CURRENT HIRING FOR QATAR

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A variety of visas are available to foreign nationals seeking entry to Qatar, including:

• Tourist visas

• Business visas

• Work visas

• Family visas

• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) resident visas

Foreign employees will need a work permit as well as a residence permit before they can begin employment in Qatar. The following documents are necessary in applying for a work permit:

• The employment contract

• A duly completed application form from the Ministry of Labour

• A medical certificate proving that the employee is in good health

• A copy of the employee’s passport

• Two passport photographs

• Any relevant educational certificates

• The immigration card of the employer

• The employment visa

• Biometrics, including fingerprints

To obtain a residence permit, the applicant will need to provide the following documents:

• A valid passport

• Two passport photographs of the employee

• The employment visa

• A copy of the company’s Commercial Registration

• A copy of the business’s immigration card

• The employee’s medical certificate

Visa Sponsorship in Qatar: Approximately 90% of the workforce in Qatar is composed of foreign nationals.  As such, almost all of our customers need Globalization Partners to sponsor the work permit for an employee in Qatar in addition to putting the employee on a local payroll.  This is a regular part of our service and can normally be arranged.  In some cases, the nationality or work history of an employee may need to be confirmed before we can confirm if our local company can sponsor the visa.

When negotiating with a candidate in Qatar, we recommend clarifying whether the employer will sponsor only the employee’s work and residency permit, or whether the Company will also sponsor the candidate’s family’s residency permits. For professional employees, it is common for the employer to sponsor the residency permit for the spouse and children.

For the purpose of this summary, we have assumed that our customers will be hiring white-collar, third country nationals or US expatriates in Qatar and sponsoring work permits.

It’s legally required to put an employment contract in place in Qatar which details the terms of the employee’s compensation, benefits, and termination requirements.  An offer letter and employment contract in Qatar should always state the salary and any compensation amounts in local rather than foreign currency. 

The maximum is 48 hours per week, 8 hours per day.  During Ramadan this is reduced to 36 hours per week, 6 hours per day. 

•  3 working days each for Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha

• 1 working day for the Independence Day

• 1 working day for National Sports Day

• 3 working days as specified by the employer

Statutory Minimum:  an employee who has completed one year of continuous service is entitled to annual leave with pay as follows:

1 to 5 years’ service:                       3 weeks paid leave

5 years’ service or more:                4 weeks paid leave

This is prorated for partial years of service.  The employer shall pay the employee before he takes his annual leave.  This will include the sum the employee is entitled to for the work he has performed up to the date of taking the leave in addition to the vacation pay for which the employee is entitled.

Market norm vacation allowance in Qatar is often increased to 4 weeks paid leave for executives.

In addition, employers provide an annual round-trip ticket to an employee’s home country at the time of vacation.  We suggest clarifying with employees whether the annual round-trip ticket will be provided for the entire family or only the employee.

Pilgrimage leave: Muslim employees are entitled to a pilgrimage leave without pay for a maximum of two weeks, once during the period of employment.

Employees in Qatar are entitled to paid sick leave after completing three months in service.  Employees can take up to two weeks.  A medical certificate must be submitted to claim this benefit. 

Female employees are entitled to 50 days maternity leave if they have worked for the company for an entire year. Up to 15 days may be taken before the birth and at least 35 days must be taken after. Women are eligible to take additional time as unpaid or as annual leave.

There is no statutory paternity leave, but many companies offer fathers 3 to 5 days of paid leave.

Qataris receive free or heavily subsidized healthcare. Expats will generally want supplemental insurance. 

Supplementary health and life insurance is often provided to employees as a benefit in Qatar.

When negotiating with a candidate, we recommend being clear as to whether health and life insurance benefits will be provided only to the employee or to the employee and family.  Globalization Partners will arrange insurance benefits as a part of our service when setting up the employee on our global employee leasing program.

Total compensation in Qatar normally breaks down into salary, housing allowance, and transportation allowance. Some employees may also negotiate education allowances for their children in Qatar.

In general, we recommend negotiating the total compensation package (a fixed total monthly inclusive of all allowances).  

Once the total compensation is negotiated, the local employment contract may break down the total amount into smaller amounts to account for the various allowances as required.

Other allowances and bonuses may often be negotiated for in Qatar, and may be taxable or not depending on the structure.

It is not legally required to pay a 13th month bonus on top of salary in Qatar.

The maximum probation period is 6 months.  An employee may not be subjected to more than one probation period with the same employer.  The employer may terminate the contract within the probation period with 3 days’ notice if the employer believes the employee is unable to fulfill job duties.

All employees who have completed more than one year of employment at an organization are entitled to end of service benefits in Qatar. The compensation due includes the base wage plus the cost of living allowance, if any, and:

• 3 weeks for each year of service up to 5 years of continuous service.

• 4 weeks for each year of service for the second 5 years of continuous service.

• 5 weeks for each year of service for the following 10 years of service.

• 6 weeks for each year of service which exceed 20 years of continuous service.

This sum is due to the employee within 7 days of his last working day with the organization.  In practice, most employers provide an amount equivalent to one months’ salary for each year or partial year worked.

In general, a 30 day notice period is required for employees on an indefinite contract if the employee has been employed less than 5 years.  If the period of service is more than five years, the notification period is at least two months prior to the date of termination.

Employers sponsoring work and residency permits bear the expenses of returning the employee to his or her home country, and should ensure that the employee leaves the country within seven days of being issued the exit permit. If this 7-day duration is exceeded, the employer may report this violation to the police or immigration authorities.

There are no personal income taxes or individual social security tax. 

Qatar has a relatively complex process for hiring foreign employees. To begin the process, a company will need to register with the Immigration Department within the Ministry of Interior. Company cannot apply for a work permit before completing this process. As the employer, need to provide several documents, including a copy of your trade license. Upon approval, company will be granted an Immigration Card and a Representative Card.

Next, the company must apply for a block of work permits for all of the expatriates you intend to employ. Company need to complete the application in Arabic and disclose the total number of foreign employees, their job positions, and their nationalities. Approval will be granted by the Ministry of Labour.

Upon the approval of the work permits, your company must apply for employment visas for each foreign worker. The necessary documents for each employee, which are listed in the previous section, must be submitted to the Ministry of Labour.

Employees can travel to Qatar after receiving their work visas. Within seven days of the employee’s arrival, company must lodge an application for their residence permit. The required documents are listed in the previous section, and they should be submitted to the Ministry of Labour.

Once the residence permit has been issued, the employee may begin working for your company in Qatar. These permits allow the employee to work for your company only. Permits can be renewed by your company on a case by case basis.

Company should make sure employees are aware that they are required to carry their ID and any relevant visas at all times. Labour officials may carry out inspections at business, and employees will need to produce these documents.

Employees should also know that they will need an exit permit to leave Qatar. This permit is issued by the Ministry of Interior and must be approved by the employer.