Qatar Labour Law: Important Things To Know (2024)

In 2015, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued law no 21 for 2015 regarding Regulation of the Expatriates Entry, Departure, and Residence. Here are the explanations for the main articles in the law.

Here are some extracts about the significant changes to Qatar Labour Law with the official wordings used in each legal article.

Qatar Labour Law: Introduction

The employment relationship in Qatar is principally governed by the provisions of Law No. 14 of 2004 Regulating Employment.

The Qatar Labour Law ratifies the minimum standard of rights and benefits for employees to which employers must adhere and the obligations of employees working in Qatar. Law No. 21 of 2015 detailing the foreign national’s entry, exit, and residency regulations has been in force since 2016.

Note that the term ‘recruiter’ has been used instead of the sponsor but refers to the person or company who hired the worker.

Article 8 – Custody of Passport

• The recruiter shall hand over the passport of the expatriate worker or his travel document to him upon finalizing the necessary procedures for issuing his residency permit or renewal.
• The worker can request in writing to the recruiter to keep for him such documents. But these should be handed over when requested by the expatriate worker.
• The residency permit shall be done or renewed within 90 days of its expiry date.

Article 12 – Residency Permits for Family

• The concerned department at the Ministry of Interior can grant residency permits for the spouse, undergraduate sons of up to 25 years old and unmarried daughters of the expatriate worker.
• However, the Minister of Interior or his deputy may exempt such age conditions.
• Also, the expatriate worker can be granted a residency permit for his parent through approval by the Minister of Interior or whom he may ever delegate when such request is justified.
• However, the conditions for granting such residency approvals shall be regulated by a decision of the Minister of Interior.

Article 14 – Staying Out of Qatar

Expatriate workers who have residency in the country shall not stay outside the country for more than six months unless they get a permit to return to the country before the passage of one year on their exit, on the condition the expiry date of their residency did not exceed 60 days.

However, the Minister of Interior or his deputy may overlook such designated periods.

Article 16 – Designated Works Only

Expatriate residents shall only use their residency permits for the designated licensed purpose. The worker cannot quit work at his recruiter or work at another entity without prior authorization.

Article 17 – Responsible Parties for Each Visa

Those responsible for the residency of expatriates are as follows:

• the employer for the expatriate workers
• the family head for his family members in the country
• the host for those on a visit visa
• the concerned entities in the country for the expatriate coming to the country for other purposes

Article 19 – Notification About Workers Who Quit

The recruiter shall notify the concerned department within 14 days about the expatriate workers who quit working for him or his refusal to leave the country after the expiry or cancellation of his residency permit within the legal period or otherwise the expiry of his visit visa or the purpose for which he entered the country.

• The recruiter shall bear all the expenses of repatriating the expatriate worker.
• If the worker was working for other than his recruiter, such entity or person should pay the cost of repatriation.
• In case of the death of the expatriate worker, the recruiter shall pay all the costs of burying the body at the designated cemetery in the country.
• Yet, if any of the deceased person’s legal inheritors requested the body’s repatriation, the recruiter shall pay all the costs accordingly.

Article 20 – Transfer of Jobs

Upon the employer’s approval, the concerned department at the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the expatriate worker may transfer to another employer before the expiry date of his work contract.

The expatriate worker may, upon the approval of the concerned department at the MOI and the MOLSA, transfer to another employer :

Upon the expiration of his work contract (if the contract is for a fixed period)
OR after the passage of five years on his work with the employer (if the contract is open)
OR upon the death of the recruiter
OR upon the end of the company for any reason

Article 22 – Litigation Between Workers and Recruiter

The Minister of Interior or his deputy may approve the temporary transfer of the expatriate worker to another employer in case of litigation between the worker and his recruiter, on the approval of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Also, the Minister of Interior may grant the expatriate workers to another employer if the recruiter abuses his rights.

Article 26 – Four Year Ban in Case of Punishment

If the worker was fired as a punitive measure and did not appeal before the concerned court or his appeal was ultimately rejected, he shall not be permitted to return to the country before the passage of four years on his departure.

Also, those expatriate workers who were repatriated upon a court verdict cannot come back to the country unless they got approved by a decision of the Minister of Interior.

Article 38 – Penalties for Violations

Regarding the penalties for related violations, article 38 stipulates the recruiters or employers who let those recruited by their work at other employers without the approval of the concerned department shall get a jail sentence of no more than three years and a fine of no more than QR500,000 or any of these penalties.

The same applies to the employers who hire expatriate workers not recruited by them without obtaining prior authorization.

However, in case of reconciliation before the resolution of the legal case, the violator may pay a sum of QR 12,000 subject to the approval of the Minister of Interior or his deputy according to the set regulations.

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FAQ on Qatar Labour Law

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4. Qatar Freelance Visa: Legal Things To Know

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