THE BASICS
   Kuwait is a civilized country and everything essential to modern comfortable living is available. Healthy food in plenty of variety, clothing of latest design and fashion, house hold items from furniture to electric accessories, cars, motor boats, toys, sports goods, in short practically anything and everything from all over the world is imported into Kuwait. The prices are also reasonable because the import duties are very low.
   Setting up a home in Kuwait is quite easy. Practically everything that you may need for the home is available and shopping is quite convenient. English is spoken in all the larger shops and communicating is not a problem.

   Food & Water
Most food is imported and subject to stringent testing by the Ministry of Public Health. Shops are inspected regularly by the Ministry and, provided normal domestic precautions are taken, the food in Kuwait is quite safe to eat.
   Kuwait's water supply consists of distilled sea-water and is 'soft'. Water filters, which require regular cleaning or changing, are standard fittings in most homes because, though the water is clean when it leaves the pumping stations, impurities are sometimes picked up in the distribution pipes. Water filters are commonly used to remove these impurities, which makes the water perfectly safe for drinking and does not need to be boiled. For the overcautious, mineral drinking water is commonly available in 1.5 litre plastic bottles at a cost of 150fils or so a bottle.

   Furniture & Consumer Durables
The range of furniture available is vast and caters for all tastes and price ambitions. New furniture, either fully-built or self-assembly, is available in Shuwaikh and in the other main shopping areas. Credit terms can be arranged. Furniture can also be rented.
   With a constant turnover of expatriates there is plenty of second-hand furniture around for sale. This is usually advertised by word-of-mouth or in the daily newspapers. Used furniture can also be bought at the Friday open air markets, and during the week at the second-hand market near the nurseries at Al-Rai on the 4th Ring Road.
   A wide range of TV's, videos, stereos, refrigerators, micro-waves and other consumer durables are available from all the main Japanese, Korean, American and European manufacturers at reasonable prices.
   Kuwait's TV system is on the PAL standard but most of the TVs sold in the country are 'multi system'.

   Clothing & Decorum
There is a wide variety of cloth and dress material available. Readymade clothing in Kuwait ranges form cheap quality items to very expensive designer couture. Styles reflect the multinational nature of Kuwait's population.
   Tailors and dressmakers abound. Materials are plentiful and reasonably priced.
   Laundry and dry-cleaning services are fairly plentiful.
   Though Kuwaitis are by and large liberal and broad-minded, Islamic traditions dictate clothing decorum. Beachwear, worn by either sex, is strictly for the beach or home and will cause offence in the suqs and on the street. Even without the traditional black aba (cloak), the fashionable clothes worn by Kuwaiti ladies will not reveal shoulders and upper arms and usually stretch down to mid-calf at least. Formality of dress at work varies among different companies and occupations in Kuwait, but styles are always modest.

   Religious Worship
There are over 800 mosques in Kuwait. Members of other faiths have freedom of worship and there are quite a few Christian churches in the country. Kuwait's Catholic cathedral is in Watya (near the Sheraton Hotel), and next to it there is a Coptic church, and about a block away a Presbyterian church. There is an Orthodox Church in Co-operative Street in Salwa (opposite the Universal American School), and in Ahmadi, a Catholic church and an Anglican church.

   Marriage
Where a marriage involves a Muslim male, the couple are required to go to the Marriage Section, in the Ministry of Justice (opposite the Municipal Garden just off Fahd Al-Salem Street) to legalise their marriage contract. Each of the couple must produce proof of their capacity to marry. Other documents required are copy of passports and civil ID cards. Two male witnesses are required. The marriage contract is signed and the exchange professed in front of a qadi (judge). The Marriage Section (tel:882200) is open 8:30am to 1:30pm Saturday to Wednesday. Stamp charges are KD1.
   Christians must get married in church and then have their marriage certificate attested at the Notary Public Department at the Ministry of Justice in the Ministry Complex on Soor Street. A form of civil marriage is also available in the Notary Public Department, on Sundays and Wednesdays only. Expatriates need to bring along two witnesses plus a certificate from their embassy showing their capacity to marry, or other evidence such as validated divorce certificates, as well as their passports and civil IDs. Stamp charges are KD2.
   The attested marriage contract is in Arabic. Couples wishing to register the marriage in their own country usually need to take the contract to a government licensed office for translation and then to the Ministry of Justice for authentication before taking it to their embassy for registration. Couples married outside Kuwait must have their marriage certificates attested by their embassy in order to use the certificate for legal purposes.

SHOPPING
   Kuwait's shopping malls range from the most exclusive (in price) to the ordinary. The more exclusive contain many boutiques selling international brand names. The choice is phenomenal.
   Most areas in Kuwait have a large supermarket run by the Cooperative Society. These jam'eeyahs (co-ops) usually open early until quite late at night and stock a vast range of foods and other household items. The prices of some food items are controlled. There are also many private supermarkets. A few are open 24 hours a day. The larger ones also sell non-food and household items, such as toys, furniture, car accessories and perfumes.
   In areas where expatriates from the third world live or work, there are many small 'ethnic' supermarkets, such as Indian, Filipino, Thai, Sri Lankan, etc, which sell all sorts of foods and personal items imported from these countries.
   Baqalas are the convenience stores found in every street. They sell everything from cigarettes to biscuits and 'fresh' vegetables. Prices are a bit higher than the supermarkets and coops.

Traditional Open Air & Friday Suqs
Traditional markets still flourish among the modern supermarkets and malls of Kuwait.
   The suq area in central Kuwait City is a labyrinth of covered streets and passageways lined with stalls and shops. The stalls are often topped with low fixed roofs even though some of the alleyways are roofed over higher up. The City suq is in fact the remains of about twenty different interconnecting suqs, some removed by development, others destroyed by the invasion in 1990. Each suq was made up of shops that specialised in particular items, such as clothing, hardware, spices, etc, and many of these are still open for business. In the Suq Al-Hareem, for instance, women selling everyday items sit with their wares on platforms running down the centre of the street. Shopping in the City suq area is an interesting and cheap alternative to the modern supermarkets and shopping malls, though bargaining is essential to secure a good price.
   Other traditional suqs still survive in Kuwait, notably in Fahaheel and Jahra. There are also several suq al-jum'a, Friday markets, which take place only on that day of the week, when they operate from early morning until evening selling everything from second-hand furniture and clothing to carpeting and 'antiques', as well as various species of livestock. The major suq al-jum'a is at al-Rai just off the 4th Ring Road.

   Fresh Foods
Most of the food shops sell a mixture of chilled or frozen produce, canned and preserved foods. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and meat however is available.
   The main suqs for fresh foods are in Shuwaikh (in Canada Dry Street, on the right hand side when travelling westwards, a block before the flyover is reached) and in Fahaheel (on the south side near the coast). These are essentially wholesale markets for fruit, vegetables and meat, but the vendors welcome all buyers and prices are cheaper than at the supermarkets.
   Most areas of Kuwait have a nearby suq selling fresh vegetables and fruit. There are also several main vegetable suqs, such as the one near the Hawalli Immigration roundabout in Salmiya, which sell fresh produce that has either just been imported or harvested in local farms.
   The main fish suqs are on Arabian Gulf Street, and in Fahaheel. A splendid new Suq al-Samak (fish market) was opened on Arabian Gulf Street just east of the Seif Palace in 1997.
   The rubian or prawns for which Kuwait is famous are only sold during the official fishing season which, in an effort to preserve stocks, is now restricted to six months a year (September to February).
   Some fresh beef is available in the main suqs in Shuwaikh and Fahaheel but most beef is imported frozen or chilled. Australian sheep are the cheapest, but the several types of Arabian stock on sale are by far the tastiest.
   Most neighbourhoods have fresh chicken shops where live chickens are kept in wire cages, from which the buyer makes his choice. Approximate cost for a whole chicken is 500 to 600 fils a kilogram.
   Many areas have small makhbaz (bakeries). The bread, either kubous Arabi (Arabic bread) or kubous tandoor (Iranian bread) is baked on the spot.

CONSUMER PROTECTION
   The quality of food, medicines and household goods on sale in Kuwait is usually very high, though problems do occur from time to time.
   The Ministry of Public Health (MPH) is responsible for ensuring that food is fit for human consumption. However the Food Control Department at the Municipality (Baladeeyah) receives complaints concerning spoiled food or food sold beyond its expiry date. The Food Control Department has centres in each governorate and these are usually located near the 'coop' supermarkets. The centres are open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. To lodge a complaint, a valid civil ID must be shown. When a complaint is lodged, a representative from the centre will usually investigate the matter on the spot by visiting the shop concerned. If the complaint seems to be well founded, samples of the food item will be sent to an MPH laboratory for testing and eventually, should tests prove positive, the matter is referred to the Legal Affairs Department at the MPH and the shopkeeper is prosecuted.
   Pharmacies are supervised by the Drugs Registration and Inspection Department of the MPH, to whom complaints about the quality of medicines and medical apparatus should be addressed.
   The Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MCI) is responsible for ensuring that consumers get a fair shake. The main centre for the MCI's consumer protection department is the Commercial Control Sector in the capital but there are 14 offices throughout the country. These offices, which are usually located near 'coop' supermarkets, are open to receive complaints about fraud, substandard goods, financial cheating, etc, from 7:00am to 2pm and 3:00pm to 10:00pm. The complainant's civil ID must be shown, as well as either the defective item or a receipt for it. The complaint is usually investigated immediately and eventually, if it seems that the shopkeeper has a case to answer, both parties are summoned for a hearing at the commercial prosecution office in the Ministry of Justice.

CONSUMER COMPLAINTS
HOT LINE: 4820281

GOLD SUQS
   There are several gold suqs in the country and most general shopping areas also contain at least one gold shop. Following the depredations of the Iraqi invasion, the old gold suq in Kuwait City centre was shifted to a purpose-built building nearby called suq al-dahab al-markazi (the central gold market). This building contains the government assay office where gold can be checked for its purity and conformity with its hallmark.
All gold sold from a shop must be hallmarked and the gold shops are closely monitored by government inspectors. By law the shopkeeper must give a buyer an official receipt that shows clearly the purity and weight of the gold. A buyer should always demand this receipt and then any doubts later as to the gold content and weight can be resolved at the government assay office.
   Most gold is sold as 21 or 22 carat jewellery. Jewellery styles are mainly Arabic, Indian and Italian. The price of the gold content of a piece of jewellery fluctuates daily in line with the world market price for gold.
   Twenty four carat gold (99.99% pure) can be bought in bar form, i.e., in 10 gram, tola (a traditional weight somewhat more than 10 gram), 100 gram and in Kilogram bars, hallmarked accordingly. In some countries gold bars are classified as bullion.

GOLD ASSAY OFFICE
2nd Floor, Suq al-Dahab al-Markazi
(Central Gold Market)
Mubarakeeyah Area
Kuwait City Centre
Tel: 243 6049

COMPLEXES
   For a country with a population of only 2.3 million, many of whom are indigent labourers, Kuwait has an extraordinary array of super-modern shopping malls where most internationally known branded goods can be bought at fairly reasonable prices.

   Salmiya
Kuwait's prime shopping area is Salem Al Mubarak Street which runs parallel to Arabian Gulf Street, just one block in from the sea. The area includes the Sultan Centre (a large supermarket), several international fast-food outlets, and Kuwait's biggest concentration of up-market shopping malls. Most shops open from 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 9:30pm on weekdays. A few are open on Fridays as well.
   Zahra Complex has 54 shops on three floors of upscale shopping environment, offering high-quality fashionwear, accessories, cosmetics, perfumes, gifts, and antiques. The complex includes two cafes.
   Al-Fanar Complex has 86 shops on three floors selling mainly international designer clothing and personal items. Each floor has a cafe and there is a bank with an ATM on the ground floor. A fourth floor contains an internet cafe and a cinema.
   Two other up-market shopping centres in this area are Al-Bustan and Laila Galleria. The area also contains the somewhat more down-market Tala Centre, and Wataniya and Thuraiya complexes.

   City
In the City there are three shopping complexes worth a visit. Salhiya Centre, behind JW Marriott Hotel, is a concentration of boutiques selling branded goods such as Hermes, Bulgari, and Valentino. Salhiya also makes for pleasant strolling and browsing. Al-Muthanna Complex, opposite JW Marriott Hotel, is a favourite shopping centre for middle-class Kuwaitis and expatriates. With underground parking, the complex's three shopping floors contain almost everything: fashionwear, luggage, electronic appliances, perfumes, silverware, materials, opticians, photography and art supplies. Several shops specialise in toys for kids and teenagers, and the basement contains what is probably the best bookshop in Kuwait.
   Al-Watya Suq, at the back of the Sheraton Hotel, is a bit of a down-scale place. But it does contain a large number of Kuwait's famous gold and jewellery shops, as well some good sports shops.

   Hawalli
Hawalli contains only one shopping centre of note, Al-Othman Complex, recognisable by its red brick exterior. The complex has a range of clothing shops. Regular special offers announced via FM radio ensure that this complex is a good place for all sorts of designer stuff at reasonable prices. Underground parking is available from behind the complex.

   Sharq
In 1998 a new shopping area was opened on the waterfront in Sharq. Built around a marina and recognisable by its unique square-pillar architectural style, Sharq Market is the biggest shopping complex in Kuwait both in size and the variety of shops, boutiques and supermarkets it contains and it seems that every international brand name has an outlet there. The area includes a fresh fish market, several cafes, restaurants and cinemas, as well as a sea-promenade, a yacht club, and a health spa. Exploration requires a full day out.
   New Marina Project expected to be completed by mid-November 2002 will be the Marina Mall Commercial Center, which is the Fifth Stage Waterfront Project. This project is divided into two parts, a land project that includes the the commercial center, and a water area that includes the Marina, a hotel, restaurants and aquatic services. These are joined together by a 100 meter long bridge over the Gulf road.