Updated on: 2025/03/11 04:48 (UTC)
Overview
Most private sector employment in Qatar is governed by Law No. (14) of 2004 (the “Labor Law”).
The Labor Law describes the minimum rights of employees. Any employer is free to exceed these rights but cannot override or reduce them.
Arabic is the official language in Qatar and the Labor Law is in the Arabic language, often without any official translation. By law, with a few exceptions, the Arabic version of any document will prevail.
Hiring
Employment Contracts
A contract of employment does not have to be written to be enforceable in Qatar, but an employer is required to ensure that all its employees have an employment contract that meets the minimum requirements of the Labor Law and is registered with the Ministry of Labor. If written, contracts must be in Arabic or in Arabic and another language and must be signed by both the employer and the employee. The Arabic version of any employment contract will be definitive.
An employee is specifically allowed to prove an employment relationship from a pattern of behavior if no registered contract exists.
Fixed-term employment contracts may not be for more than five years. If the contract is not renewed but the parties continue to implement it after expiration without an explicit agreement, the contract will be considered renewed for an indefinite period on the same terms.
An employee can be placed on a maximum of six months’ probation at the start of employment, but any period of probation must be specified in the contract; there is no automatic probationary period if the contract is silent. An employee cannot be on probation more than once with the same employer. During probation, the employer can terminate the employee’s contract on three days’ notice. There is no specific mention in the labor law of the employee’s termination rights during probation, so an employer is well advised to specify this in the employment contract.
Restrictions on Hiring
Permission is required for minors (those under age 18) to work, and hours and activities are restricted. An individual under 16 years of age cannot be employed and cannot enter any workplace.
Women are forbidden from working in dangerous, hard or harmful work.
Priority in hiring must be given to Qatari nationals. Non-Qatari workers may be employed only in case of need.
Recordkeeping
An employer must keep an employment file for at least one year following termination for each employee in which all papers, personal certificates, decisions and instructions are deposited. Employers also must maintain registers for:
- employees, including name, nationality, position, salary, start date, residence, marital status, scientific and practical competencies, licences obtained and penalties applied;
- wages, including names of employee, position, daily/weekly/monthly wages, piece or product wage (if applicable), wages paid, any deductions from wages and net wage received;
- penalties, including financial penalties levied on each worker;
- work injuries and
- end of service, including names, date of end of service, reasons and amount paid to the employee or his or her heirs.
Background Checks
The labor code contains no provisions governing background checks.
Noncompetition Agreements
Noncompete provisions are enforceable if:
- the nature of the employee’s work allows him or her to know the employer’s customers or business secrets;
- provisions are limited in terms of duration, location and type of work to the extent necessary to protect the employer’s legal benefits and
- the period is no longer than two years.
Reference Citations
Employment Contracts: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 4, 9, 38-41
Restrictions on Hiring: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 18, 86, 94
Recordkeeping: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 19, 48, 60, 115
Noncompetition Agreements: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 43
Immigration and Work Permits
In General
An employee from abroad may be recruited when a qualified Qatari national is not available, although the approval of the Labor Department is required to hire non Qataris.
Visas and Work Permits
A business in Qatar that employs foreign experts or technicians is required to train an appropriate number of Qatari employees nominated by the Labor Department on the work carried out by the foreign employees.
Foreign employees require employer sponsorship to work in Qatar. With limited exceptions for formal registered secondments and part-time jobs, employees can only work for the sponsoring employer. An expatriate who wants to bring family members to Qatar must act as their sponsor.
Employees on fixed-term contracts may change jobs without employer approval once their contract is completed. Those on open-ended contracts can switch employers without approval after five years. Employees need to apply to the labor ministry to switch jobs.
The maximum duration of the visa waivers vary depending on the country as follows:
- Nationals from 34 countries, including all of the Schengen Area Member States, may be issued a waiver allowing them to stay for up to 90 days (valid for 180 days from the date of issuance);
- Nationals from 46 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, may be issued a waiver allowing them to stay for up to 30 days (renewable for an additional 30 days and valid for 30 days from the date of issuance).
The complete list of countries can be viewed here.
On Sept. 5, 2018, the government announced that it would begin granting permanent residency to up to 100 expatriates each year. To be eligible to apply, residents born abroad must have lived in Qatar for 20 years, while residents born in Qatar need to have lived there 10 years. Applicants must also have a passing command of the Arabic language, sound legal standing and proof of sufficient income.
The continuation of the applicant’s residency in Qatar should not be interrupted by staying outside the country for over 60 days in a year and the duration of the stay outside of Qatar will be deducted from the balance of the residency within Qatar. If the applicant leaves Qatar after applying for the permanent residency permit for more than six months consecutively, the Minister of Interior has the right to disqualify the applicant’s previous residency duration in the country.
Expatriates who become permanent residents, as well as their spouse and children up to age 18, will be entitled to the same social security benefits as Qatar’s citizens, including free healthcare and education in government schools. They also will be able to form commercial companies without requiring a local partner and will be allowed to own real estate in the country.
Post-Entry Requirements
The employer has a duty to return any expatriate employee to his or her place of hire at the end of employment regardless of the reason for termination of employment. If the employee transfers to another employer while working in Qatar, the obligation to repatriate transfers to the new employer.
Effective Oct. 28, 2018, foreign workers and their employers, in most cases, are no longer required to file for exit visas and seek government permission before employees leave Qatar. However, employers may still require up to 5 percent of their employees to obtain permission before leaving the country because of the nature of their work.
Forms
Visa application forms.
Reference Citations
Visas and Work Permits: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 23-27; Labor Law No. 21 of 2015, §§ 7, 21
Post-Entry Requirements: Labor Law No. 21 of 2015, § 19
Nondiscrimination
In General
The Qatari Constitution lays down the principle that “all persons are equal before the law and there shall be no discrimination whatsoever on grounds of sex, race, language, or religion.” Other than some provisions protecting women, however, there are no specific prohibitions against employment discrimination in Qatari law or penalties for discriminatory acts, and discrimination claims by employees are rare.
Gender Discrimination
A working woman should be paid a wage equal to that of a man doing the same work and should have the same opportunity for training and promotion. A woman’s employment contract cannot be terminated due to marriage or maternity leave, and her employment cannot be terminated during maternity leave.
Reference Citations
Nondiscrimination: Constitution of Qatar, 2004, art. 35
Gender Discrimination: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 35
Employee Privacy
Employee Data
Employers must obtain employees’ consent to collect and process their personal data. Prior to collecting the data, the employer must provide employees with a complete explanation of why the data are being collected and how they will be used. Employee consent is not required in cases where the processing must be done to meet a legal obligation or protect employees’ interests.
Employers must take appropriate technical and organizational measures to securely manage personal data, and employees must be given the right to access, review, and correct their data.
Sensitive personal data can only be processed after obtaining authorization from Qatar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Employee Monitoring and Surveillance
Under Qatar’s Penal Code, it is a crime to intrude on an individual’s private life without consent by:
- opening private email,
- listening secretly to telephone calls,
- recording conversations that take place in private, or
- transmitting photos of an individual in a public place.
Reference Citations
Employee Data: Law No. 13 of 2016, Promulgating the Protection of the Privacy of Personal Data, arts. 3-10
Employee Monitoring and Surveillance: Penal Code, 2004, art. 333
Compensation
Hours of Work
The maximum working week in Qatar is 48 hours over six days except for the month of Ramadan when it is reduced to 36 hours per week. Employees must get at least one rest day a week, usually Friday, and many companies provide a Friday-Saturday weekend. Employees must be provided with a break of at least an hour during the working day for prayer, rest, and meals and cannot legally work more than five consecutive hours.
Minimum Wage
Prior to March 7, 2021, Qatar’s minimum wage was 750 riyals per month. Effective starting March 8, 2021, as part of the country’s new labor reforms, Qatar’s minimum wage is 1,000 riyals per month for workers provided food and accommodations. For workers who are not provided food or accommodation, the employer should provide additional amounts as follows:
- 300 riyals per month, for workers receiving food stipends; and
- 800 riyals per month for workers receiving stipends for food and accommodations.
The new rate, established through Law 17 of 2020 on Setting the Minimum Wage for Workers and Domestic Workers, applies to current employment contracts even if they differ. The law also establishes that pay may not be lowered if a current contract pays more than the new minimum wage, and overtime must be based off at least the new minimum wage.
Overtime
Employees are entitled to overtime at statutory rates for any additional hours worked. The standard overtime premium is 25 percent. Employees who work between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.—with the exception of shift workers—receive a 50 percent increase in wages. Daily overtime cannot exceed two hours.
Managers are not eligible for overtime unless this is stipulated in their contracts.
Wage Payment
All employees subject to the Labor Law must be paid the salary specified in their employment contract in Qatari riyals into a Qatari bank account.
Payment must be made through the wage protection system set up between Qatari banks, the Qatari Central Bank and the Ministry of Labor.
No part of an employee’s salary may be seized except in implementation of a court order. Total deductions from an employee’s salary may not exceed 50 percent; deductions that would be greater than this must be spread over several pay periods. Any loans from the employer to employees cannot be interest bearing, and the employer may deduct no more than 10 percent of the employee’s salary for repayment.
Employers cannot require employees to purchase food or goods sold in specified shops or produced by the employer.
Mandatory Bonuses
Employees who have been employed for more than a year at the end of their employment are entitled to an end-of-service benefit calculated on the basis of three weeks’ basic pay per year’s work and pro rata for partial years. This benefit is payable in all circumstances unless the employee is dismissed for gross misconduct.
Reference Citations
Hours of Work: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 73
Overtime: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 74
Wage Payment: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 66
Mandatory Bonuses: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 54
Benefits
Vacation
All employees who have completed one year of continuous service are entitled to a minimum of three weeks’ paid vacation a year. This increases to a minimum of four weeks once an employee has worked for a company for more than five years. Employees are entitled to three further days on dates set by the employer, often for periods that a parent company may be closed, such as New Year’s day or non-Islamic religious festivals.
The Labor Law specifies that salaries for holiday periods should be paid in advance of employees taking their vacations. The employer can mandate when the leave will be taken and may divide it, with the consent of the employee, into two periods.
Holidays
There are ten paid public holidays in Qatar:
- Eid Al Adha (three days)
- Eid Al Fitr (three days)
- Independence Day
- three working days to be specified by the employer.
Employees who are required to work on a public holiday are entitled to 250 percent of their regular pay plus an additional day of rest.
Maternity Leave
The Labor Law provides for paid maternity leave of 50 days for women who have been employed for a year at the beginning of the leave and produce a medical certificate issued by an authorized physician estimating due date.
There is no provision for maternity leave for women who have been employed for less than a year on delivery, although often unpaid leave is provided.
Leave can be taken both prior to and following delivery, but a woman must plan for a minimum of 35 days’ leave post-delivery. If the period of maternity leave available after delivery is less than 30 days, the employee must use annual or unpaid leave to make up the difference.
If a woman is medically unable to return to work after maternity leave, she can take up to 60 additional days of unpaid sick leave.
On return to work, a woman who is breast-feeding is entitled to a paid hour’s leave every day to nurse her child. The employee is entitled to take this leave on a daily basis for a year following the end of her maternity leave, the times set by the employee and forming part of her working day, i.e., her daily hours are reduced without pay being affected.
Paternity Leave
There is no provision for paternity leave under the Labor Law.
Sick Leave
The first two weeks of sick leave in any year are compensated at full pay, the next four weeks at half pay and the remainder is unpaid up to a maximum of 12 weeks’ sick leave a year. Sick leave cannot be granted until the employee has completed three months of service with the employer.
The employee may be dismissed at the end of the 12th week if a physician’s report shows that the employee is unable to return to work.
Other Leave
The Labor Law provides that all Muslim workers are entitled to 20 days’ unpaid special leave to go on Hajj once during their service with the employer. The employer can determine the number of employees who can be permitted to take this leave annually (based on work requirements), and priority for leave should be based on length of service.
Pensions and Social Security
The legal retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women with 15 years’ contributions to the fund. Early retirement is allowed at age 40. The pension benefit is 5 percent of the insured’s average gross earnings in the five years before retirement for each year of contributions. The minimum monthly pension is 75 percent of the insured’s gross monthly earnings, the maximum 100 percent. If an employee takes early retirement, the pension is reduced by 2 to 2.5 percent for each year the pension is taken before the normal retirement age.
Employees contribute 5 percent of gross earnings to the combined old age, disability, and survivors’ fund, employers 10 percent of gross payroll.
Workers’ Compensation
Under the Labor Law, an employee injured on the job is entitled to medical treatment at the employer’s expense and to his or her full wage during the treatment period or for six months, whichever is shorter. If the treatment continues for a period exceeding six months, the employee must be paid half wages until recovery or proof of permanent disability or death.
Reference Citations
Vacation: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 68, 79-80
Holidays: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 75, 78
Maternity Leave: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 96
Sick Leave: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 82
Other Leave: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 83
Pensions and Social Security: Law No. 7 of 2013 on the Social Health Insurance System
Workers’ Compensation: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 109
Labor Relations
In General
When a company has a least 100 Qatari employees, they have the right to form a labor committee. Only Qataris may be members.
Right to Organize
Labor committees operating in similar professions and industries can form public committees for that particular profession or industry and public committees can form a general union.
Labor organizations are not permitted to:
- perform any activity related to political or religious matters;
- prepare, print or distribute leaflets that may harm the government;
- engage in financial speculation of any type or
- accept gifts or donations without the consent of the Ministry of Labor.
In practice, any form of workplace organization is rare in Qatar.
Works Councils
The Labor Code does not address works councils.
Dispute Resolution
There are special courts to hear employment disputes.
Employment disputes are normally initiated by a complaint to the Labor Department at the Ministry of Labor and with the exception of claims for workplace injuries must be brought within one year after termination or expiration of the employment contract. For workplace injuries and diseases, claims must be brought within one year of the final medical report confirming the disability (or death) resulting from the injury or disease.
Strikes and Lockouts
Employees can strike in certain situations, but there are strict limitations and in practice strikes are virtually unknown. Employees in “vital fields” including petroleum, gas and related industries, electricity, water, transport and hospitals cannot strike.
Successorship Clauses
The employment contract will not be automatically terminated if the company merges with another or its ownership or management is transferred to another entity.
Reference Citations
Right to Organize: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 116, 119
Dispute Resolution: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 58-59
Strikes and Lockouts: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 120
Successorship Clauses: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 52
Safety, Health and Security
In General
Under the Labor Law, employers must take all necessary measures to protect employees from injury or illness while at work. A workplace can be closed by the Ministry of Labor if there is a concern about the safety of employees, and an employer would have to pay its employees during the closure.
Workplace Safety and Health
Specifically, an employer has a duty to:
- train employees on health and safety issues, both general and those specific to the particular workplace;
- display health and safety instructions in a prominent place in the workplace;
- make arrangements to guarantee the cleanliness and ventilation of workplaces and make sure there is appropriate lighting, drinking water, cleanliness and water drainage;
- if employing five to 25 people, provide a first aid box and train an employee in first aid;
- if employing 26 to 100 people, provide a first aid box for every 15 employees;
- if employing more than 100 people, employ a nurse or provide a full medical clinic and
- periodically test employees who are at risk of an occupational disease.
Employees in turn are under an obligation to observe health and safety procedures and to use any protective equipment provided.
In the event of an occupational accident, the employer must:
- notify the police and the labor department immediately if an employee dies due to an occupational accident or within three days if an employee is found to have contracted an occupational disease;
- where treatment is prescribed by a competent medical authority, pay the medical expenses of any employee injured in an occupational accident;
- pay the victim of an occupational accident his or her full salary for the first six months of treatment and half salary after six months until treated fully or declared permanently disabled; and
- pay compensation to any employee (or survivor) injured in an occupational accident in accordance with the compensation principles of Islamic Shari’ah.
The obligations to pay medical expenses, salary and compensation do not apply if it can be proved that the employee:
- intended self harm,
- was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and that this caused the accident,
- intentionally violated or ignored health and safety procedures or
- refused without good reason a medical examination or treatment prescribed by a competent medical authority.
Drug and Alcohol Use
Qatar is an Islamic country and restricts drug and alcohol use, which can result in criminal penalties. An employee can be summarily dismissed without payment of the end-of-service benefit if found to be drunk or under the influence of a drug during working hours.
Reference Citations
Workplace Safety and Health: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 99-104, 108, 111
Drug and Alcohol Use: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 61
Termination
Termination by Employer
An employee cannot usually be dismissed part way through a fixed-term contract unless the employer pays the remainder of the contracted fee.
Under the Labor Law, an employee can be dismissed on notice at any point during an indefinite-term contract. No reason for termination is required, although minimum notice periods must be adhered to:
- one month if the employee has five years’ service or less and
- two months if the employee has more than five years’ service.
Article 61 of the Labor Law provides an exception to the general rule and allows summary dismissal for gross misconduct. If an employee is terminated under Article 61, the employer does not have to pay the end-of-service benefit or provide notice (or in the case of a fixed-term contract, pay out the balance of the fee) but is still obligated to repatriate the employee. A summary dismissal is valid under Article 61 if the employee:
- pretends to be someone else, claims another nationality or submits forged documents or certificates;
- commits an error resulting in serious material loss to the employer (provided that the employer notifies the Labor Department of the incident no later than the following working day after becoming aware);
- violates more than once instructions related to preservation of safety of workers and the establishment if a written warning has been previously issued and the instructions are in writing and displayed in a conspicuous place;
- violates more than once any fundamental obligation set out in the employment contract or under the law if a written warning has been previously issued;
- reveals business secrets;
- is found drunk or under the influence of drugs during working hours;
- attacks the employer, manager or other superior during work hours or as a result of work;
- repeats an assault on a colleague following a written warning;
- is absent from work without a valid reason for more than seven consecutive days or 15 nonconsecutive days during the year or
- is convicted by a final judgment of a crime involving immorality or dishonesty.
An employee can also be dismissed at the end of the 12th week of absence due to sickness if a medical report verifies inability to return to work. In this case, the employee remains entitled to the end-of-service benefit.
On termination, the employer must also:
- provide at the employee’s request a certificate of service stating the date of commencement of employment, date of termination, type of work and amount of wage earned;
- return any certificates or other documents held by the employer and
- provide a repatriation flight if the employee is not a Qatari national.
Termination by Employee
Under the Labor Law, an employee can resign with notice at any point during an indefinite-term contract. No reason for termination is required, although minimum notice periods must be adhered to:
- one month if the employee has five years’ service or less and
- two months if the employee has more than five years’ service.
Under Article 51 of the Labor Law, an employee can resign part way through a fixed-term contract or without giving notice under an indefinite-term contract if:
- the employer breaches its obligations under the employment contract or the Labor Law,
- the employer or a manager commits a physical assault or an indecent act towards the employee or any member of the employee’s family,
- the employer or any of its representatives misled the employee regarding the terms and conditions of employment at the time the employee entered into the employment contract or
- there is grave danger threatening the safety or health, of the employee of which the employer is aware and has taken no action to ameliorate.
Except for these reasons, an employee who terminates a fixed-term contract before its expiration may be required to compensate the employer.
Plant Closings and Mass Layoffs
There are no provisions governing plant closings or mass layoffs in Qatar.
Payment on Termination
With very limited exceptions, the employer must pay the employee before the end of the working day following the termination or expiration of the employment contract:
- all amounts due to the employee including wages for the notice period and any amount of accrued but untaken annual leave and
- any end-of-service benefit due.
All employees who have been employed for more than a year at the end of their employment are entitled to an end-of-service benefit calculated on the basis of three weeks’ basic pay per year’s work and pro rata for partial years. This benefit is payable in all circumstances unless the employee is dismissed for gross misconduct.
Unemployment Insurance
Unemployment benefits are available to Qatari citizens but not to foreign nationals working in the country.
Reference Citations
Termination by Employer: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 49, 61-62
Termination by Employee: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), art. 51
Payment on Termination: Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004 (as amended), arts. 51, 54
Personal Taxes
Residency Requirements
Qatar does not tax employment income.
Taxable Income
Qatar does not tax employment income.
Tax Rates
Qatar does not tax employment income.
Reference Citations
Tax Rates: Qatar does not tax employment income.
Web References
Constitution of Qatar
Labor Law, No. 14 of 2004
Labor Law, No. 21 of 2015