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Kuwait Sets Fixed Fee for Food Delivery Services
Kuwait Leads Gulf with New Rules to Cap Food Delivery Fees and Boost Market Transparency
- Publish date: since 2 hour Reading time: two min read
Kuwait has taken a pioneering step in regulating its digital economy by setting fixed fees and commissions for food delivery services, marking a first-of-its-kind move in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) aimed at curbing monopolistic practices and ensuring fairness for restaurants and consumers.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued Ministerial Decision No. 10 of 2026, a binding regulation that standardises how electronic food delivery platforms operate, including capping the fees and commissions they can charge restaurants and ready-made food outlets. The rules are designed to foster transparency and protect the interests of all stakeholders in Kuwait’s expanding food delivery market.
The decision comes after extensive monitoring and analysis of the delivery sector, which revealed monopolistic practices, opaque pricing structures, discriminatory algorithms and exclusive agreements that distorted competition and hurt both merchants and consumers.
Under the new framework:
- Fees and commissions charged by delivery platforms to restaurants are fixed for three years, helping businesses plan costs more effectively.
- Platforms must submit their 2026 service fees to the ministry within a month and adopt a single annual tariff that outlines all charges and calculation methods.
- Side agreements and forced exclusivity between platforms and restaurants are prohibited.
- Platforms are required to document all fees in clear written contracts and maintain price lists, with any undisclosed charges deemed legally void.
The regulation also enshrines consumer protections, including transparent pricing displayed before order completion, clear complaint and refund mechanisms, and obligations on platforms to guarantee service quality and safe delivery.
All licensed companies operating electronic food delivery services in Kuwait must update their licence status to reflect their role in managing delivery services via digital platforms in accordance with international classifications within two months of the regulation’s effective date.
The government says the regulation will help restore market stability, protect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and position Kuwait as a regional leader in digital economy governance.
By setting these caps and bringing greater transparency to delivery pricing, Kuwait aims to balance the rapid growth of its food delivery sector with consumer rights and competitive fairness — a regulatory shift that many industry watchers see as transformative for the wider GCC digital marketplace.