No one wants to be part of a road accident. But it is always best to be informed on how to act and react if you ever get involved in a car accident in Qatar, no matter how minor.
This article has the information you should know regarding the Police Report, Insurance Claim and procedure to follow if involved in a car accident in Qatar.
Different Scenarios of An Accident
Let’s see the different actions to be taken depending on the accident you are involved in.
Scenario 1: Minor Accident
Once the vehicle stops, immediately turn on the hazard warning lights to signal to other vehicles. If both parties agree, you can move the vehicle to the side of the road in order not to block traffic.
Before moving the vehicles, take at least four photos of them, with at least one showing the number plates.
PLEASE NOTE: Ministry of Interior has announced that in case of accidents where there are no injuries, the vehicles shall be moved to the nearest parking area not to block the traffic. Otherwise, you will be fined QAR 1000, and three points will be registered against your license.
Once you have moved the vehicle, take down the other driver’s phone number, name and Qatar ID number if possible.
As per the new procedure, drivers can file online reports of minor traffic accidents and upload photos of the damage in both cars using the Metrash2 app.
This service saves the time of waiting for the traffic car to arrive and makes no need for both drivers to visit the Traffic Dept. in minor accidents.
Step to be followed for online reporting:
- Ensure that the location service of your mobile is enabled.
- Open the Metrash2 app on your smartphone.
- Select Traffic >> Traffic Accident >> Accident Registration.
- The app shows the current cell phone position as the accident location and shows the first QID no. as it belongs to the first car’s driver.
- Enter both cars numbers, drivers’ QIDs and cell phone numbers.
- Attach photos of both vehicles.
- Agree on the legal responsibility and submit the report.
- A notification SMS will be sent to you asking to wait for another message to complete the procedures.
If the responsibility is clear in the accident, the investigator will complete the report and register the accident. SMSs will be sent to both parties to print insurance and repairing reports (for the harmed party) through the MoI website by using the sent accident number.
If the accident requires further investigation, the investigator will report that the investigation is incomplete. SMSs will be sent to both parties to head to Traffic Dept. to complete the investigation.
Scenario 2: Injury / Major Damage / Parties do not agree on who is at fault
- Do not move the vehicles no matter the obstruction that they may be causing to the other road users.
- Call the police (999) as they need to see the position of all vehicles to assess responsibility.
- Request for an ambulance if someone is injured.
- Follow Step 2 (below).
Scenario 3: Hit and run / Accident or scratch while at the parking
- Go to the police station closest to the scene of the accident.
- They will open a file, and you will have to wait for a week in case someone comes forward to claim responsibility.
- Thereafter you will receive a police report which will enable you to fix your car.
- Follow Step 4 (below).
Scenario 4: Accident without another party (Hit on a stationary object)
- Go to the police station closest to the scene of the accident.
- You will receive a police report enabling you to fix your car.
- You can claim insurance if your car is fully insured. If it is only 3rd party insurance you would have to bear the expenses at a garage.
- Follow Step 4 (below).
Car Accident in Qatar: Steps To Be Followed
Step 1: Emergency calls – Police / Ambulance
- Police: 999 / 44890699 / 44890670
- Ambulance: 999
- Hamad Hospital: 44392222 / 44393333
Step 2: When Police arrive on the scene
At the scene of the incident, you will be asked to provide your license, vehicle registration and insurance documents. Then they will issue you with red or green paper. The red indicates that you are at fault, while the green means that you are not at fault.
After police verify the accident on-site, you will receive an SMS with an accident file number asking you to visit the insurance company. The accident details would be passed on to the insurance company through an electronic link.
You can also receive updates as SMS and on the Metrash2 mobile application.
Step 3: At the Police Station
- Take the car along so that police can inspect if needed.
- If you don’t speak Arabic, it is better to take a colleague or friend who speaks Arabic. Qatar police officers speak English, but not all are very fluent. Miscommunication may land you in more trouble.
- Ensure to carry all the documents – Qatar ID, Driving License, Vehicle Registration (Istimara) and Insurance documents.
- Do not sign anything unless you fully understand what it is.
- Do not accept the blame if you think it is not your fault.
- Do not lose your temper / use bad language / aggressive behaviour.
- Be patient, smile and be respectful to the police.
Once the report is filed, you can get the report on the Metrash mobile app or MoI website using this link.
Step 4: Insurance Claim
If you are not at fault, then find out from the other driver which insurance company his car is insured with. You will probably need to call them or go to their offices to complete the formalities.
Documents required for the insurance claim:
Take your car to the claims office of the insurance company with the following documents:
- The police report from the accident
- Police approval to repair
- Copy of both sides of your car registration
- Copy of both sides of your driver’s license
Once you file a claim, they will inspect your car and take photos for their records.
Often this may not be required as the insurance claim process is online nowadays. Traffic Police will send the report directly to insurance companies and advise you on on what to do.
With some insurance companies, you can submit documents via the website, email or fax. You can contact your insurance company’s call centre to check about this.
Step 5: Garage Repair
It is illegal for any garage in Qatar to carry out an accident or bodywork repair on your vehicle without the paperwork from the police and or insurance company.
In the case of an insurance claim, the insurance company will tell you which garage you can take the car to. They will also give you a paper to give to the garage, and you will not have to pay for the repairs.
Situations when your motor insurance does not cover you
The motor insurance does not cover you and the damages you cause if:
- You do not hold a valid driver’s license
- You are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- An accident happens if you cross the red light
- An accident happens while you drive at an excessive speed
- You drive on sand dunes without off-road cover
Please refer to your policy wordings for an exhaustive explanation of the coverage.
Wish you all accident-free safe driving!
READ NEXT: Complete Guide To Fahes Vehicle Inspection
Related Articles:
- 13 Traffic Violations in Qatar That Can Land You in Jail
- Things To Know Before You Rent An Apartment In Doha
- How to Get an International Driving License in Qatar
- Qatar Traffic Signs And Their Meanings
- Qatar Driving License Procedure
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What is the complaints’ procedure if an insurance company is asking you to pay for the repairs of your car in a scenario that the accident is not your fault and the faulty party has a third party insurance? This is after receiving a Police report.
There is a minor scrach while parking, not an accident. Do I still need to report to police?
Hi Srini, If you plan to get it repaired or repainted you will need accident report from police. If it is very minor, no other vehicle was involved, and you don’t want to repaint, you can leave it.
We hit the bumber of a car in front of us inside our parking area while we are parking. The affected car was just parked. There were scratches and the plate number was detached. We tried to locate the owner of the car in our apartment building but we cannot locate him. We tried many times to knock on his apartment but It seems that he is on vacation as nobody is answering. I just leave a note on his
car wiper saying that I want to speak with him and we left out contact number. I tried to report the minor accident on metrash but it is asking for the affected QID and Contact number. What should we do?
Hi Yogi, If you can’t contact the owner, visit Traffic Department and show the photo of the car with plate number. They will enter it in the system.
I got my license few days ago only, i would like to know that, is there any restrictions to drive vehicle?
is it true that my could be cancelled if i make any accident in first 6 motnhs of my license issue?
Hi Subhash, There are no restrictions.
How long a police report valid to claim insurance?
Hi Mohamed, Usually it is valid for 30 days. Please confirm with your insurance provider also (may be their policy is different).
Hi I’m the Affected party of the accident, so my car cannot move from the location, but all methrash registration done and sms received to contact insurance company, so bring my car to insurance/garage i need to use recovery vehicle, then may i know who will be pay for the recovery vehicle cost?
Hi Manoj, If the vehicle needs a towing services, you need to contact the other party’s insurance company. Either they will pay or reimburse you.
This is great, but I have a friend who was knocked down while on a motorcycle and broke his hand, the other party accepted the fault and told him to claim to be paid for he is insured, but we don’t know where to start from.
Resourceful article. Legal aid or legal service is really important for everyone. Most of the time generally we don’t have a clear idea about the law. But this article helped me a lot to understand. Thankyou to the author for very informative writing.
A police officer in mattar behaved badly after the other guy I had accident with lied
to him and i want to report both of them
Is there a penalty for someone that hit from behind?
is there a fee to get the police report online?
How I check my accident report in my mobile phone .I have already police SMS
Hi,
One guy came and banged my car from the back and police has confirmed that it is his fault. This guy does not have any third party insurance and police asked me to get the quotation from three garages. I bought the quotation and this guy is not agreeing to pay the money and police is completely backing him. Police said to me that, you can file a case if you do not agree,
I want to know what is the procedure to file a case and does it cost me any money, do I need to visit court for the hearings.
Kindly help me.
Hi everyone,
We are glade to infrom you all that if there is any emergency breakdown or any accident you all can contact us for the road assistanc. We do provide breakdown truck , fell free to contact us on (66160168). We are working 24*7.
“We Assist You Any where Any time”
Hi Doha Guides Team you’re doing a great job, I really appreciate.
Please help in this below case.
I met a major accident in the signal while my way was green and the opposite side guy violate the signal and hit my car when he was taking left.
The Traffic police after checking the CCTV it was not my fault, he prepare the reports and they issued the vehicle repair paper and I received the message for Insurance details.
Also the next day I received a message from MOI that my incident was transferred to Traffic prosecution.
When I visit the Insurance office they asked me to bring my car to the Garrage which they mentioned.
I spend myself for the breakdown to take my car to Garrage and after the Surveyor inspection they told me that the car was hit very badly and cannot repair. So they will cancel the car pay the money it cost. The next day they called me and offer very few money and I ll loose two times of the car cost I bought in the market.
Please let me know what I have to do in this situation, let me wait for the court justification or else bargain them to get little more money.
Also how long it will take the court case to be done.
Please advice.
Thank you very much
Hi Shibin, That is really unfortunate. Court case may take few months. You can try negotiating with the insurance company. If they don’t offer a reasonable amount, proceed with court.
Thank you so much
You are welcome!