VoxxArrive · Qatar onboarding topic
Qatar Employment Visa and Work Permit: The Employer-Sponsored MOL/MOI Route (2025-2026)
Qatar uses an employer-led sponsorship (kafeel) system where the Ministry of Labour (MOL) approves the work permit/quota and the Ministry of Interior (MOI), including Qatar Visa Centers (QVC) abroad, issues the entry visa and Qatari Residence Permit (QID) after medical screening and biometrics. Law No. 13 of 2018 and Ministerial Decision No. 95 of 2019 (announced 16 January 2020) abolished the exit-permit requirement for the vast majority of migrant workers (employers may still require exit permits for up to 5% of their workforce), and Law No. 18 of 2020 removed the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement so workers can change employers without their sponsor's consent, effectively dismantling the kafala system's core restrictions. Labour (Ministerial) Decision No. 32 of 2025, published in Qatar's Official Gazette on 25 September 2025, fixed the annual work permit fee at QAR 100 per private-sector employee, covering new issuance, renewal, and replacement.
Steps
- Register as a sponsor / secure a visa quota - The employer must be licensed with MOCI and MOL and hold an approved annual work-permit quota (block visa) before it can sponsor foreign hires.
- Obtain MOL recruitment/work permit approval - The employer submits a recruitment approval request to MOL specifying role, gender, number, and nationality; once approved, the request is transferred electronically to the nationalities selection system and then to MOI.
- Apply for the entry visa - MOI issues the entry visa (work visa) that lets the employee travel to Qatar; applicants from certain nationalities (e.g., India, Pakistan, Philippines) complete pre-departure biometrics and medical screening at a Qatar Visa Center before travel.
- Complete medical examination on/after arrival - The employee undergoes a medical fitness test (blood test, chest X-ray) at an approved medical center, generally required within 30 days of entry if not already done pre-departure.
- Register fingerprints/biometrics with MOI - The worker attends an MOI service center for fingerprinting and biometric capture, a prerequisite to issuing the residence permit.
- Receive the Residence Permit (Qatari ID / QID) - MOI finalizes the Work Residence Permit under company sponsorship; the employee should not exit Qatar until the QID is issued, completing the conversion from entry visa to residence status.
Timeline
Roughly 2-8 weeks end-to-end from MOL quota/recruitment approval through entry visa issuance to QID (residence permit) in hand; sources vary between a tighter 2-4 week estimate for the MOI visa-to-permit conversion and a broader 4-8 week estimate covering the full offer-to-QID cycle depending on document completeness and the employee's nationality.
Cost & fees
The annual work permit fee is fixed at QAR 100 per private-sector employee (new issuance, renewal, or replacement) under Labour Decision No. 32 of 2025, published in Qatar's Official Gazette on 25 September 2025 - unchanged from the prior rate for new/renewal permits. Qatari nationals, children of Qatari women, and GCC citizens are exempt from a separate, smaller document-attestation fee (e.g., attestation of employment contracts, certificates, and seals) under the same decision - not from the QAR 100 work permit fee itself, which is scoped to private-sector foreign-worker permits. Separate MOI charges apply for the entry visa and residence permit issuance/renewal; employers are legally responsible for covering government work-permit and visa fees and may not pass these costs to the worker.
Some figures on this page vary by jurisdiction, zone or nationality, or could not be independently confirmed from a public source at time of writing - confirm the current figure with the regulator before relying on it.
Sources
- Human Rights Watch - Qatar: End of Abusive Exit Permits for Most Migrant Workers
- ILO - Removal of exit permits to leave Qatar
- Amnesty International - Qatar: Partial abolition of 'exit permit' lifts travel restrictions
- The Peninsula Qatar - Ministry of Labour specifies revised fees for work permits, worker recruitment, other services
- DLA Piper GENIE - Qatar announces new labour fees and exemptions
- Ministry of Labour, Qatar - Work Permits Department e-service listing
Frequently asked
Do employees still need an exit permit to leave Qatar?
No, for the large majority of workers. Law No. 13 of 2018 removed the exit-permit requirement for most workers covered by the Labour Law, and Ministerial Decision No. 95 of 2019, announced 16 January 2020, extended this to previously excluded categories (domestic workers, government/public-sector employees, and oil, gas, agriculture, and maritime workers). Employers may still require an exit permit for up to 5% of their workforce under narrow, specified conditions.
Can an employee change employers without the current employer's consent?
Yes. Law No. 18 of 2020 removed the requirement for a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the current employer before a worker can change jobs, a core change often described as dismantling the kafala sponsorship system alongside the exit-permit reforms.
What does the employer pay for a foreign worker's work permit?
Under Labour Decision No. 32 of 2025 (published in Qatar's Official Gazette on 25 September 2025), the standard annual work permit fee for a private-sector employee is QAR 100, covering issuance, renewal, and replacement of lost or damaged permits. This is distinct from MOI's separate entry-visa and residence-permit fees.
Who is exempt from fees under Labour Decision No. 32 of 2025?
Qatari nationals, children of Qatari women, and citizens of other GCC states are exempt from the document-attestation fee (e.g., attestation of employment contracts, certificates, and seals) under Labour Decision No. 32 of 2025. They are not exempt from the QAR 100 work permit fee itself - that fee applies specifically to private-sector foreign-worker permits, a category these exempt groups would not typically need.