Documents required to register a company in Qatar
To register a mainland company in Qatar you need, for each partner, a passport copy or the company partner’s attested registration, plus a beneficial owner declaration; for the company, a trade name, an Arabic memorandum notarised by the Ministry of Justice and the signatory’s approval. Every document issued abroad must be attested and translated into Arabic.
Documents required to register a company, at a glance
- The memorandum, notarised, or it is void
- Arabic
- Notary, foreign ministry, Qatari embassy, then MOFA in Doha
- 4 stamps
- Qatar is not a party to the Apostille Convention
- No apostille
- Of the beneficial owner, for every company
- 1 declaration
From the company law, the Single Window, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hague Conference; see the sources at the end of the page.
Documents required for company registration as an LLC
For each partner
- Passport copy (foreign partners)
- A company partner’s registration, notarised, translated into Arabic and attested at home and by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Beneficial owner declaration
- Partners’ consent letter
For the new company
- Trade name reservation
- Memorandum in Arabic, notarised by the Ministry of Justice
- Authorised signatory approval and ID; general manager’s ID
- Power of attorney for your representative
- Business plan, and the approval of any authority your activity needs
Above 49% foreign ownership, add the investment application to the Ministry, with an activity description, business plan, financial plan, a written undertaking and a CV for each partner.
For the premises and the commercial permit
The commercial permit links the company to one approved location, so the site has its own papers. A sublease, the usual set-up in a business centre, needs the landlord’s authorisation as well.
Site documents
- Lease
- A title deed, or the Single Window’s rental agreement declaration
- Sublease
- A real estate authorisation, a power of attorney or the owners’ written consent
- Building
- The municipality’s completion certificate
- Civil Defence
- A certificate if the site is 250 m² or more
- Address
- A photo of the “My Address” plate
For a branch or representation 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
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
Which documents need attestation
- Notary or issuing body
Where the document was issued.
- Foreign ministry
Of the issuing country.
- Qatari embassy
In that country.
- MOFA in Doha
Completes the chain.
Any document issued outside Qatar follows this chain: a parent company’s registration, its board resolution and a power of attorney signed abroad. Documents filed with the Ministry of Justice also need a certified Arabic translation by a translator on its experts’ list.
For a free zone or QFC company
QFC
Business details, directors, company secretary and Senior Executive Function holder, share capital, projections, articles and beneficial ownership.
Qatar Free Zones
The company, its activities and the real estate it needs, entered online on the QFZ Investor Portal.
Related pages
Common questions about company registration documents
What documents are required to register a company in Qatar, and from whom?
Every foreign partner who is a person gives a passport copy. A partner that is a company gives its registration instead, notarised, attested and translated into Arabic. A beneficial owner declaration is filed. Then come the trade name reservation, the Arabic memorandum notarised by the Ministry of Justice, the authorised signatory’s approval and ID, and any approval the activity needs.
Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Investment steps for foreign investors
What are the requirements to open a company in Qatar?
Besides the documents, you need an activity allowed for your ownership plan, a reserved trade name, an Arabic memorandum notarised by the Ministry of Justice and an approved site for the commercial permit. The applicant needs a Tawtheeq account and a valid Qatari ID, or a representative who has one, and the manager must hold a Qatari ID.
Source: Single Window, Start your business (establishment service)
Do my documents need to be attested for Qatar?
Yes, if they were issued abroad. A board resolution signed in London, say, goes to a notary there, then to the UK foreign ministry, then to the Qatari embassy, and last to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Doha. An apostille is not enough on its own, as Qatar is not a party to the Apostille Convention.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Other certificates attestation
Must the memorandum be in Arabic?
Yes. The company’s memorandum and every later change to it must be in Arabic and notarised, or they are void. A translation may be attached, but the Arabic version is the one that counts if the two differ.
Source: Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
What documents does the office need?
A title deed or the Single Window’s rental agreement declaration, the municipality’s building completion certificate, a photo of the “My Address” plate and, for a site of 250 m² or more, a Civil Defence certificate. A sublease also needs the landlord’s authorisation.
Source: Single Window, Start your business (establishment service)
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Sources
Official sources for the facts on this page, last checked 19 Oct 2026.
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Investment steps for foreign investors
- Invest Qatar, Setting up your business in Qatar (guide hosted by MOCI)
- Single Window, Establishing companies FAQ
- Single Window, Start your business (establishment service)
- Single Window, Issue commercial permit
- Single Window, Commercial representation companies FAQ
- Single Window, Foreign companies contracting with the State FAQ
- Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Other certificates attestation
- Hague Conference, Apostille Convention status table
- Minister of Justice Decision No. 157 of 2024 on notarised documents (Al Meezan)
- Qatar Financial Centre, Set up
- Qatar Free Zones Authority, Set up a new company
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