What is an absconding report in Qatar, and how is it cancelled?

What is an absconding report, and what does the law call it now?

"Absconding report" («بلاغ هروب», sometimes «بلاغ تغيب») is the everyday name. Law No. 21 of 2015 on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates never uses the word "absconding". It forbids an expatriate to "leave work with their recruiter" (Article 16) and requires the recruiter, usually the employer, to report it (Article 19). It replaced Law No. 4 of 2009, which spoke of the "sponsor" and of reporting a worker's "absconding".

The Ministry of Interior's Search and Follow-up Department applies the law and registers reports of leaving work and of breaching a visa's purpose. The residence affairs prosecution and court sit in the same department.

Has anything changed? In October 2020 The Peninsula quoted a labour ministry official saying the ministry was working with the Ministry of Interior to cancel the absconding-report system. We found no published official decision that did so. Articles 16 and 19 are unamended on Al Meezan, and the Hukoomi portal still lists the Ministry of Interior's "Request to Report Absconder" service. What changed in 2020 is the right to move to another employer without the current employer's approval.

What must the employer do, and how is a report filed?

The recruiter must notify the authorities within 14 days of the date the worker left work (Article 19, item 1). Missing that deadline carries a fine of up to QAR 50,000 (Article 39), which can be settled for QAR 12,000 under the settlement table attached to the law.

Hukoomi lists two online routes, and neither has a fee:

A report is not a dismissal. The Labour Law lets an employer dismiss a worker without notice or gratuity for absence without a legitimate reason of more than seven consecutive days, or fifteen separate days in a year (Article 61, item 9). Law No. 21 of 2015 does not say how many days of absence count as "leaving work".

What are the consequences for the worker?

A report is an allegation, not a judgment. The penalties below are maximums, and the court decides them, not the employer.

The four-year bar on returning to work applies to a worker dismissed for disciplinary reasons who did not challenge the dismissal, or lost the challenge. A report alone does not trigger it (Article 26).

How can you challenge a report, and can it be cancelled or lapse?

We found no official page describing an e-service that lets a worker look up or challenge a report. The Search and Follow-up Department registers reports, and the Ministry of Interior says it also receives workers' complaints about abusive employers and refers them on.

1. 1

   Gather evidence that you did not leave work, or had a legitimate reason: salary transfers, attendance records, messages and any approved leave.

2. 2

   Keep proof of any notice you gave through the Ministry of Labour's e-services, such as a change-of-employer request or a notice ending the contract.

3. 3

   If you are owed wages or other rights, you can complain on the Ministry of Labour's Unified Platform for Complaints and Whistleblowers. See our guide on unpaid salary in Qatar.

4. 4

   Go to the Search and Follow-up Department to explain your side with your documents. If the matter reaches the residence affairs prosecution, you can present your defence there and in court.

Neither the law nor its regulations make a report lapse after a set period, and no official page we found sets one. What ends its effects in law is:

We found no official source on whether an employer can withdraw a report once filed, or how.

What about a false or malicious report? The Penal Code punishes anyone who knowingly makes a false report to a competent official accusing someone of a punishable act with up to three years in prison and a fine of up to QAR 10,000, or either (Article 190). Under the Civil Code, a person whose fault harms another must compensate (Article 199). Whether a given report was malicious is for the prosecution and the court.

How does a report connect to changing employer?

Since 2020, an expatriate worker can move to another employer without the current employer's approval, under the Ministry of Labour's rules. For the process and notice periods, see our guide to changing employer in Qatar.

The move requires notice to the Ministry of Labour and a residence permit that is valid or expired less than 90 days ago (Implementing Regulations, Article 65, as amended in 2020). The Ministry's change-of-employer service also requires that no ban on the worker prevents the change. The official page does not say whether a leaving-work report counts as such a ban.

Stopping work is not the same as giving notice officially. A worker can use:

• - A change-of-employer request, which is notified to the current employer.
• - A termination notice submitted by the worker, for those leaving Qatar or the labour market, domestic workers included. Notice is agreed with the employer or, without agreement, the legal period applies.
• - Ending the contract without notice, keeping the gratuity, in set cases such as the employer breaching its obligations or assaulting the worker (Labour Law, Article 51).

Do different rules apply to domestic workers?

Domestic workers, such as drivers, nannies and cooks, are covered by Law No. 15 of 2017, not the Labour Law. It has no absconding provision of its own, but applies the rules for expatriate workers to their recruitment and residence permits (Article 2). The Ministry of Interior's reporting service names drivers, nannies and maids expressly.

• - A domestic worker who breaches their obligations can be dismissed without notice and without gratuity for that year (Article 16).
• - The worker can end the contract early with full gratuity if the employer breaches its obligations, deceived them, assaults them, or ignores a serious danger it knows of (Article 17).
• - Claims lapse one year after the contract ends or the worker leaves work (Article 20).
• - Working for the recruiter's parents, children or spouse is not a breach (Implementing Regulations, Article 64).

When should you speak to a lawyer?

Many disputes about absence are settled with a conversation and the right documents. These situations are worth a legal review:

• - You have learned of a report against you, or the Search and Follow-up Department or the prosecution has summoned you.
• - You believe the report answers a labour complaint or a change-of-employer request.
• - Your change-of-employer request was refused, or a report or ban stops you travelling. See also our guide on exit permits in Qatar.
• - You are thinking of leaving over late pay or mistreatment, and want to know whether Labour Law Article 51 or Article 17 of the domestic workers law applies.
• - You are an employer whose worker has stopped coming, and you want to understand your reporting duty and the risks of an inaccurate report.

Questions people ask