A company in Qatar needs the Ministry of Labour’s recruitment approval before it can issue work visas. It applies online through the Ministry’s establishments portal, stating the workers by gender, number and profession, and there is no fee. Approved numbers pass to the Ministry of Interior, where each visa is issued against the approval. Rules checked 21 Oct 2026.
What visa quota approval is
What companies call a visa quota is, in the Ministry of Labour’s words, a labour recruitment approval. It rests on Article 23 of the Labour Law: a non-Qatari worker may be employed only after the labour department’s approval and a work licence, and only if no qualified Qatari registered with the department can do the job. Qatari workers have priority in employment, and others may be employed if necessary. The worker must also hold a residence licence and be medically fit, and the work licence lasts as long as the residence, up to five years unless the department approves longer.
The approval states how many workers the company may bring, of which gender and in which professions. Once approved, it moves to the Ministry’s nationalities selection system and is then sent to the Ministry of Interior, which issues the work visas against it. An amendment is possible only while the company still has quota available.
Who can apply, and the conditions
Law No. 21 of 2015 sets out who may recruit. A company recruiting expatriates must have its head office or a branch in Qatar and be able to carry the responsibilities the law gives a recruiter towards each worker. In practice, the Ministry of Labour’s service asks for a company that is already set up and registered.
Active establishment ID
The establishment card from the Ministry of Interior, valid and not under a ban.
An authorised signatory
Someone named on the establishment card, with a smart card for the National Authentication System (Tawtheeq).
A real need
The request explains why the workers are needed and lists them by profession, type and number.
A clean record
No suspended transactions at the Ministry of Labour and no other request under review, on the fast track.
How to apply to the Ministry of Labour
- Open the service
On the Ministry of Labour website, open “Request to Issue a Labour Recruitment Approval” and click Apply.
- Log in
Choose the Establishments Portal and sign in to the National Authentication System with the authorised signatory’s smart card.
- Choose the establishment
Select the establishment ID of the main branch, or of the branch the workers are for.
- Fill in the request
Enter the contact details, the reason for the request and the workers needed by gender, number and profession, then submit.
- Ministry review
Ministry of Labour staff review the request and decide. There is no fee for the request itself.
The same portal handles changes. A request to amend an approval needs an existing approval, a valid establishment ID and quota that has not been used up; once approved, the change goes to the Ministry of Interior. A separate request renews an approval for work visas already sent to the Ministry of Interior, after the Ministry of Labour checks that the company is still eligible.
Fast track and other request types
| Request | Who uses it | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Fast track | New and existing companies | Up to 10 approvals on a new company’s first request; for existing companies, numbers in line with normal growth against current staff |
| Temporary work visas | Government bodies, energy and industry companies, firms with government contracts, or others the Ministry authorises | Approvals for workers brought in for a limited period |
| QFC companies | Companies in the Qatar Financial Centre | A separate special approval request through the QFC portal |
On the fast track, a new company asks for the workers it needs to start trading, within the ten-approval ceiling, and an existing one is measured against companies of a similar size and workforce. The person in charge at the company is responsible for the accuracy of what is entered.
After approval: entry visas and residence
With the approval in place, the company issues each visa on MOI e-services or Metrash2. The authorised signatory opens Recruitment and Visa, then Issue Visa, chooses “Approval Consumption”, picks the approval number, enters the worker’s nationality, profession and details, and pays. The visa number appears at once; Hukoomi notes that final approval takes three days.
The Ministry of Interior’s work visa on company sponsorship asks for the worker’s attested educational certificates, a good conduct certificate attested by the Qatari embassy, the employment contract and a medical test before travel. The fee shown is QAR 300. The contract is drawn up in Arabic and authenticated by the Ministry of Labour, which offers a digital service: the company creates it, uploads it signed by both sides and pays, and the contract receives an authentication code.
- Use the visa
An entry visa issued in advance can be used for 90 days. Before residence, it can be moved to another employer only with the labour ministry’s approval.
- Arrival
The worker completes residence procedures within 30 days of entry. The permit is issued after the medical examination and fingerprints.
- Guarantee
The Ministry of Interior may ask the employer for a bank guarantee of QAR 2,000 per worker, up to QAR 500,000.
Work entry permits may not be passed to anyone else, sold or traded, whether for payment or free. An approval is for the company’s own workers.
How we help
We help you work out the professions and numbers your activity needs, prepare the recruitment approval request and the justification with you, and then prepare each work visa and contract file in order. The Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Interior decide every request.
