LLC (WLL) Company Formation in Qatar
LLC company formation in Qatar starts with one legal form, written either LLC or WLL. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry calls it the most common choice for foreign investors. It takes one to 50 partners, nobody risks more than their share, and the partners fix the capital and pay it in full. We help you prepare the Arabic memorandum and the Single Window file.
The LLC (WLL) at a glance
- Partners, people or companies
- 1 to 50
- The company law sets no minimum capital for an LLC
- Set by partners
- For the registration decision, once the file is complete
- 15 days
- Approximate government fees for a full Single Window setup
- QAR 1,700 to 2,200
From the company law and Invest Qatar’s guide; see the sources at the end of the page.
LLC company formation steps on the Single Window
- Check the activity
Open to your ownership plan? Above 49% foreign, apply to the Ministry first.
- Name and memorandum
A trade name that shows it is a limited liability company, and the Arabic memorandum, notarised.
- Commercial registration
Decided within 15 days of a complete file. No business before it.
- Permit and approvals
The commercial permit completes the trade licence; some activities need an extra approval.
How we help you open an LLC in Qatar
To open an LLC in Qatar you spend most of the effort on two documents, the memorandum and the Single Window file.
Choosing the form
Whether an LLC suits your activity and ownership plan, or a branch or free zone company suits it better.
The memorandum
Partners, shares, managers, profit split and transfer terms, in Arabic.
Capital
The amount, the deposit in a bank in Qatar and its release after registration.
Foreign ownership
The application to the Ministry when foreign partners will hold more than 49%.
Single Window file
Trade name, registration, commercial permit and any approval your activity needs.
After registration
Establishment card, tax card, the yearly auditor and renewals.
What an LLC (WLL) is
The law puts the name of the form into the Arabic name of every limited liability company in Qatar. In English it is written WLL, short for “With Limited Liability”, or LLC, and both mean the same company.
In brief
- WLL stands for
- With Limited Liability
- LLC or WLL
- The same legal form
- Liability
- Each partner up to their share in the capital
- Not allowed
- Raising money from the public, or issuing shares or bonds
Partners, managers and capital
Everything the partners agree ends up in the memorandum. Unless it limits them, managers have full authority.
- Each partner’s name, nationality and address
- The capital, and who holds which share
- The managers
- The split of profit and loss
- The rules for selling shares
The rules in brief
- Capital
- Set by the partners, paid in full, held by a bank in Qatar until registration
- Supervisory board
- Required with more than 20 partners (at least three partners)
- Every year
- An auditor, and 10% of net profit to a legal reserve until it reaches half the capital
- Selling shares
- By official instrument; other partners have 30 days to buy
Single-owner LLC
An LLC can have a single owner. Nothing special applies: the usual LLC rules hold, and the owner either runs the company or names managers.
For a one-owner LLC, the Single Window asks for:
- Proof of the founder’s identity
- Memorandum certified by the Ministry of Justice
- ID of the authorised signatory
- Certified power of attorney when an agent applies
- Company letter when the founder is itself a company
- Any approval the activity needs
- Trade name registration
When the owner becomes personally liable
- Bad faith
- Winding the company up or stopping its business in bad faith before its term
- Mixed interests
- Not keeping their own interests separate from the company’s
Foreign ownership in an LLC
Since Law No. 1 of 2019, non-Qatari partners can hold up to 100% of an LLC’s capital, on the terms its Executive Regulations set. If the foreign share will pass 49%, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has to approve it before anything else.
The rule in brief
- Foreign ownership
- Up to 100%, with an application above 49%
- Ministry decision
- Within 15 days of a complete file; no reply counts as a refusal
- Closed sectors
- Banks and insurance, commercial agencies, fields the Cabinet names
Documents
Every document issued abroad must be attested and translated into Arabic before it is uploaded.
For each partner
- Passport copy for each foreign partner
- For a company partner: its commercial registration, notarised, with an Arabic translation
- Beneficial owner declaration
For the company
- Trade name reservation
- Memorandum in Arabic, notarised by the Ministry of Justice
- Approval of the authorised signatory, with ID
- Approval of the authority concerned, if the activity needs one
Who provides what in an LLC
The partners agree the terms, we help write them into the memorandum, and the Ministry of Justice notarises it.
| Item | The partners provide | We help prepare | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | The amount, paid in full | The capital clause, and the bank deposit step | Held by a bank in Qatar until registration |
| Shares | Each partner’s share | The shares and the transfer terms | Other partners have 30 days to buy a share offered for sale |
| Managers | Who manages, and any limits on their powers | The management clause | A manager has full authority unless the memorandum limits it |
| Profits and losses | How they are split | The profit clause and the legal reserve | 10% of net profit to a reserve until it reaches half the capital |
| Supervisory board | At least three members, if there are more than 20 partners | The board clause | Required above 20 partners |
| This step | Needs first |
|---|---|
| Notarising the memorandum | Agreement on capital, shares, managers and profits |
| Commercial registration | The capital deposited with a bank in Qatar and the notarised memorandum |
| Releasing the capital | The commercial registration |
| Changing the memorandum later | Approval by partners holding three quarters of the capital, and a new notarised Arabic text |
Costs and timeline
- Approximate fees for a comprehensive Single Window establishment
- QAR 1,700 to 2,200
- Ministry application fee
- from QAR 500
- Yearly licence fee
- from QAR 500
- To register with the General Tax Authority
- 60 days
Sources: the Single Window service page, Invest Qatar’s guide and the General Tax Authority. The exact fee depends on the activity and structure. Rent, attestation and translation are paid on top. Income tax is 10% of taxable income; companies wholly owned by Qatari nationals are exempt.
Related services
Common questions about LLC (WLL) companies in Qatar
What does WLL stand for in Qatar?
WLL stands for “With Limited Liability”. It is a common English rendering of the Arabic name the company law gives this form, which every such company adds to its name. Partners are liable only up to their share in the capital, and the company may have one to 50 partners.
Source: Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
What does it cost to establish an LLC in Qatar?
In government fees, a comprehensive Single Window establishment comes to approximately QAR 1,700 to 2,200: the Single Window shows about QAR 1,700 and Invest Qatar’s guide gives QAR 2,200, with the application and the yearly licence each from QAR 500. The company law sets no minimum capital, but the capital you choose is paid in full; check the amount the Single Window form asks for. Rent, attestation and translation are paid separately.
Source: Invest Qatar, Setting up your business in Qatar (guide hosted by MOCI)
What are LLC and WLL in Qatar?
They are the same company. Qatar’s company law has one limited liability form, and “WLL” and “LLC” are two English labels for it, with no legal difference between them. Where the memorandum is concerned, only the Arabic text binds, and it has a single word for the form.
Source: Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
What is an example of an LLC?
Two partners open a small consultancy in Doha and split the shares half and half. Should the business fail, neither loses more than the capital they put in; their savings and homes are outside it. The name carries the Arabic words for a limited liability company, and the company may not sell shares to the public.
Source: Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
Can one person own an LLC in Qatar?
Yes. The company law allows an LLC with one owner, who runs it or appoints one or more managers. Liability stays limited, with an exception worth knowing: an owner who mixes personal money with the company’s, or winds it up in bad faith before its term, can be held personally liable.
Source: Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
What do I need to set up an LLC in Qatar?
One to 50 partners and a manager, to start with. The partners set the capital and pay it in full into a bank in Qatar, the Arabic memorandum is notarised by the Ministry of Justice, and the trade name is reserved. Add any approval your activity needs, and an application if foreign partners will hold over 49%.
Source: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Investment steps for foreign investors
How is an LLC registered with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry?
Everything goes through the Single Window. You reserve the trade name, fill in the establishment request, sign the memorandum digitally or at an appointment, and pay. Once the file is complete, the Ministry has 15 days to decide on the commercial registration. The establishment card and the tax card come after that.
Source: Invest Qatar, Setting up your business in Qatar (guide hosted by MOCI)
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)
- Law No. 1 of 2019 on investment of non-Qatari capital (Al Meezan)
- MOCI Decision No. 44 of 2020, Executive Regulations of Law No. 1 of 2019 (Al Meezan)
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Investment steps for foreign investors
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Local investor services
- Invest Qatar, Setting up your business in Qatar (guide hosted by MOCI)
- Single Window, Start your business (establishment service)
- Single Window, Establishing companies FAQ
- General Tax Authority, Investors
- Dhareeba, Income tax
How many partners will there be, and where is each one from?
Send that with your activity, and we come back with the documents and the next steps.