Even an agent who only markets a flat for its owner needs a licence, because Law No. 22 of 2017 counts marketing as brokerage. The Ministry of Justice’s Real Estate Brokerage Department grants it for two years. Individual brokers must be Qatari and pass the tests and training; companies need brokerage as their main purpose and a Qatari responsible manager.
Who licenses brokers, now and from 2027
The definition is wider than many people expect. Under Law No. 22 of 2017, brokerage is bringing two or more parties together for a sale, a lease or another property deal, and it also takes in marketing property, running property auctions, managing property for others and valuation. None of it may be done without a licence.
Two bodies matter for now. The Real Estate Brokerage Department at the Ministry of Justice takes the applications, issues and renews licences, keeps the register and inspects offices; the Committee for Real Estate Brokers’ Affairs deals with appeals, complaints, tests, training and discipline. On the Single Window, activity 682010 cannot get a CR or commercial permit, or be renewed, without the Department’s approval.
Company licence and individual broker licence
The law licenses natural persons and companies. Each broker appears in the register of real estate brokers and receives a card with the licence holder’s name, register number, licence period and office. A broker may also work through representatives, who receive a sub-card linked to the broker’s licence.
| Who | Main condition | Decided by |
|---|---|---|
| Individual broker | Qatari national who passes the tests and training | Real Estate Brokerage Department |
| Brokerage company | Brokerage as its main purpose, head office in Qatar, a Qatari responsible manager | Real Estate Brokerage Department |
| Non-Qatari brokerage firm | At least five years of continuous brokerage, a valid licence at home, liability insurance | The Minister, on the Department’s recommendation |
| Representative of a broker | Good conduct, good Arabic, an interview with the Department | Real Estate Brokerage Department |
A brokerage company’s ownership needs a lawyer’s eye before signing. The law fixes a minimum Qatari share in the capital, but on the Single Window activity 682010 shows foreign owners as allowed, and no official page we read explains how the two fit together.
Conditions and training
Whether you apply in your own name or as a company’s responsible manager, the personal conditions are the same five.
Nationality and capacity
The applicant is Qatari and has full legal capacity.
Good conduct
A good reputation and no final conviction for a felony or for a crime against honour or trust.
Tests and training
You sit the specialised real estate tests and courses, run and marked as the Committee decides.
Clean record as a broker
No earlier brokerage licence cancelled by a final judgment or decision.
Former officials
A former employee of the Ministry of Justice, or of a government real estate or urban planning unit, must have been gone three years or more.
A company must be formed under the Commercial Companies Law with brokerage as its main purpose, have its head office in Qatar and never have been declared bankrupt by a final judgment. Its responsible manager carries out the brokerage work in the company’s name.
Inspectors look at the office as well. Minister of Justice Decision No. 3 of 2020 wants an individual broker’s office to be permanent, used for brokerage and nothing else, licensed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as commercial premises and compliant with civil defence rules. Inside, there should be a private space for clients, access for disabled and older visitors, computers with property search software and somewhere safe for title deeds and client files. Outside goes a sign in Arabic with the activity and licence number.
Documents you need
For a company licence, the government services catalogue lists the commercial registration (or a reserved trade name if the company is not yet formed), the commercial licence and the establishment registration. For the responsible manager it lists the Qatari ID, a good conduct certificate addressed to the Real Estate Brokerage Department and a statement from employers covering the last three years.
For an individual broker, the renewal service lists a good conduct certificate, a work statement, an ID card and a rental contract or establishment registration for the office. We found no official page listing the first-application file for an individual, so confirm it with the Department on the portal. Every document must be valid on the day you apply.
How to apply
- Register the company
Reserve the trade name and register the company with activity 682010 on the Single Window. The Department’s approval is part of the CR stage.
- Prepare the office
Lease a suitable office in Qatar. An individual broker’s office must meet Decision No. 3 of 2020 and may be used for no other activity.
- Apply on the brokers’ portal
Submit the application and documents through the Ministry of Justice’s Real Estate Brokerage Portal.
- Decision
The Department decides within 15 days. Silence counts as refusal, and you may appeal to the Committee within 60 days.
- Fee, card and oath
Pay the licence fee, receive the card and take the oath before the Committee before you start work.
- Licence, individual broker
- QAR 10,000
- Licence, company
- QAR 20,000
- Each representative
- QAR 500
- Licence period
- 2 years
Checked 21 Oct 2026 in Minister of Justice Decision No. 30 of 2020 and Article 5 of Law No. 22 of 2017. A renewal is QAR 2,500 for an individual, QAR 5,000 for a company and QAR 200 for each representative.
On top of all this sit the CR and commercial permit fees that every company pays; they are in our cost guide. Wondering which other trades need a licence of their own?
Renewal and the rules while you work
Apply to renew in the month before the licence ends. The Department may still accept a request in the three months after expiry if you give an excuse it accepts. Renewal is filed on the same portal with up-to-date company and manager documents.
Before you market or advertise a property, the law asks for a written brokerage contract on the official form, a certified copy of the title deed with the survey plan, a certificate of the property’s status from the real estate registration department, a certificate that it has no violations and, for a mortgaged property, the lender’s consent. You keep numbered books approved by the Department and all records for five years.
Unlicensed brokers risk up to three months in prison and a fine of up to QAR 100,000, or either one; a non-Qatari is also deported.
How we help
We help you set up the company with the right activity, check the office against the Ministry’s specifications, and prepare the licence and representative files for the portal. The Real Estate Brokerage Department and the Committee decide every application.
