Legal Translation Services in Qatar
Legal translation in Qatar starts from one rule: company contracts and employment contracts are written in Arabic. A foreign-language document filed with the Ministry of Justice’s notarisation department also needs a certified Arabic translation, made by a translator on the ministry’s experts’ list. We help you sort out what needs translating, arrange the translation and check every name and figure against the original.
Legal translation at a glance
- The version that counts in company and labour contracts
- Arabic
- Ministry of Justice translators for documents it receives
- Experts’ list
- What MOFA attests, or with a certified translation
- Arabic or English
From the company law, the Labour Law, Decision No. 157 of 2024 and MOFA; see the sources at the end of the page.
When a certified translation is required
Company contract
In Arabic and notarised, or void. A translation may be attached; the Arabic prevails.
Employment contracts
Written in Arabic under the Labour Law; the employer may attach a translation.
Government bodies
Ministries and public bodies use Arabic in their documents, contracts and correspondence.
Ministry of Justice
A foreign-language document deposited there needs a certified Arabic translation.
What we help with
What to translate
Which of your documents must be in Arabic, and for which authority.
The right translator
A translator the receiving authority accepts, confirmed before the work starts.
Names and figures
Checking every name, date and amount against the original.
With attestation
Fitting the translation into the attestation steps.
Company papers
Articles, resolutions, powers of attorney and certificates of incorporation.
Staff documents
Employment contracts and personal certificate translation.
Approved translators
For documents filed with the Ministry of Justice, the translation comes from a translator registered on the ministry’s experts’ list. Other authorities may set their own rules, so we confirm with the receiving body first.
A translator outside the list, only if
- No one registered
- No listed translator covers the language, or none can be engaged
- A person
- The translator is an individual who signs the translation
- In writing
- The parties accept full responsibility for the translation
Translation, attestation and timing
Translation is one step and attestation another, and the length of the document sets how long the translation takes.
One branch, three kinds of paper
Take a company in France opening a branch in Doha.
For MOFA
The certificate of incorporation and board resolution are in French, so they get translated first. MOFA’s e-services take originals in Arabic or English, or with a certified translation.
For the Ministry of Justice
When the resolution is deposited with the notarisation department, the rule tightens: the translator has to be on the ministry’s experts’ list.
For the staff
Labour Law contracts are in Arabic. Attach English if you like; if the two versions disagree, the Arabic wins.
Related services
Common questions about legal translation services in Qatar
What is a legal translation?
A legal translation is one an authority will act on, such as a contract, a certificate, a court judgment or a power of attorney. In Qatar the Arabic text normally has the last word. The company law and the Labour Law each say so: where a translation and the Arabic differ, the Arabic prevails.
Source: Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
What are the legal translation requirements in Qatar?
It depends on where the paper is going. A company contract, and any amendment, has to be in Arabic and notarised. Employment contracts go in Arabic too. A Hindi power of attorney filed with the Ministry of Justice goes in with a certified Arabic translation. MOFA takes Arabic or English originals, and anything else with a certified translation.
Source: Minister of Justice Decision No. 157 of 2024 on notarised documents (Al Meezan)
What are the official translation services in Qatar?
For the Ministry of Justice, a translator from its experts’ list. If no listed translator covers your language, another individual can translate and sign, provided the parties put in writing that they take full responsibility for the result. Another ministry may have its own rule, and we ask it before the work starts.
Source: Minister of Justice Decision No. 157 of 2024 on notarised documents (Al Meezan)
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.
- Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
- Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 7 of 2019 on the Protection of the Arabic Language (Al Meezan)
- Minister of Justice Decision No. 157 of 2024 on notarised documents (Al Meezan)
- Ministry of Justice, Experts services
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, E-services FAQ
Send the list of documents and the authority that will receive them.
Send us a list. We come back with what has to be in Arabic and who may translate it.