Labour & employment7 min read
Do I still need an exit permit to leave Qatar?
Faysel Al-MohannadiLawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation · Reviewed on
Short answer
Mostly not. Since October 2018, workers under Qatar's Labour Law may leave, briefly or for good, without their employer's permission. Since January 2020 the same applies to government staff (except military bodies), domestic workers and other groups. The exception is staff an employer has named in advance on a list capped at 5 per cent of its workforce.
Has Qatar abolished the exit permit?
Yes, for most expatriate workers. Under Law No. 4 of 2009, most expatriates could leave Qatar only with an exit permit from their residence sponsor (Article 18). After it was repealed, the rules changed in stages until leaving became the worker's own right.
| When | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Until December 2016 | Most expatriates needed the sponsor's exit permit, or a legal substitute if the sponsor refused | Law No. 4 of 2009, Article 18 |
| December 2016 and February 2017 | Advance notice replaced the exit permit, but the employer could still object | Law No. 21 of 2015, Article 7, amended by Law No. 1 of 2017 |
| October 2018 | Labour Law workers may leave temporarily or for good while their contract runs, unless named on an approved list | Law No. 13 of 2018, which replaced Article 7 |
| January 2020 | The same right reached government staff (except military bodies), other groups, and domestic workers, who give 72 hours' notice | Minister of Interior Decision No. 95 of 2019 |
| January 2023 | The grievance committee's rules were updated: its labour member now comes from the Ministry of Labour, and it meets weekly instead of twice a week | Minister of Interior Decision No. 8 of 2023 |
| 2026 | Part-time and self-employed workers were taken out of the Labour Law; the 2020 decision does not mention them | Law No. 9 of 2026 |
Who can leave without the employer's approval?
Today an expatriate worker has the right to leave, and prior approval is a narrow exception.
| Group | Rule | Source or note |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Law workers | May leave temporarily or for good during the contract, without approval | Law No. 21 of 2015, Article 7 |
| Workers on the employer's approved list | Need the employer's prior approval to travel | Article 7; capped at 5 per cent of the workforce, approved by the Ministry of Labour |
| Government and public-sector staff; oil and gas; marine vessels; agriculture and grazing; private offices | May leave without approval, unless named by the employer to the Ministry of Interior | Decision No. 95 of 2019, Article 1; capped at 5 per cent |
| Workers at military bodies | Expressly left out of the 2020 decision | Decision No. 95 of 2019, Article 1, item 1 |
| Domestic workers, such as drivers, nannies and cooks | May leave, after telling the employer at least 72 hours before departure | Decision No. 95 of 2019, Article 2 |
| Part-time and self-employed workers | Outside the Labour Law since 2026 and not named in the 2020 decision | Check your position before you travel |
A worker can be listed only because of the nature of their work, through a reasoned request made in advance.
How do you check whether you need approval?
You can check yourself with your Qatar ID number through a Ministry of Interior e-service. Its page says it shows whether your business leave notification is valid, and whether you need prior approval to leave.
1. Open "Query for Business Leave Notification Eligibility" on Hukoomi, or on the Ministry of Interior website go to MOI Services, Inquiries, Exit & Entry Permits, "Leave Notification Inquiry".
2. Enter your QID number.
3. Enter the verification code from the picture or the audio clip.
4. Click "Search" and keep a screenshot of the result.
5. For questions, call the Ministry of Interior on 2367111.
If you are on the list, your employer must arrange a "business leave notification", what many still call an exit permit, before you travel. Hukoomi says it is issued online, at self-service machines, through the Metrash app, or at the General Directorate of Borders, Passports and Expatriates Affairs, for 1 to 365 days.
What if your employer stops you from leaving?
If you are not on the list, your travel does not need your employer's approval. If you are on it, or you are stopped for any reason, there are two official routes.
1. Check your status with your QID first.
2. If the employer refuses or fails to arrange your business leave notification, the Hukoomi page says you can request it yourself at the General Directorate of Borders, Passports and Expatriates Affairs.
3. If you are prevented from leaving for any reason, you can take a grievance to the Expatriates' Exit Grievances Committee, which must decide within three working days (Article 7).
4. File it with the committee's secretariat on its form, with your documents. You get a notice with the grievance number and date. If the employer objected, the committee asks it for its reasons and documents.
5. You, the employer or the Ministry's unit can go to the Minister of Interior within 24 hours of being notified. The Minister decides within 48 hours; silence counts as refusal, and the outcome is final.
An employer must hand your passport back once residence formalities are done, unless you asked in writing for it to be kept, and must then return it on request. The fine is up to QAR 25,000 (Law No. 21 of 2015, Articles 8 and 39).
Domestic workers should keep written proof of when they gave the 72-hour notice.
How is an exit permit different from a travel ban?
Prior approval depends on your job. A travel ban is an order, usually made because of a debt or a case, and your employer's consent does not lift it.
| Point | Prior approval (the old exit permit) | Travel ban |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | The employer, through a list the Ministry approves or receives | A competent authority, such as the enforcement judge at a creditor's request |
| Why | The nature of the worker's job | A debt or a case, such as fear a debtor will flee or move assets |
| Who it covers | Named workers, within 5 per cent of the workforce | The person named in the order, citizen or resident |
| How to challenge it | The Expatriates' Exit Grievances Committee | The order's own route, such as an objection to the enforcement judge |
For example, an enforcement judge may bar a debtor from travelling at a creditor's request (Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure, Article 405). A person charged under the expatriates law may not leave until they pay the settlement amount, are finally acquitted or serve the sentence, though they may be allowed to leave with a guarantor (Article 44).
The grievance committee's remit is exit grievances under Article 7; a travel ban has its own route. To check for a ban and see how one is lifted, read our guide to travel bans in Qatar.
When should you speak to a lawyer?
Most workers now travel without their employer's involvement. These situations are worth a legal review:
- - The status check shows you are on the list, and you don't know why.
- - Your employer won't arrange the business leave notification, or is holding your passport.
- - The committee rejected your grievance. You have only 24 hours to go to the Minister.
- - You were told at the airport about a travel ban or a case you knew nothing about.
- - You plan to leave for good before your contract ends. The right to leave does not cancel notice rules; see our guide on resignation and notice.
- - You work for a military body, or part-time or self-employed, and don't know which rules apply.
What the law says
Article 7 of Law No. 21 of 2015 on expatriates' entry, exit and residence, as replaced by Law No. 13 of 2018, gives Labour Law workers the right to leave, allows a prior-approval list of up to 5 per cent of staff, and sets the grievance route. Minister of Interior Decision No. 95 of 2019 extends the rule to groups outside the Labour Law and sets domestic workers' 72-hour notice. Decision No. 51 of 2016, amended in 2023, governs the committee. Checked on Al Meezan on 19 October 2026.
Read on Al MeezanQuestions people ask
Not for most expatriate workers. Only staff on the employer's approved list, capped at 5 per cent of the workforce, need its prior approval. Workers at military bodies fall outside the 2020 decision.
Use the Ministry of Interior's "Query for Business Leave Notification Eligibility" on Hukoomi, or "Leave Notification Inquiry" on the Ministry's website. Enter your QID number and the verification code.
No. A domestic worker may leave during the contract but must tell the employer at least 72 hours before departure (Decision No. 95 of 2019, Article 2).
This guide is general information about Qatari law, not advice on your case.
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