Installer and maintenance licensing
Lift maintenance companies must be certified/licensed by the Kuwait Fire Force; elevator inspection companies are covered by Law 13/2020's executive regulation
Laws, codes and standards
- Law No. 13 of 2020 (Kuwait Fire Force Law) and its executive regulation (2020) — Fire Force Law and executive regulationMandatory · Primary law; executive regulation issued 2020 · State of Kuwait / Kuwait Fire Force
- GSO EN 115-1 (2023) — Safety of escalators and moving walks - Part 1: Construction and installationVoluntary · GCC Standardization Organization (GSO)
- GSO EN 81-20 (2025) — Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Lifts for the transport of persons and goods - Part 20: Passenger and goods passenger liftsVoluntary · GCC Standardization Organization (GSO)
- GSO EN 81-50 (2025) — Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Examinations and tests - Part 50: Design rules, calculations, examinations and tests of lift componentsVoluntary · GCC Standardization Organization (GSO)
Lift associations and bodies
- Kuwait Fire Force (Kuwait Fire Service Directorate) (KFF / KFSD)
Last verified 2026-10-17. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.