Almost all migrant workers are now able to leave Qatar without first obtaining permission from their employers.

On 4 September 2018, changes made to the law regulating the entry and exit of expatriates removed the need for the majority of workers in private companies in Qatar to obtain an exit permit to leave the country either temporarily or permanently.

On 16 January 2020, a Ministerial Decision came into force, removing exit permit requirements for workers not covered by the 2018 law namely:

• domestic workers

• workers in government and public institutions

• workers employed in the oil and gas sector and workers employed at sea and in agriculture and grazing

In the Ministry of Interior (MoI) website, one can enter the Qatar Identity number and check their exit permit status online.

Click here to check if you require exit permit!

Note: Exit permit requirements remain in place for members of the armed forces and for a maximum of 5% of the total workforce per company, under strict conditions.

However, in the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor & Social Affairs (ADLSA) website, there are Exemption Criteria of Employees Exit Permit for the Establishments.

Requirements

You will need the following for this service:

• This service depends on the national documentation system to sign in and requires the use of a smart card.

Exemption criteria applying to workers requiring an exit permit before their departure from Qatar, based on the nature of their work, subject to the provisions of Labor law No. 14 of 2004 and the amendments, and Law No. 13 of 2018 amending certain provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015 in relation to organizing the entry and exit of expatriates and their residence.

Employers may submit an exemption request to the ADLSA, with the names and required information of each worker who would require an exit permit before departure from the country. This request cannot exceed 5% of the employer total work force.

Once the exemption request is approved by ADLSA, the workers will receive a text message on their registered mobile phone numbers informing them of the requirement to obtain an exit permit from the employer before leaving the country.

For those workers requiring an exit permit, this requirement must be stipulated in their contract of employment.

Positions for which exit permits may be requested are limited to the following:

• Chief executive and financial officers, who bear primary responsibility of financial affairs in the establishment, including financial planning, financial risk management, record keeping and financial

reporting

• Director in charge of supervising the daily operations of the business

• Director of information and communication technology

The exceptional request for certain positions to require exit permits must be submitted to ADLSA through its electronic platform, specifying the:

• name

• QID number

• mobile phone number

• job title of the worker, accompanied by a copy of his/her employment contract, as well as the reasons for the exemption request

ADLSA shall review the given information in accordance with the above mentioned criteria and the maximum 5% of the workforce rule.

Upon approval by ADLSA, the worker’s electronic data shall be automatically shared with the Ministry of Interior.

Any worker on the approved exception list, shall be entitled to submit a request to the Expatriates’ Exit Appeal Committee of the Ministry of Interior, requesting the removal of the exit permit requirement in unfair and emergency cases. 

The removal of exit permit requirements coupled with the ending of the requirement for migrant workers to obtain their employer’s permission to change jobs, effectively dismantles the “kafala” sponsorship system and marks the beginning of a new era for the Qatari labour market.

Read also: Complete Guide on Changing Employers in Qatar Without NOC

The ILO has worked closely with Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour & Social Affairs and with employers’ and workers’ organizations to support the adoption of laws, policies and procedures relating to exit permits and will continue to support reforms for the full abolishment of exit permits for all workers in Qatar. Further support is also being provided for the implementation and enforcement of the new law and Decision.