Can my employer stop me changing jobs?

It is entitled to your notice and can comment on the request, but the decision belongs to the Ministry of Labour. A request can be refused if its conditions are not met, such as a ban on you or on the new employer.

Do I have to work my notice before joining the new employer?

The move is completed once the notice period ends, unless your current employer waives or changes it. Leaving earlier without that agreement can make you liable for notice compensation (Article 49).

Can I change employer during probation?

Yes, with at least one month's written notice. Your new employer compensates the current one for your ticket and recruitment fees, up to two months of your basic wage (Article 39).

Is there a fee to change employer?

The Ministry of Labour's service page lists no fee for the change-of-employer request.

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Labour & employment8 min read

Changing jobs in Qatar: how it works without an NOC

Faysel Al-Mohannadi, lawyer, at Al Faisal Law Firm in Doha

Faysel Al-MohannadiLawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation · Reviewed on 18 October 2026

Short answer

Since September 2020, an expatriate worker in Qatar can move to a new employer without the current employer's approval, under Ministry of Labour rules (Law No. 21 of 2015, Article 21). You still give written notice: one month in your first two years, two months after that, and at least one month on probation. The Ministry decides the request.

What changed in 2020?

The 2020 reforms removed the rule that an expatriate worker needed the employer's approval, widely called the NOC (no-objection certificate), to move to another employer. Decree-Law No. 19 of 2020 replaced Article 21 of the law on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates. It now says an expatriate worker may move to another employer under the rules and procedures set by the Ministry of Labour. The change took effect on 9 September 2020.

Question	Before 9 September 2020	Since 9 September 2020
Moving before the contract ends	Needed the employer's approval, plus the competent authority and the labour ministry	No employer approval; the Ministry of Labour's rules and procedures apply
Moving when a fixed-term contract ends, or after five years on an open-ended one	Needed the competent authority and the labour ministry	Covered by the same general rule
Temporary move during a dispute with the employer	Possible with ministerial approval (Article 22)	Article 22 repealed

On the same day, Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020 rewrote the Labour Law's rules on probation and notice (Articles 39 and 49). The move does not cancel your notice, and it goes through only once the Ministry approves the request.

How much notice do you give before moving?

Your notice depends on your length of service and on whether you are still on probation. It must be in writing.

Your situation	Notice	Article
On probation, moving to another employer in Qatar	At least one month	39
After probation, in your first or second year	One month	49
After your second year	Two months	49

If you leave without working the notice, you owe the employer compensation equal to your basic wage for the notice period, or for the part not worked (Articles 39 and 49). Through the Ministry's e-service, your current employer can waive the notice or change it. For notice, final pay and the settlement in more detail, see our guide to resigning in Qatar.

What are the rules if you are still on probation?

Probation can last up to six months from your first day of work, and only once with the same employer (Article 39).

- To move to another employer in Qatar during probation, give your current employer written notice at least one month before the end date.
- Your new employer, not you, compensates the current employer for your ticket and recruitment fees, if any. The amount cannot exceed two months of your basic wage.
- The employer can end the contract during probation only if it finds you unfit for the work, and must give you at least one month's notice.
- If the contract ends during probation, a non-compete clause is treated as never having existed (Article 43, as amended in 2026).

How does the Ministry of Labour's change-of-employer service work?

The request runs online through the Ministry of Labour's service for changing employer within the labour market ("Service of notification of change of employer" on its English site). The service page lists no fee. Only the worker or the new employer can submit it.

Check the conditions. Your current residence permit must be a work permit. Neither you nor the new establishment can be under a ban, and the new establishment's registration must be active. You cannot have another change request under review. Your mobile number must be registered in your name, and the national address must be registered for you, your current employer and your new employer.
You submit the request through the individuals' portal, logging in with the National Authentication System, or an authorised signatory of the new employer submits it after verifying their identity with a smart card.
The new employer enters the new contract details and approves them, and you approve them.
Your current employer is notified. It can waive the notice period or change it, and add comments for the Ministry.
The Ministry reviews the details and comments and decides whether to approve or reject the request.
Once the notice period ends, the new employer is told to complete the move: the new contract is checked and attested, and your residence details are updated with the Ministry of Interior.

The decision belongs to the Ministry of Labour, not to your current employer. A request can be refused if its conditions are not met, for example if there is a ban on you or on the new establishment.

What did Law No. 9 of 2026 change, including non-compete clauses?

Law No. 9 of 2026, published in the Official Gazette on 25 June 2026, amended several Labour Law articles. Two changes matter when you move jobs: the non-compete rules and a new right when wages go unpaid.

Point	2020 text	After Law No. 9 of 2026
Maximum length of a non-compete	One year	Two years
Scope	A competing business in the same sector	Any competing business; the words "in the same sector" were removed
When it can be enforced	Further conditions to be set by ministerial decision	Only after approval by the Ministry's competent unit
When it falls away	In Article 51 cases, or after a dismissal in breach of Article 61	If the contract ends during probation
Wages not paid as Article 66 requires	No specific rule	You may apply to change employer or to end the contract, and the employer pays your return costs (Article 146 bis)

An employer can include a non-compete only if your work gives you knowledge of its clients or access to its business secrets. A clause that binds you to work for the employer for life, or to stop practising your trade for life, is void (Article 43).

For the complaint route when wages are late, see our guide on unpaid salary in Qatar.

What can your current employer do, and what can't it do?

Action	Allowed?	Basis
Receive your written notice and expect you to work it	Yes	Articles 39 and 49
Waive or change the notice period, and comment on the request to the Ministry	Yes	Ministry e-service
Claim your basic wage for notice you did not work, and deduct amounts you owe from your gratuity	Yes	Articles 49 and 54
Receive ticket and recruitment costs from the new employer if you move during probation, up to two months' basic wage	Yes	Article 39
Rely on a valid non-compete clause approved by the Ministry, for no more than two years	Yes	Article 43
Block the move by refusing a no-objection certificate	No	Law No. 21 of 2015, Article 21
Keep your passport without your written request, or refuse to return it when you ask	No	Law No. 21 of 2015, Article 8
Hold back your pay and dues beyond the end of the working day after the contract ends	No	Article 67
Refuse a service certificate or keep documents you handed over	No	Article 53
Make you give up your rights in return for releasing you	No; any such waiver is void	Article 4

If you join a new employer before leaving Qatar, the duty to fly you home passes to the new employer (Article 57). Your final settlement with the old employer, including remaining pay, unused leave and gratuity, follows the usual rules. See our guides to end-of-service gratuity and to resigning in Qatar.

When should you speak to a lawyer?

Many moves go through without a dispute. These situations are worth a legal review:

- The Ministry rejected your request, or your current employer's comments make allegations against you.
- Your contract has a non-compete clause, especially one signed before Law No. 9 of 2026, and a competitor has offered you a job.
- Your wages are late and you are weighing a change request under Article 146 bis, or leaving under Article 51.
- Your current employer claims notice compensation, recruitment costs or deductions you think are wrong.
- You are on a fixed-term contract that has not yet run out.
- Your employer is holding your passport or documents, or has not paid your final dues.
- You are a domestic worker, or you work for an employer outside the Labour Law, where other rules apply.

What the law says

Article 21 of Law No. 21 of 2015 on the entry, exit and residence of expatriates, as replaced by Decree-Law No. 19 of 2020, lets an expatriate worker move to another employer under the Ministry of Labour's rules; Article 22 was repealed. Articles 39 and 49 of the Labour Law set probation and notice. Law No. 9 of 2026 amended Article 43 on non-compete clauses and added Article 146 bis. Texts checked on Al Meezan, and the service page on the Ministry of Labour's site, on 18 October 2026.

Read on Al Meezan

Questions people ask

No. Since 9 September 2020, Article 21 of Law No. 21 of 2015 lets an expatriate worker move to another employer under the Ministry of Labour's rules, without the current employer's approval. The Ministry reviews and decides the request.