All You Need to Know About Qatar Residence and Work Permits
- 4 years ago
Residence and work permits, in the State of Qatar, have become easy and simple after the recently revised labor law, which is flexible in protecting all rights of the two working parties. Therefore, you can bring your family, to live with you in Qatar. Meanwhile, your wife can work in Qatar, but after registering in Recruitment Department at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs.
The Residency Permit – the basics
All newcomers wishing to work and live in Qatar require a Work Residence Permit (commonly referred to as an RP) for which they will need a Qatari employer (company or individual).
It is typically the responsibility of the employer to handle all paperwork required to obtain the Residence Permit on behalf of the expatriate. When a expatriates first enter Qatar, their employer will arrange for a temporary visa which is then converted to a Work Residency Permit – a process that typically takes 2-4 weeks and sometimes longer. Applicants may not leave the country during the period of visa-to-permit conversion.
The Residency Permit
Once an expatriate receives the Work Residence Permit, he or she can then access many other services, apply for further permits and licenses, sign a rental accommodation agreement, apply for a loan, and the list goes on.
Another key benefit of the Residence Permit is that it allows the worker to personally sponsor their immediate family members (spouse, sons, daughters) to join them and live in Qatar (see Family Residence Visa below).
Work Residence Permits are renewed each year by the expatriate’s employer.
Family Residence Visa – permission for your family to stay
Expatriates can sponsor their immediate family members. Every family member, including infants, must have an individual Family Residence Visa. The Visa can be purchased for a period of 1-5 years and is stamped in each family member’s passport.
Applicants are required to submit a number of documents, including authenticated marriage and birth certificates, no-objection letter and salary certificate from their employer.
Registering as a Working Woman
A woman who is in Qatar on a family sponsorship and who has approval from her husband may register to work without obtaining a separate work permit. Applicants may visit the Labor Department to complete the application process.
Request to Issue or Reactivate Residence Permit by Visa Number
This service enables individuals and establishments to issue a new residence permit (RP) for the expatriates who entered the country by a visa number and have no QID number.
The service is also used to reactivate the RP for those who entered the country by a visa number and have a previous RP (previous QID number).
Online Instructions
- Login with your smartcard to the e-services portal of the Ministry of Interior (MOI).
- Select “Residency Services” then “Issue/Reactivate RP by Visa Number”.
- Enter visa number, then fill in person’s details, address and required residency period.
- Choose means of delivery of the new RP: attending in person to the Expatriates’ Affairs Department or through Qatar Postal Services Company (Qatar Post).
- Pay service and delivery fees (if any).
Additional Information
Login is made using a smart card, and the user must be registered in Metrash2.
The entry visa for the person to whom a new RP is issued or an old one is reactivated shall be valid, and the person must be in Qatar.
Visa holder shall start the RP procedures by completing the medical examination and fingerprint ones in order issue a new RP or reactivate a previous one.
In case of reactivating an old RP, the current entry visa and the old RP must be linked together using the person’s fingerprint earlier registered in the system.
For establishments and companies, the new RP is received through Qatar Post.
Source: Government of Qatar - Hukoomi
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