Definitive Guide to Hiring in Qatar

Hiring in Qatar

Hiring employees compliantly in Qatar means doing it yourself or using an Employer of Record like Global Expansion. You should be careful using independent contractor agreements in Qatar so that you don’t run afoul of employment laws. To hire an employee compliantly and offer them mandatory benefits and compliant agreements, you can:

(a) Establish your own new legal entity, banking, accounting and payroll service in Qatar; or

(b) use an Employer of Record like Global Expansion who can handle all of the details for you.

Labor Laws in Qatar

Employment laws in Qatar are uniquely suited to the country’s way of life, and crucial to understand if you want to employ local talent in this country. Get the details on Qatar employment laws and Qatar policies here.

Employee Probation Period

Annual Leave in Qatar

• 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

Holidays in Qatar

Maternity Leave Qatar

• 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.

Paternity Leave Qatar

Sick Leave in Qatar

• 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.

Working Hours in Qatar

• 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.

Overtime in Qatar

• When actual working hours exceed the regular working hours, the additional time shall be considered overtime work and the worker shall receive for those hours his regular pay plus an additional 25% at least for overtime
• Premium compensation for the work done during the night, weekends and public holidays is equivalent to at least 150% of the basic wage.

Termination of Employment in Qatar

• The Article 49 of labor Law states that if the employee is employed for an indefinite term, he may be terminated by either the employer or employee, giving written notice to the other. 
• No reason for such termination will have to be given by the party serving notice. 
• Various minimum notice periods are set out in the labor Law, but, in general, once the employee successfully adheres to the terms of probation period, at least one-month notice should be given to employees who have been employed by the same employer for a period of five years, and two months for employees who have completed more than five years of service.
• 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.

Notice Period in Qatar

• 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.

Severance in Qatar

• 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.

Qatar Salary and Wages

13th/14th Month Salary in Qatar

• No
• There is no statutory requirement to pay the 13th or 14th month salary.
• Bonuses are common in various forms such as children school tuition, houses, cars etc.

Immigration Qatar

• Foreign nationals may work in Qatar only if they have valid employment contracts sponsored by companies’ resident in Qatar. 
• An employment (work) visa is issued only if the applicant’s employment contract is approved by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs. 
• Foreign nationals may work only for the particular company that sponsors them. 
• A transfer of employment from one sponsor to another requires the approval of the Department of Immigration at the Ministry of Interior (MOI). 
• Under the provisions of the New Immigration Law, which became effective as of December 2016, a foreign national does not have to leave the country after the expiration of a fixed-term contract and before taking up a new contract in the state. 
• Foreign nationals can also change jobs before their contract ends if they obtain permission from their sponsor, the MOI, and the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs. 
• Foreign nationals with open-ended contracts can seek this approval after five years in their initial job.
• The Law on the Entry, Exit and Residency of Foreign Nationals Law No. 13 of 2018 was issued on 4 September 2018, amending certain provisions of Law No. 21 of 2015. 
• Under the amendment, Article 7 of Law No. 21 of 2015 has been replaced with a provision that stipulates that an expatriate worker covered under Qatar’s Labor Law has the right to temporarily or permanently exit the country at any time throughout the duration of his or her employment contract without an exit permit. 
• However, an employer may submit a prior application to the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs with the names of the employees that it deems necessary to obtain pre-approval before the employees leave the country due to the nature of their work.
• The percentage of such workers cannot exceed 5% of the total number of employees. Employment visas are valid from one to five years and are renewable. 
• Application for employment visas should be made in Qatar. 
• The application process takes approximately two to four weeks after all documents are received from a foreign national. 
• The following documents are required from an applicant: 
  • A passport 
  • Four passport-size photos 
  • Educational certificates 
  • For certain nationalities, a health declaration 
  • Proof that the applicant has no criminal record

Value Added Tax (VAT) in Qatar

• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have signed a VAT common framework, which forms the legal basis for the introduction of a VAT system in each of the GCC member states (Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates).
• The laws and respective executive regulations have not been published yet. It was expected that VAT, at the rate of 5%, would be implemented in 2018 or 2019. 
• However, it has been recently confirmed that VAT will not be introduced in 2019, and currently no official announcement has been made to confirm when VAT will actually be implemented in Qatar.

Payments And Invoicing

Payroll Accrual in Qatar

Country Accruals Additional Information

Description

Employers have to pay social insurance in respect of Qatari employees.

Payroll Accruals Additional Information

Accrued Benefits in Qatar

Why use Global Expansion to hire in Qatar

Establishing a branch office or subsidiary in Qatar can be time-consuming, expensive and complex. With such a robust labor market in place, one must pay great attention to detail when structuring employment because Qatar labor laws are complex.

The company also has a responsibility to comply with specific employment practices dictated by Qatar law to maintain its good standing as an equal opportunity employer.

Global Expansion makes it easy for you to expand into Qatar. We'll help you hire your candidate of choice, handle HR matters and payroll, and ensure that you comply with local laws without the burden of setting up a foreign branch office or subsidiary. In addition, you'll have complete control and direction over your employees.

We enable you to stay in control of everything. Our Qatar Global Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and Employer of Record (EOR) solution provides you with peace of mind to focus on running your company and the security to enter new markets.