Work Visas and Permits for Companies in Qatar
A work visa in Qatar lets your company bring in an employee once the labour department has approved the job. The company needs an active establishment card, the Ministry of Interior issues the visa, and the employee’s residence permit must be completed within 30 days of arrival and renewed within 90 days of expiry. We prepare each file.
Work visas and permits at a glance
- After arrival, to complete residence procedures
- 30 days
- Of expiry, by when the employer renews a residence permit
- 90 days
- The longest a work permit lasts, tied to the residence
- 5 years
- Longest stay abroad without a return permit
- 6 months
From Law No. 21 of 2015 on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates and the Labour Law; see the sources at the end of the page.
Visa processing services for companies
Our visa processing services cover the company’s side of each file. Take one engineer hired from abroad. The signatory asks the Ministry of Labour to approve the job, at no fee, and the Ministry of Interior then issues the work visa for QAR 300. We prepare the papers for both steps and keep the dates.
Labour approval
The request for the jobs you need, with an active establishment ID.
Work visas
The documents for staff visas and work permits.
Residence permits
First issue, renewal and cancellation, on time.
Owners and families
Investor residence and family residence routes.
Labour contracts
Arabic contracts certified by the labour department.
Renewal dates
Tracking every card, permit and licence that expires.
Employment visas for staff, and visas for owners and family
An employment visa, which the Ministry of Interior calls a work visa on company sponsorship, needs an establishment card and an approved work permit first. Owners and investors follow a different route.
- Establishment card
An active establishment ID comes first.
- Labour approval
The Ministry of Labour approves the job, at no fee.
- Work visa
Issued by the Ministry of Interior for QAR 300, once the work permit is approved.
- Residence
Finished within 30 days of the employee’s arrival.
Work visas for employees
After labour approval and a work permit: attested certificates, a good conduct certificate attested by the Qatari embassy, the contract and a medical test taken abroad.
Owners and investors
Residence without a sponsor for investors under the foreign investment law, for five years and renewable. A partner who signs for the company may manage it with approval.
Family residence
An employee in a technical or specialised job on QAR 10,000 a month can bring a spouse and children. With family housing from the employer, QAR 6,000 is enough.
Business visitors
For a short trip, a trading or investment company asks, with prior approval, for a businessmen visa. The visa covers one month, with no extension.
Residence permits from first issue to cancellation
The employer has 30 days from a new hire’s arrival to finish the residence procedures. Say a new hire lands in Doha on 3 March: the employer then has until 2 April.
Later renewals are due within 90 days of the permit’s expiry, through Metrash2 or the Ministry of Interior’s e-services.
First permit on company sponsorship
- Contract
- Labour contract attested by the labour department
- Documents
- Signed form, original passport, establishment ID copy, photo, blood group certificate
- Cancellation
- Needs the sponsor’s and the employee’s signatures
- Time abroad
- No more than six months in a row without a return permit
Labour and other ministry transactions
Contracts in Arabic
The Labour Law wants them in Arabic. An English copy can sit alongside, but the Arabic wins if the two differ.
Certified contracts
Three copies of each employment contract go to the labour department to be certified.
Notice before work
Before anyone starts work, the employer sends the labour department its name, activity, staff list and manager.
Civil defence approval
Part of issuing or renewing a commercial licence, and requested on the Ministry of Interior’s e-services.
Some companies need one visa, others a whole team. Either way we prepare the files, check each document before it goes in and keep the renewal dates.
Related services
Common questions about work visas and permits in Qatar
How can I get a work permit in Qatar?
The employer applies, not the worker. First the authorised signatory, using an active establishment ID, asks for labour approval of the job on the Ministry of Labour’s Establishments Portal. That step costs nothing. The Ministry of Interior then issues the work visa, and the work permit runs with the residence, for up to five years.
Source: Hukoomi, Request to issue a labour recruitment approval (Ministry of Labour)
How many types of work permits are there in Qatar?
Four come up for a company. The standard permit goes with a work visa on company sponsorship. A special permit lets someone on family, GCC, permanent or investor residence work without changing it. Secondment permits, full- or part-time, last up to six months at a time, and temporary work visas serve listed sectors.
Is Qatar issuing work visas now?
It is, through employers. Once a company has an active establishment card and labour approval for the post, it applies to the Ministry of Interior. The file then needs attested certificates, a good conduct certificate attested by the Qatari embassy, the signed contract and a medical test done before the worker travels.
Source: Ministry of Interior, Department services (visas, residence permits, establishment and PRO cards)
Can a company owner get a residence visa in Qatar?
Often, yes. Under Law No. 21 of 2015, investors covered by the foreign investment law can hold residence without a sponsor, five years at a time, renewable. A partner with signing authority may also manage the company once approved.
Source: Law No. 21 of 2015 on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates (Al Meezan)
What are the family visa requirements for a business owner?
It depends on your residence route. On investor residence you may sponsor a spouse, children and parents, and none of them needs a job here. As a private-sector employee you need a technical or specialised job and QAR 10,000 a month, or QAR 6,000 if the employer gives family housing. Health insurance is required.
Source: Ministry of Interior, Department services (visas, residence permits, establishment and PRO cards)
What are the investor visa requirements for Qatar?
Four items, says the Ministry of Interior, for a residence of five years that can be renewed: a passport copy, a letter from the relevant authority confirming the investment, an attested good conduct certificate and a medical test done outside Qatar.
Source: Ministry of Interior, Department services (visas, residence permits, establishment and PRO cards)
How long does a Qatar business visa last?
One month, with no extension. The Ministry of Interior’s businessmen visa is requested by a trading or investment company in Qatar, with prior approval. Visitor rules change with nationality, so check the ministry’s list for your passport before you travel.
Source: Ministry of Interior, Department services (visas, residence permits, establishment and PRO cards)
Does my company need an establishment card?
Yes, if it will sponsor staff. The Ministry of Interior issues the establishment card to companies, renews it on expiry and adds branches. The application needs the commercial registration, the commercial licence and the authorised signatories’ ID cards. A first residence permit on company sponsorship asks for a copy.
Source: Ministry of Interior, Department services (visas, residence permits, establishment and PRO cards)
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.
- Ministry of Interior, Department services (visas, residence permits, establishment and PRO cards)
- Ministry of Interior, Work visa on company sponsorship
- Law No. 21 of 2015 on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates (Al Meezan)
- Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Al Meezan)
- Hukoomi, Request to issue a labour recruitment approval (Ministry of Labour)
- Hukoomi, Application for a special work permit (family, GCC, permanent residence, investor), Ministry of Labour
- Hukoomi, Permits for full-time secondment or work outside working hours, Ministry of Labour
- Hukoomi, Recruitment approvals for temporary work visas (Ministry of Labour)
Hiring from abroad soon? Send the number of people and a start date.
We reply with the papers each ministry asks for, in the order they are needed.