Aim The aim of the study was to explore the perceived self-reported competence of nurses who worked in Kuwaiti hospitals and the predictors influencing the level of competence. Background Competence in nursing is found to affect patient safety and the quality of care provided to patients. The vast majority of nurses working in the health system are non-Kuwaitis. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to assess nurses’ competences as the first step toward ensuring the best quality of care. Methods A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational design was used. A non-random convenience sample of 220 practicing expatriate nurses working in public hospitals completed the NPC-35 scale and a demographic form. Data collection was done over a period of three weeks from January 26th, 2020 to February 16th, 2020. Results The findings of the study showed that nurses perceived their competence as good. The results also showed that years of experience, enrollment in a traditional program of study, exposure to training programs, working in accredited hospitals and nationality explained 56% of the variation in the level of Nursing Professional Competence (NPC). Conclusion The results indicate that nurse leaders and policy makers need to improve nursing orientation and training programs so that they are competence based. The results of the study also point to the importance of revisiting the nursing recruitment policy and managing expatriate nurses while making better investment in educating and producing Kuwaiti national nurses.