Home business licence in Qatar
The home business licence lets a Qatari citizen run one commercial or professional activity from the home they live in. It is issued online through the Single Window by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, costs QAR 300 a year and is renewed yearly. MOCI lists 63 activities that qualify, and no commercial registration is needed.
The home licence and its price at a glance
- A year, to issue or renew the licence
- QAR 300
- Activities on MOCI’s home licence list
- 63
- Per person, from the home they live in
- 1 activity
- Single Window processing time
- About 1 day
From the Single Window and Decision No. 60 of 2024, in force since 11 July 2024; see the sources at the end of the page.
Who can get a home business permit
Qatari citizens
The Single Window names citizens as the applicants for the home business permit, with a valid Qatari ID.
Aged 18 or over
And not under an official ban on trading.
Living in the home
A rented home needs the owner’s written no-objection.
No other licence
The applicant declares they hold no CR or other business licence.
How to open a home business in Qatar
You open a home business in Qatar online, through the Single Window’s Home License Issuance service, which gives about one day for the request.
- Log in
On the Single Window with Tawtheeq (the national login).
- Choose the activity
One activity from MOCI’s list of 63.
- Trade name
Choose the name the licence will carry.
- Review and pay
QAR 300, paid online after the review.
- Licence issued
Electronically, valid for one year.
Renewal runs through the Single Window’s Comprehensive Renewal service, at least 30 days before the licence expires, again for QAR 300.
Activities on the home licence list
A tailor who sews men’s clothes at home, or a programmer writing custom software in a spare room, can fit the list. Every one of the 63 activities carries the same QAR 300 fee, and MOCI’s own announcement gives these among its examples.
- Making and trading: roasting and packing nuts, trade in dates, clothing and cosmetics
- Repairs and crafts: computer repair, leather goods repair, men’s tailoring
- Design work and services, such as custom software, interior design, jewellery design, photography or translation
Before it says yes, MOCI looks at whether the project is serious and whether it suits a house; a surveyor can come and look. For food and cosmetics preparation, an older MOCI guide adds a Municipality health approval, so look your activity code up on the Single Window first. A broken condition later on voids it.
Limits of the home licence
Think of it as a licence for work that leaves the house a house. You cannot transfer it or lease it to anyone, and there is no minimum capital.
The limits
- Staff
- No foreign workers
- Customers
- No retail selling from the home, nothing that draws crowds or traffic
- Signs
- A small sign at the entrance with the trade name and licence number in Arabic
- Advertising
- No outdoor advertising or loudspeakers
- Safety
- A heat detector, a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket
Selling online from home
Selling online has its own licence. Decision No. 25 of 2026 puts online trading under the e-commerce licence: QAR 500, and a commercial registration first. Whether a home licence alone can carry one is something no official text we read answers. Ask the Ministry before you build a plan on it.
What we help with
Activity check
Whether your activity is on the list of 63.
Trade name
A name that meets the naming rules.
The application
Preparing the Single Window request with you.
Home safety
The fire safety items the licence expects.
Renewal
The yearly renewal date, 30 days ahead.
Growing out of it
Moving to a CR and premises when you hire staff.
Related pages
Common questions about the home business licence in Qatar
What is the home business licence price in Qatar?
QAR 300 a year. Take a licence issued on 1 March: you pay QAR 300 then, and the same price again when you renew it early the next year. Decision No. 60 of 2024 has set this fee since 11 July 2024. A 2026 cut from QAR 1,500 shows up in some reports, but in no official source we found.
Source: Minister of Commerce and Industry Decision No. 60 of 2024 on fees, Schedule 2 (Al Meezan)
Who can get a home business licence in Qatar?
Qatari citizens, according to the Single Window. You need a valid Qatari ID and a Tawtheeq login, you must be 18 or older and free of any official ban, and you must live in the home. A rented home needs the owner’s no-objection letter. A person may hold only one, and it covers a single activity.
Which activities can I run from home in Qatar?
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry publishes a list of 63 home activities with their codes, after adding 48 in August 2024. The licence covers one of them. Activities that need customers to visit, retail selling from the home or foreign staff do not fit the home licence.
Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, News: 48 home business activities added (12 Aug 2024)
Do I need a commercial registration for a home business?
No. It is issued without one; in fact the applicant signs a declaration of holding no CR or other business licence. Once the business needs staff, a shop or e-commerce sales, the next step is a CR.
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 21 Oct 2026.
- Single Window, Home license issuance
- Single Window, Comprehensive renewal
- Minister of Commerce and Industry Decision No. 60 of 2024 on fees, Schedule 2 (Al Meezan)
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, News: home business licence fee
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, News: 48 home business activities added (12 Aug 2024)
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Local investor services
- Minister of Commerce and Industry Decision No. 25 of 2026 on the e-commerce licence (Al Meezan)
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, News: Business Guidance and Establishment Office (29 Jul 2026)
Which activity do you have in mind for your home?
We match it to MOCI’s list and walk you through what the Single Window will ask.