Criminal defence9 min read
How do you get a police clearance certificate in Qatar, and what can stop it?
Faysel Al-MohannadiLawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation · Reviewed on
Short answer
Qatar's Ministry of Interior issues it as the "good conduct certificate". Residents apply through the MOI e-services portal, the Metrash app or the Criminal Evidences and Information Department; former residents apply through a Qatari embassy. It states any final conviction, or undecided case, for a felony or misdemeanour, and is valid three months in Qatar and six abroad.
What is a police clearance certificate in Qatar, and who issues it?
In Qatar the police clearance certificate (PCC) is officially the good conduct certificate («شهادة حسن السيرة والسلوك»). The Ministry of Interior issues it through its Criminal Evidences and Information Department. The rules are in Minister of Interior Decision No. 131 of 2023, in force since 11 October 2023.
| Point | What the rules say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | The Ministry of Interior's competent department (per Hukoomi, the Criminal Evidences and Information Department) | Decision 131/2023, Article 1; Hukoomi |
| What it states | Whether there are final convictions for felonies or misdemeanours, or undecided cases relating to such crimes | Article 1 |
| Who applies | You, or someone you authorise | Article 2 |
| How long it is valid | Three months inside Qatar and six months outside, from the date of issue | Article 5 |
| Limits on use | No effect if used for another purpose than the one stated | Article 6 |
Hukoomi lists study, employment, marriage and business among the purposes. State yours precisely, because the certificate only counts for that purpose.
How do residents get a PCC in Qatar?
Citizens and residents apply online through the MOI e-services portal or the Metrash app, or on paper at the Criminal Evidences and Information Department. Hukoomi gives these online steps:
Log in to the MOI e-services portal (eservices.moi.gov.qa).
Choose the transaction type: "Personal", or the name of a company you are authorised for.
Click "Certificates and Reports", then "Good Conduct Certificate".
Select "Application Request", choose the purpose of the certificate and enter the details.
Attach the documents that purpose requires.
Pay the fee by debit or credit card, submit the application and download the receipt.
The same service is in the Metrash app. Track your request, and add any missing attachment, under "Application Follow-up". The "Certificate of Good Conduct Inquiry" under "Inquiry" shows the certificate's number, issue date and status.
On paper, complete the department's form and hand it in with the documents. Hukoomi also lists a department office at the Ministry of Labour, for employment and study purposes only.
| Purpose | Qatari citizens | Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | Copy of Qatar ID; a letter naming the employer and the purpose | The same, plus a good conduct certificate from your own country's embassy, attested by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, unless you are exempt |
| Use outside Qatar (study or migration) | Copy of Qatar ID | Copy of Qatar ID |
You are exempt from the embassy certificate if you were born in Qatar, entered before age 16, or have lived here more than ten years with no break in residence over six months (Decision 131, Article 2; MOI conditions page).
How do former residents apply from abroad?
If you have left Qatar for good, apply through a Qatari embassy or consulate abroad. The request goes through the Consular Affairs Department of Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the decision asks for:
- A certified and endorsed copy of your ten fingerprints.
- A copy of your passport showing the previous residence.
- A copy of your previous residence permit (listed on the MOI page).
- Two personal photos, 4×6.
Embassies may add requirements. The Qatar Embassy in London's page (December 2025 version), for example, asked for fingerprints taken by the local police and certified by the UK foreign ministry, four photos, copies of old and new passports and the Doha residence permit, and a cover letter with your period of work in Qatar and contact details. It said processing takes at least three months. Check your embassy's current page first.
The MOI's conditions page names only the embassy route for former residents, so ask the embassy before relying on any other. If you left under a deportation order, read our guide on deportation from Qatar first.
How do you attest the certificate for use abroad?
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) attests the certificate. Its electronic attestation service expressly covers the police clearance certificate.
On the MOFA website, choose "Attestation" from the list of e-services.
Log in with your National Authentication System (Tawtheeq) account.
Submit the request online, or take the document to the Legalization Section at the Department of Consular Affairs building.
Hukoomi says requests are reviewed within one working day, and Qatar Post collects and delivers the documents. The body asking for the certificate may want more, such as legalisation at its embassy, so ask them first. Plan everything within the six months the certificate is valid abroad.
What does the certificate show, and what can hold it up?
Under Article 1 of the decision, the certificate states final convictions for felonies and misdemeanours, and undecided cases relating to them. It does not mention contraventions, the lightest of the Penal Code's three classes of offence (Article 21).
| Situation | What the official texts say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Final conviction for a felony or misdemeanour | The certificate states it | Decision 131, Article 1 |
| Criminal case not yet decided | Covered by the decision, so it can appear on the certificate | Decision 131, Article 1 |
| Travel ban | Not mentioned in the decision. A criminal ban is ordered within a live case, and the case is what the decision covers. A ban in a debt or enforcement file is not a criminal case | Decision 131, Article 1; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 133 |
| Case ended by settlement or withdrawal | Where the law allows it, this ends the criminal case. A cheque settlement after a final judgment stops the sentence, but no text says it erases the conviction | Criminal Procedure Code, Articles 10 and 18; Penal Code, Article 359 |
| Suspended sentence | Treated as never issued if three years pass without revocation, and needs no rehabilitation | Penal Code, Article 80; Criminal Procedure Code, Article 394 |
| Missing documents, or the public interest | The two grounds the decision gives for refusing a certificate | Decision 131, Article 3 |
If you are refused, you can file a grievance with the Minister of Interior, or his delegate, within 30 days of notice at your national address or by other proof that you knew. The Minister decides within 30 days; silence counts as rejection, and the decision is final (Article 4).
To find out whether a case is open against you, see checking a court case in Qatar and travel bans in Qatar. If you have been called in, read what to do after a police summons.
How does rehabilitation (رد الاعتبار) clear a conviction?
Rehabilitation erases a conviction for the future and removes the incapacities, loss of rights and other criminal effects it carried (Criminal Procedure Code, Article 392). It happens in two ways:
| Type | When it applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| By operation of law | No new felony or misdemeanour sentence within five years of a felony sentence being served, pardoned or lapsed, or three years of a misdemeanour sentence being served or pardoned (five for a repeat offender or a lapsed sentence) | Article 379 |
| By court judgment | The sentence was fully served, pardoned or lapsed, and two years (felony) or one year (misdemeanour) have passed, doubled for repeat offenders and lapsed sentences. The Felony Court decides | Articles 380 and 381 |
The route to rehabilitation by judgment:
Pay what the judgment ordered you to pay the state or others, unless the obligation has ended or you show you cannot (Article 383).
Apply to the Public Prosecution with your identity details, the judgment dates and where you have lived since release (Article 385). Its e-services list a "Request for Rehabilitation" under "Other Requests" (Tawtheeq login).
The prosecution looks into your conduct and livelihood, then sends the file to the Felony Court within three months with its opinion, your criminal record and conduct reports (Article 386).
You are notified at least eight days before the hearing (Article 387). The court grants rehabilitation if your conduct since the judgment shows you have reformed (Article 388).
The prosecution has the judgment noted on the original convictions and in the registers kept for this purpose (Article 389).
A refusal based on conduct can be renewed only after six months (Article 390). With several judgments, each must meet the conditions (Article 384). Rehabilitation does not affect others' rights under the judgment, such as compensation (Article 393). For the earlier stages, see how a criminal case moves in Qatar.
When should you speak to a lawyer?
Speak to a lawyer if the certificate shows something you did not expect, or a refusal's grievance deadline is running. Other signs:
- The certificate shows a conviction or case you don't recognise, or one you thought had ended.
- Your case ended by settlement or withdrawal, and you want to know how that affects your record.
- You think you meet the conditions for rehabilitation and need the application prepared.
- Your request was refused; the grievance deadline is 30 days from notice.
- A travel ban or criminal report is open, and you need the certificate for work, study or migration.
- You are abroad, and the embassy route is unclear or taking a long time.
What the law says
This guide relies on Minister of Interior Decision No. 131 of 2023 on the rules and procedures for issuing the good conduct certificate (Articles 1 to 6), in force since 11 October 2023. It also relies on the Criminal Procedure Code (Law No. 23 of 2004), Articles 10, 18 and 133 and Articles 379 to 394 on rehabilitation, and on the Penal Code (Law No. 11 of 2004), Articles 21, 80 and 359. Texts checked on Al Meezan on 19 October 2026.
Read on Al MeezanQuestions people ask
Three months inside Qatar and six months outside, from the date of issue (Decision 131 of 2023, Article 5). It only counts for the purpose it was issued for (Article 6).
Yes, through Qatar's diplomatic or consular missions abroad; the request goes through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Consular Affairs Department. You attach a certified copy of your ten fingerprints, copies of your passport and previous residence permit, and two photos.
The decision covers undecided cases relating to felonies and misdemeanours, so it can appear. The decision does not say at what stage a case starts to show.
Not necessarily. Rehabilitation, by operation of law or by court judgment, erases a conviction for the future (Criminal Procedure Code, Articles 379 and 392). A suspended sentence is treated as never issued if three years pass without the suspension being revoked (Penal Code, Article 80).
This guide is general information about Qatari law, not advice on your case.
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Ask about your situation
If your certificate shows a case you did not expect, or you want to know whether rehabilitation applies to you, ask us about the general steps in your situation.