How to hire employees in Qatar for a new company
How to hire employees in Qatar, for a new company, is mostly a question of order. The establishment card comes first, then the Ministry of Labour’s recruitment approval, then each work visa, and residence within 30 days of arrival. Contracts are in Arabic and attested by the ministry, and salaries are paid through WPS from the first month.
The Qatar hiring process at a glance
- Establishment card, issued with a new commercial licence
- QAR 200
- Work visa approvals a new company can get on its first “Request New Labour” application
- Up to 10
- From arrival to complete the employee’s residence
- 30 days
- From the 1st of the month to pay salaries through WPS
- 7 days
The figures that set the hiring process in Qatar, from the Labour Law, Law No. 21 of 2015, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Interior; see the sources at the end of the page.
Before the recruitment process in Qatar starts
- CR, commercial licence and establishment card in hand
- Letter to the labour department before anyone starts (Article 7)
- Each vacancy reported within a month: Qatari candidates first
Who does what
- Approves foreign hires
- Ministry of Labour
- Visas and residence
- Ministry of Interior
- Where you apply
- Establishments Portal (smart card)
- Approval fee
- None
- Bank guarantee
- QAR 2,000 per worker, if asked
Company papers first
Neither ministry opens a request for a company that does not yet exist on paper.
The Article 7 letter
The company’s name, address and activity, how many workers you have, their professions and nationalities, and the manager’s name.
Qatari workers first
A work permit for a foreign worker is granted only if no qualified Qatari registered with the labour department is available for the job.
Bank guarantee
The Ministry of Interior may ask for QAR 2,000 per worker, up to QAR 500,000 in all.
How to hire employees in Qatar, step by step
One worker brought from abroad: a company licensed on 1 February 2027 hires a driver. Each step needs the one before it.
- Establishment card
Comes with the commercial licence through the Single Window, for QAR 200. It shows in the Metrash2 app, and its number goes on the labour approval and every visa and residence permit after that.
- Notify the labour department
A letter under Article 7, before anyone starts work. It gives the company’s name, address and activity, how many workers it has, their jobs and nationalities, and the manager’s name.
- Recruitment approval
Requested on the Establishments Portal. The authorised signatory signs in with the smart card and asks for one driver: gender, number and profession. Once approved, the request moves to nationality selection and then to the Ministry of Interior; an inactive or banned establishment ID stops it here.
- Work visa
Issued by the Ministry of Interior, for QAR 300, through its e-services under Recruitment and Visa. Documents needed: attested educational certificates, a good conduct certificate attested by the Qatari embassy, the contract and a medical test taken abroad.
- Arrival, medical and fingerprints
The driver has 90 days from the visa date to enter Qatar. Medical check and fingerprints follow arrival, and residence is due within 30 days of entry, so by 14 April.
- Contract attestation
The Arabic contract is signed in three copies and attested on the Establishments Portal, for QAR 60. The driver’s mobile number must be the one on the QID, and the national address must be registered.
- Residence permit
Applied for before the 30 days end. Documents needed: the attested contract, the signed form, the original passport, a copy of the establishment ID, a photo and a blood group certificate.
- WPS and the first salary
Wages for 15 to 31 March fall due on 1 April and must reach the driver’s account at a bank in Qatar through WPS within seven days. Cash in hand does not count as payment.
One hire, with dates
An example built from the rules above. The Labour Law counts periods by the Gregorian calendar, with a month of 30 days.
| What happens | Date | Deadline that follows | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work visa issued | 1 March 2027 | Enter Qatar by 30 May 2027 (90 days) | Residence regulations, Art. 14 |
| Employee lands in Doha and starts work | 15 March 2027 | Residence completed by 14 April 2027 (30 days) | Law No. 21 of 2015, Art. 10 |
| First salary, for 15 to 31 March | Due 1 April 2027 | In the employee’s account through WPS within seven days | Ministerial Decision No. 4 of 2015, as replaced in 2026 |
| One full year of service | 14 March 2028 | Annual leave of at least three weeks; a gratuity is owed when the contract ends | Labour Law, Arts. 54 and 79 |
Hiring someone who already lives in Qatar
Say the accountant you want already works for another company in Doha, on a work residence. No new visa is needed. You or she files a change of employer request with the Ministry of Labour, on these conditions:
- Only you or the worker may file it, nobody else.
- Your authorised signatory signs in through the national authentication system.
- Your establishment ID must be active.
- Neither company nor worker may carry a ban.
- All three parties, her old employer included, need a registered national address.
| Her situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Still on probation | One month’s written notice to the current employer. You, as the new employer, repay the old one the ticket and recruitment costs, up to two months’ basic wage. |
| Visa issued, not yet in Qatar | Before residence is issued, the work visa can move to another employer with the Ministry of Labour’s approval. |
| Past probation | Notice under Article 49: one month in the first two years of service, two months after that. The residence must be valid, or within 90 days of expiry, when the change is notified. |
What goes into a hiring plan
Ours has six parts. Here they are for a company that wants two drivers from May and an accountant from June.
Roles and headcount
Two drivers and one accountant, each under the profession the ministry will record, with a start month.
Qatari candidates first
The accountant post is reported to the labour department within a month of opening.
Documents per person
For each driver: attested certificates, a good conduct certificate and the medical test.
Government fees and pay
QAR 300 a visa, QAR 60 a contract, QAR 200 for the establishment card at issue and at each renewal; residence permit fees are not included. Pay from QAR 1,800 a month: QAR 1,000 basic, plus QAR 500 for housing and QAR 300 for food if you provide neither.
Dates
Visa expiry, residence deadline, end of probation, first payday and every renewal, in one calendar.
Certified professions
Under Article 23 bis (Law No. 9 of 2026), a job on the Ministry of Labour’s list needs a training and test certificate from an accredited centre.
Related services
Common questions about hiring employees in Qatar
How do I hire employees in Qatar?
Take a company licensed on 1 February. Its establishment card comes with the licence. Next is the written notice to the labour department, then the request for recruitment approval on the Establishments Portal, then a work visa for each person at the Ministry of Interior. From the day a worker lands there are 30 days to finish residence, the Arabic contract is attested, and salaries go through WPS.
Source: Hukoomi, Request to issue a labour recruitment approval (Ministry of Labour)
What is the employment visa process in Qatar?
In three stages, if the worker is abroad. First the Ministry of Labour’s recruitment approval; then, at the Ministry of Interior, the work visa itself, QAR 300; last, residence, which has to be done within 30 days of landing. The documents for each stage are on our work visas and permits page.
Source: Ministry of Interior, Work visa on company sponsorship
How many work visas can a new company get?
Up to ten. Say the company was formed on 1 February 2027. A week later it files a “Request New Labour” application with the Ministry of Labour, Sunday to Thursday between 7:00 and 14:00, with a justification and a list of workers by profession. There is no fee, and the number granted is set by what a new company needs to start.
Source: Hukoomi, Request new labour: fast track (Ministry of Labour)
Must a job go to a Qatari candidate before I can hire from abroad?
Yes, that is the order Articles 18, 22 and 23 set. Report the accountant vacancy, say, to the labour department within a month of it opening. If the department has a qualified Qatari accountant on its register, the post goes there first; only if it has none is a work permit granted for someone from abroad.
How long does hiring someone from abroad take?
Take a visa issued on 1 March 2027. It has to be used by 30 May, and if the worker lands on 15 March, residence is due by 14 April. Before that, the Ministry of Interior says visa numbers come out of an approval at once and final approval takes three days, while certificate attestation in the worker’s own country comes first and takes as long as that country takes. No ministry publishes a total, so we do not give one.
Source: Hukoomi, Apply for issuing work visas from an approval (Ministry of Interior)
Can I hire a worker who is already employed in Qatar?
Yes. The Ministry of Labour’s change of employer service handles it, and either you, as the new employer, or the worker can file. The worker needs a work residence and no ban; your establishment ID has to be active; and the current employer is still owed the notice the Labour Law requires.
Source: Hukoomi, Change of employer service (Ministry of Labour)
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 24 Oct 2026.
- Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 21 of 2015 on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates (Al Meezan)
- Minister of Interior Decision No. 25 of 2019, Executive Regulations of Law No. 21 of 2015 (Al Meezan, Arabic)
- Hukoomi, MOCI launches establishment registration through the Single Window (28 Feb 2022)
- Hukoomi, Request to issue a labour recruitment approval (Ministry of Labour)
- Hukoomi, Request new labour: fast track (Ministry of Labour)
- Hukoomi, Apply for issuing work visas from an approval (Ministry of Interior)
- Ministry of Interior, Work visa on company sponsorship
- Ministry of Interior, First-time residence permit
- Hukoomi, Attestation of work contracts inside Qatar (Ministry of Labour)
- Minister of Labour Decision No. 50 of 2026 on the Wage Protection System (Al Meezan)
- Ministerial Decision No. 25 of 2020 on the minimum wage (Al Meezan)
- Hukoomi, Change of employer service (Ministry of Labour)
Who goes on the payroll first, and from which month?
Send a list of roles with the month you want each person to start, for example two drivers in May and an accountant in June. The plan we send back puts the steps in order, with each person’s papers next to their name.