Branch Office Registration in Qatar
A foreign company can enter Qatar through a branch, which Law No. 1 of 2019 requires for government works contracts and limits to that contract, or a commercial representation office, which promotes but may not sell. Both are filed through the Invest in Qatar Center. We help you choose and prepare the parent company’s documents.
Branches and representation offices at a glance
- A branch for a government contract, or a representation office
- 2 ways in
- A representation office renews its licence
- Every year
- Before expiry, the renewal is filed
- 30 days
- Income tax on a branch’s income from Qatar
- 10%
From Law No. 1 of 2019, the Single Window and the General Tax Authority; see the sources at the end of the page.
Branch, representation office or new company?
Besides the LLC, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry lists branches and commercial representation offices among the forms open to foreign investment. The right vehicle depends on what the foreign company will actually do in Qatar.
| Branch | Representation office | Qatari company with foreign capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can open it | A foreign company awarded a works contract by a ministry, public body or State-owned company | A foreign company or entity working in trade, industry or services | Foreign investors, up to 100% by application above 49%, outside closed sectors |
| What it can do | Carry out the government contract it was registered for | Promote the parent’s products and services, deal with suppliers, handle complaints | Trade in its own name as a separate Qatari company |
| What it cannot do | Work outside that contract; take in a partner | Sell, import or export (samples only), or deal directly with consumers | Work in activities closed to foreign ownership |
| Parent documents | The contract and the ministry’s decision, the parent’s registration and incorporation contract, the government approval | The parent’s registration and incorporation contract, its decision letter, the manager’s authorisation, a responsibility declaration and a brand certificate | Each partner’s documents and an Arabic memorandum, notarised |
| Renewal | For as long as the contract runs; each new contract needs its own commercial permit | Every year, 30 days before the licence expires | The CR and commercial permit, for one to five years, 30 days before expiry |
| Suits | A foreign company awarded a works contract by a government body | A foreign company promoting its products in Qatar | A business that will sell or serve clients in Qatar |
The Qatar Financial Centre and the Qatar Free Zones also register branches, under their own rules.
Branch office registration, step by step
- Prepare the documents
Gather, attest and translate the parent’s papers first.
- Submit on the Single Window
Through the Invest in Qatar Center.
- Approval and registration
For a contract branch: after the award, before the contract is signed.
- Renew on time
A representation office every year, 30 days before expiry; a branch for as long as the contract runs.
Starting something small on your own rather than for a parent company abroad? That usually begins as an LLC.
What we help with
Choosing the vehicle
Branch, representation office or Qatari company, based on what you will do in Qatar.
Parent documents
Registration, articles, the board’s decision and the declarations the parent signs.
Attestation and translation
Attested abroad and translated into Arabic by an accredited office.
Single Window file
The application through the Invest in Qatar Center.
Renewals
The representation office licence each year, the branch registration for the life of the contract.
Tax registration
Registering a branch with the General Tax Authority and filing its yearly return.
When a foreign company branch is allowed in Qatar
Article 5 of Law No. 1 of 2019 covers foreign companies carrying out works contracts with a ministry, a government body, a public authority or institution, or a company in which the State holds shares. The work is done through the company’s branch in Qatar.
The official pages we checked do not say whether a branch can be registered for other work. If that is your plan, ask us to confirm it for your case first.
A contract branch in brief
- When
- Registered and licensed after the award, before the contract is signed
- What it may do
- Only the activities in its government contract
- More contracts
- Added to the same registration, with a commercial permit for each
- How long
- Renewed for as long as the contract runs
Trade representative office in Qatar
A trade representative office, called a commercial representation office on the Single Window, looks after the interests of a company based abroad. Only foreign companies and entities working in trade, industry and services may open one, and its licence is renewed every year, 30 days before it expires.
What it can and cannot do
- Can
- Introduce the parent’s products and services and widen their distribution and marketing
- Can
- Deal with suppliers of raw and semi-finished materials, and handle complaints
- Cannot
- Deal directly with consumers or carry on business in Qatar
- Cannot
- Import or export, apart from samples for promotion
Parent company documents
Every document issued abroad must be attested and translated into Arabic; for a contract branch, by an accredited office.
Representation office
- The Single Window application form
- The foreign company’s commercial registration and incorporation contract
- A letter confirming the decision to open the office
- Authorisation of the manager, with a copy of their ID
- A declaration that the foreign company is responsible for the office
- A power of attorney to its legal representative in Qatar
- A brand certificate for the product
Branch for a government contract
- The contract and the ministry’s decision
- The foreign company’s commercial registration and incorporation contract
- The government approval
- Beneficial owner declaration
- Approval of the authorised signatory, with ID
Tax and accounts for a branch
10% income tax
On the income a permanent establishment earns from its activity in Qatar.
Register in 60 days
With the General Tax Authority on Dhareeba, from registration or first income.
A return every year
Within four months of the year end, even when exempt.
One return for all branches
A single consolidated return covers every branch.
Related services
Common questions about branches and representation offices
How does a foreign company register in Qatar?
A foreign company can set up a Qatari company with foreign capital, open a commercial representation office, or register a branch, which the 2019 law requires for government works contracts. Applications go through the Invest in Qatar Center on the Single Window, with the parent’s documents attested and translated into Arabic.
Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Investment steps for foreign investors
How do I open a branch office of a foreign company in Qatar?
Under Law No. 1 of 2019, a foreign company carrying out a contract with a government body must do it through a Qatar branch, registered in the commercial registry and licensed after the award and before signing. The branch may only carry out the activities in that contract.
Source: Law No. 1 of 2019 on investment of non-Qatari capital (Al Meezan)
What can a representative office do in Qatar?
A representation office promotes the foreign company’s products and services, deals with suppliers and handles complaints. It may not sell, import or export, except samples for promotion, and may not deal directly with consumers. Each year the licence has to be renewed, and the renewal goes in 30 days before expiry.
Source: Single Window, Commercial representation companies FAQ
Did not find your question? Ask an adviser. We reply with what applies to your case.
Sources
Official sources for the facts on this page, last checked 19 Oct 2026.
- Law No. 1 of 2019 on investment of non-Qatari capital (Al Meezan)
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Investment steps for foreign investors
- Invest Qatar, Setting up your business in Qatar (guide hosted by MOCI)
- Single Window, Commercial representation companies FAQ
- Single Window, Foreign companies contracting with the State FAQ
- Single Window, Procedures for commercial registrations FAQ
- Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
- General Tax Authority, Investors
- Dhareeba, Income tax
Send us the parent company’s country, its line of business and any contract you hold in Qatar.
We tell you which option fits and what the parent company needs to prepare.