Under Kuwait Companies Law No. 1 of 2016, the Company Contract is the foundational legal document for your business. With the exception of Joint Venture Companies, the contract must be drawn up as an authenticated (notarized) document — if it is not, the entire contract is considered null and void (Article 7). For Shareholding Companies, the contract must also include both a memorandum of incorporation and articles of association (Article 10).
The contract must specify key details including the company's objectives (Article 14), its duration or term (Article 16), and the contributions of each partner — which can be cash, in-kind assets, or labour (Article 17). The company's name must also be unique and not identical or confusingly similar to another company operating in the same sector (Article 12).
Once finalized, the Company Contract and any future amendments must be publicly proclaimed (officially published/registered) according to the law's procedures (Article 9). Failure to proclaim the contract means it cannot be used as evidence against third parties. Both Arabic and an authenticated English version are typically needed for expat partners, so budget time and cost for professional legal translation and notarization.
This is general legal information, not legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, consult a lawyer licensed in Kuwait.