VoxxArrive · Qatar onboarding topic
Qatar's Residency & ID System: Ministry of Interior, General Directorate of Passports and Metrash — An Employer's Guide
In Qatar, residency and ID documents are issued by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) through its General Directorate of Passports, under Law No. 21 of 2015 regulating the entry, exit and residence of expatriates. Employers and residents manage Qatar ID (QID), residence permit (RP) and exit-permit services through the MOI's official mobile app — formerly "Metrash2," rebranded simply "Metrash" after the old app was switched off on 1 March 2025 — and the MOI web portal (portal.moi.gov.qa). Note that exit-permit involvement is now the exception rather than the rule: Law No. 13 of 2018 (extended by a 2020 ministerial decree) abolished the employer-approval exit permit for most private-sector and other workers, leaving only a 72-hour employer-notice window that auto-approves if the employer doesn't respond. Per a February 2024 MOI announcement (reported by Deloitte Middle East), employers and new arrivals must complete in-country RP procedures (medical exam, biometrics, contract legalization, QID issuance) within 30 days of arrival — a deadline MOI's advisors describe as reduced from a previous 90-day window, though it is not fully clear whether this reflects a change to the statutory text of Law No. 21 of 2015 or a tightening of enforcement of an existing requirement — with fines of up to QAR 10,000 for late completion.
Steps
- Secure work permit approval - Employer applies for the employee's work permit/quota approval through the Ministry of Labour, then applies for an entry visa for the worker before travel.
- Employee travels on entry visa - The worker enters Qatar on the approved entry permit; the 30-day residence-permit clock starts running from the date of arrival.
- Complete medical exam and biometrics - The employee attends an MOI/Ministry of Public Health medical and biometrics appointment shortly after arrival; results are linked electronically to the worker's file.
- Legalize the employment contract and file the RP/QID application - The employer legalizes the local employment contract and submits the residence permit and Qatar ID (QID) application via the MOI portal or the Metrash app.
- Receive the Qatar ID (QID) - Once approved, the General Directorate of Passports issues the QID card, which the employee needs for banking, healthcare, telecoms and continued lawful residence.
- Maintain and monitor status - Employers track QID/RP expiry and renewals on an ongoing basis via the Metrash app or portal.moi.gov.qa's residency-inquiry service. Exit-permit handling is now an exception-case item, not a routine one: since Law No. 13 of 2018 (extended by a 2020 ministerial decree) abolished the employer-approval exit permit for the large majority of workers, only a small minority of roles still require any employer response, and even then it auto-approves after 72 hours of employer non-response.
Timeline
Employers should budget roughly 1-2 weeks for work-permit and entry-visa approval before travel, followed by medical/biometrics within days of arrival, then RP/QID issuance. Per an MOI announcement effective 6 February 2024 (reported by Deloitte Middle East), all in-country residence permit procedures (medical, biometrics, contract legalization, QID issuance) must be completed within 30 days of the employee's arrival in Qatar. MOI's announcement and Deloitte's client alert describe this as a reduction from a previous 90-day window; this session could not independently confirm via Qatar's official legislation portal (Al Meezan) whether that reflects a change to the statutory text of Law No. 21 of 2015 or a tightening of enforcement of an existing requirement. Missing the 30-day deadline is treated as a violation carrying fines of up to QAR 10,000.
Cost & fees
Minister of Labour Decision No. 32 of 2025 sets a flat annual work permit fee of QAR 100 covering new permits, renewals and replacements for private-sector workers (Qatari nationals, children of Qatari women, and GCC citizens are exempt). Qatari employers are generally required to bear government work-permit and residency fees rather than passing them on to employees, and contract terms attempting to shift these costs to the employee are not considered enforceable in practice; however, the precise statutory article underpinning this rule was not independently confirmed this session (the draft's original citation to Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 traced to a single HR-platform aggregator and could not be corroborated against the law's actual text — see 'unverified'). Separate visa-issuance and residence-permit-conversion fees also apply, though exact current figures for those specific line items were not independently confirmed this session.
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
- Ministry of Interior Qatar - Residency Permit Inquiry (official portal)
- Deloitte Middle East - Residence permit procedures must be completed within 30 days of entry
- The Peninsula Qatar - Labour Minister sets fees for work permits, recruitment of workers, other services
- The Peninsula Qatar - Old Metrash2 App to be discontinued: Ministry of Interior
- GLMM (Gulf Labour Markets, Migration and Population) - Law No. 21 of 2015 Regulating the Entry, Exit and Residence of Expatriates
Frequently asked
Is Metrash2 still the platform employers use in Qatar?
No — the old Metrash2 app was discontinued by the Ministry of Interior on 1 March 2025 and merged into a rebuilt app now called simply "Metrash," which carries over existing accounts and adds roughly 100 additional services. The MOI web portal at portal.moi.gov.qa remains available in parallel.
Which authority issues the Qatar ID and residence permit?
The General Directorate of Passports, a department of the Ministry of Interior, issues the Qatar ID (QID) and residence permit (RP) under Law No. 21 of 2015 on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates.
How long do we have to complete residence permit formalities after a new hire arrives?
30 days from the date of arrival, per an MOI announcement effective 6 February 2024. MOI and outside advisors (e.g. Deloitte Middle East) describe this as shortening a previous 90-day window, though it isn't fully confirmed whether that was a formal legal change or a tightening of enforcement. This covers the medical exam, biometrics, employment-contract legalization and QID issuance; late completion can trigger a fine of up to QAR 10,000.
Can we charge the employee for the work permit or residence permit fees?
In practice, no — Qatari employers are generally required to bear government work-permit and residency fees, including the QAR 100 annual work permit fee set by Minister of Labour Decision No. 32 of 2025, and contract terms attempting to shift these costs to the employee are not considered enforceable. That said, this session could not independently confirm the precise statutory provision behind that rule, so treat the exact legal citation as unverified pending a direct check against Qatar's official legislation portal.