You can start a business in Qatar as an Indian citizen under the rules for any foreign investor. Law No. 1 of 2019 allows foreign ownership up to 100%, with an application above 49%, outside closed sectors. The extra steps are attested Indian documents, a representative in Qatar if you live in India, and Indian rules on the Indian side.
Ownership: the rules for any foreign investor
Qatar’s investment law has no separate chapter for Indian citizens. Law No. 1 of 2019 lets a non-Qatari investor hold up to 100% of a company’s capital in most sectors, with an application to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry above 49%. Banks and insurance companies, unless excepted, commercial agencies and fields named by the Cabinet stay closed. The ownership allowed is then set activity by activity, so the activity code comes first.
| Structure | Open to an Indian citizen | Points to know |
|---|---|---|
| Limited liability company | Yes, within the ownership allowed for the activity | One person may own all the capital; the manager needs a valid Qatari ID |
| Individual establishment (sole proprietorship) | No | The Single Window allows only Qatari and GCC nationals aged 18 or over |
| Branch of a company registered in India | Yes, as a registered branch | Branches of foreign companies must be entered in the commercial register |
| QFC, QSTP or Qatar Free Zones | Yes | Each lists 100% foreign ownership and issues its own licence |
What you need to start a business in Qatar as an Indian citizen
Mainland companies are set up on the Single Window, the online establishment service of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is open to foreigners as well as to Qatari citizens and residents. Two conditions shape the plan for a founder from India: the applicant needs an account in Tawtheeq, the national login, with a valid Qatari ID, and the company’s manager must also hold a valid Qatari ID.
If you already live in Qatar
With your Qatari ID you can open the Tawtheeq account and apply yourself.
If you live in India
A person in Qatar applies for you under an authorisation letter or a power of attorney.
The manager
Must hold a valid Qatari ID, so decide early who will manage the company in Qatar.
Government fees
QAR 500 for the commercial registration with one activity, QAR 300 for each extra activity and QAR 500 for the commercial permit, paid on the portal.
The Ministry of Justice issues a special power of attorney for government transactions. Keep it to named transactions and a fixed period. Your status as a resident or a non-resident Indian (NRI) is a question of Indian law. It changes your Indian tax and investment rules, not the Qatar steps above.
The fees above are only the first ones. How much it costs to start a business in Qatar in total, from the trade name to Qatar Chamber membership, is set out fee by fee in our cost guide.
Steps in India and steps in Qatar
| Stage | On the Indian side | On the Qatar side |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Indian rules on investing abroad apply to you. Confirm them with your bank in India or an Indian adviser. | Choose the activity codes and check the ownership and approvals shown for each on the Single Window. |
| Documents | Notarise and certify each document as the Indian authorities require. | The chain of seals must end with the Qatari mission in India; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs then attests it in Qatar. |
| Representation | Sign the power of attorney in India and have it attested the same way. | Your representative applies on the Single Window with a Qatari ID. |
| Capital | Transfers out of India follow Indian rules. | For an LLC, shares are paid in full at formation and cash is held in an approved bank in Qatar. |
| Tax | Your Indian tax and residence status follow Indian law. | The company pays Qatar income tax on the share owned by non-GCC owners; the India–Qatar agreement allocates taxing rights. |
Documents from India and their attestation
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests a document issued abroad only when it carries a chain of seals and signatures that ends with a Qatari mission abroad, or a foreign mission accredited to its Consular Affairs Department. For papers issued in India, the Qatari mission in India is the last stamp before Doha. The steps before it happen inside India and follow Indian rules.
MOFA’s Complete Attestation Outside Qatar service can handle the mission step for you. It sends the documents to the Qatari mission in the country of issue, and to that country’s foreign ministry if they are not yet authenticated, then returns them for recognition in Qatar. MOFA lists a completion fee of QAR 150, the equivalent of QAR 120 for the mission, and the host ministry’s own fees. A degree must come from a university on the Ministry of Education’s recognised list.
Choose the trade name with the same care. The Ministry refuses country names, so a name such as “India Trading” is not accepted, while “Al Borj Restaurant for Indian Food” is.
Tax: the India–Qatar double taxation agreement
Qatar and India signed a new agreement for the avoidance of double taxation in New Delhi on 18 February 2025, and the General Tax Authority publishes its text. It applies to residents of one or both countries, not to citizens as such. Once its provisions take effect, the 1999 agreement ceases to have effect.
| Point | What the 2025 agreement says |
|---|---|
| Who is covered | Persons resident in India, in Qatar or in both (Art. 1) |
| Business profits | Taxed only where the business is resident, unless it has a permanent establishment in the other country; then only the profits attributable to it (Art. 7) |
| Dividends | The paying company’s country may tax them, but not above 5% for a company owning at least 25% of the shares, and 10% in other cases (Art. 10) |
| Treaty shopping | A benefit is refused where obtaining it was one of the principal purposes of an arrangement (Art. 28) |
| Start | In force on receipt of the later of the two notifications; effective for income from the next fiscal year (Art. 30) |
On the Qatar side, a mainland company pays income tax at 10% on its profits, and the share owned by Qatari or GCC nationals is exempt, so the share of an Indian owner is taxed. The authority’s listing still shows the dates of the 1999 agreement and does not state when the new one entered into force. Ask an accountant which text applies to your income year, and an Indian adviser how India taxes what you receive.
Visiting to set up, then residence
Say you fly from Kochi to Doha to view premises. Qatar Tourism’s Visit Qatar site has a nationality checker. Pick India and it shows visa-free entry, as long as you have a confirmed hotel booking when you land. It shows no length of stay for India. Passport validity is another gap, since official sources give different minimums, so ask your airline and check Hayya before you book. The other way in is the businessmen visa. A company here asks the Ministry of Interior for it, it runs for one month with no extension, and the page shows a QAR 200 fee.
Meetings, viewings and signing papers are fine on a visit. Working is not. Nor does owning the company give you residence by itself. Many owners take a work residence permit through their own company: Article 16 of Law No. 21 of 2015 allows a partner who is authorised to sign to carry out administrative duties in it, with the authority’s approval. Article 30 provides residence without a sponsor for investors under the foreign investment law, on a letter from the concerned state body naming the investment.
To bring your family on a work residence permit, the residence regulations ask for a monthly salary of at least QAR 10,000, or QAR 6,000 with family housing from the employer. Staff you hire from India complete biometrics, the medical examination and the contract signing at a Qatar Visa Center in India, for example in Delhi, Lucknow or Kochi, before they travel.
How we help
We help you choose the structure and activity codes, list the documents to attest in India and the order to do it, and prepare the Single Window application with your representative in Qatar. We guide you through the residence and family steps after setup. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Interior and the other authorities decide each application; Indian requirements are for you to confirm on the Indian side.
