How many working hours does Qatar's Labour Law allow?

Eight hours a day and 48 a week, or six a day and 36 a week in Ramadan (Article 73). Anything beyond that is overtime, paid at least 25 per cent above the basic hourly wage.

Do I need my employer's permission to change jobs or leave Qatar?

Usually not. Since 2020 you can move to another employer under the Ministry of Labour's rules without an NOC, though you still give notice. You can leave Qatar without permission unless your employer has named you in advance on its approved list.

Where can I read the full Qatar Labour Law?

On Al Meezan, the State's legal portal, which publishes the official Arabic text with its amendments. English versions online are unofficial translations.

Does the Labour Law cover domestic workers?

No. Domestic workers are covered by Law No. 15 of 2017, but the minimum wage applies to them, and their complaints follow the same route to the Labour Dispute Settlement Committee (Law No. 15 of 2017, Article 18).

A site supervisor reviewing a work schedule in a construction site office.

Labour & employment8 min read

Qatar Labour Law: what are your basic rights at work?

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

Faysel Al-MohannadiLawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation · Reviewed on 19 October 2026

Short answer

Qatar's Labour Law, Law No. 14 of 2004 as last amended by Law No. 9 of 2026, sets the minimum rights of private-sector workers: a 48-hour week, paid annual leave, one or two months' notice, and an end-of-service gratuity after a full year. Law No. 17 of 2020 adds a minimum basic wage of QAR 1,000 a month. Any term that gives you less is void.

Who does Qatar's Labour Law cover?

The Labour Law covers workers and employers in the private sector, Qatari and expatriate alike. Its rights are a minimum: any contract term that gives you less is void, and so is any waiver or release of those rights, unless the term is more favourable to you (Article 4).

- It does not cover employees of ministries, government bodies and public institutions, or members of the armed forces and police (Article 3).
- Domestic workers, such as drivers, nannies and cooks, have their own law: Law No. 15 of 2017.
- Since Law No. 9 of 2026, it no longer covers part-time or self-employed workers, unless a Cabinet decision applies it to them or sets a special scheme (Article 3).

The official text, with every amendment, is published in Arabic on Al Meezan, the State's legal portal. English versions you find online are unofficial translations, so the Arabic text prevails if they differ.

What are your main rights under the Labour Law?

The table sums up the rules people ask about most. They are a minimum: your contract can give you more, never less.

Topic	The rule	Source
Probation	Up to six months from your first day, and only once with the same employer	Article 39
Minimum wage	QAR 1,000 basic a month, plus housing and food allowances if the employer does not provide them	Law No. 17 of 2020
Paying wages	In riyals, by transfer to your bank account; a monthly wage is due on the first of the month and must go through the Wage Protection System within seven days	Article 66; Ministerial Decision No. 4 of 2015, as amended
Working hours	8 a day and 48 a week; 6 a day and 36 a week in Ramadan	Article 73
Overtime	Basic hourly wage plus at least 25 per cent; plus at least 50 per cent between 9 pm and 3 am	Article 74
Weekly rest	24 paid hours in a row, normally Friday	Article 75
Annual leave	Three weeks under five years' service, four weeks from five years	Article 79
Public holidays	Ten paid days a year: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, National Day and three days the employer chooses	Article 78
Notice	One month in your first two years, two months after that	Article 49
End-of-service gratuity	At least three weeks' basic wage for each year, once you complete a full year	Article 54
Final pay	Before the end of the next working day after the contract ends	Article 67
Ticket home	At the employer's expense, to the place you were recruited from or another agreed place	Article 57
Changing employer	No NOC needed since September 2020; the Ministry of Labour's rules apply	Law No. 21 of 2015, Article 21
Leaving Qatar	No employer permission, unless you are on its advance list, capped at 5 per cent of its staff	Law No. 21 of 2015, Article 7
Time limit for claims	One year from the end of the contract	Article 10

Each topic has its own detailed guide:

What is the minimum wage in Qatar?

Law No. 17 of 2020 sets a minimum basic wage of QAR 1,000 a month for workers and domestic workers of every nationality, applied since March 2021. If the employer does not provide suitable housing or food, it must also pay a housing allowance of at least QAR 500 and a food allowance of at least QAR 300.

Your situation	Minimum monthly pay
Employer provides housing and food	QAR 1,000 basic wage
Employer provides housing, not food	QAR 1,300: 1,000 basic plus 300 food
Employer provides food, not housing	QAR 1,500: 1,000 basic plus 500 housing
Employer provides neither	QAR 1,800: 1,000 basic plus 500 housing and 300 food

Allowances are not part of the basic wage. Your end-of-service gratuity and annual leave pay are calculated on the basic wage alone (Articles 54 and 72).

The same law set up a Minimum Wage Committee to review the minimum and propose changes, so check the current figure with the Ministry of Labour if your pay is close to it.

What did Law No. 9 of 2026 change?

Law No. 9 of 2026, published in the Official Gazette on 25 June 2026, amended several articles of the Labour Law. In September 2026 a ministerial decision also changed when wages fall due under the Wage Protection System.

Topic	What changed	Source
Scope	Part-time and self-employed workers are out of the Labour Law unless a Cabinet decision brings them back	Article 3
Non-compete clauses	Up to two years instead of one, enforceable only with the Ministry's approval, and void if the contract ends during probation	Article 43
Unpaid wages	The worker may apply to change employer or end the contract, and the employer pays the journey home	Article 146 bis
Public holidays	The State's National Day, on 18 December, replaced Independence Day	Article 78
Dispute committees	May use electronic means once the identity of the parties and witnesses is verified	Article 115 bis 4
Wage due date	Since 8 September 2026, a monthly wage is due on the first of each month and must be transferred within seven days	Ministerial Decision No. 50 of 2026

If you signed a non-compete clause before these changes, check how they affect it before accepting a job with a competitor. Our guide to changing employer has the details.

How do you enforce your rights if your employer breaks the law?

An individual labour dispute goes through two stages set by law, and the courts will not hear it before the Labour Dispute Settlement Committee has decided it (Article 115 bis 7).

1. You submit a complaint to the Ministry of Labour on the Unified Platform for Complaints and Whistleblowers, with your QID or visa number and a code sent to your phone, or at a Ministry office. For questions, call 16505 or 44068979.
2. The Ministry tries to settle the dispute within seven days (Article 115 bis).
3. If there is no settlement, the dispute goes to the Labour Dispute Settlement Committee, chaired by a judge, which decides within three weeks of its first hearing (Article 115 bis 2).
4. Either side may appeal to the Court of Appeal within fifteen days, and the decision can be enforced even while it is appealed (Articles 115 bis 5 and 115 bis 6).
5. If the employer cannot pay, the Workers' Support and Insurance Fund may pay the amounts awarded and recover them from the employer (Law No. 17 of 2018).

Workers' claims for their rights are exempt from court fees. Claims lapse one year after the contract ends, but submitting the dispute to the Ministry pauses that period until the settlement deadlines have run (Articles 10 and 115 bis). See our guides to filing a labour complaint and unpaid salary.

When should you speak to a lawyer?

You can learn your rights and file a complaint on your own, but these situations are worth a legal review:

- Your contract gives you less than the table above, or your employer wants you to give up a right in return for letting you go.
- Your salary is more than a month late, or you are thinking of leaving because of it.
- Your contract has a non-compete clause and a competitor has offered you a job.
- You disagree with your employer about your basic wage, your allowances or your gratuity.
- Your contract was ended without notice, or for a reason you think is unlawful.
- You work part-time or self-employed, or for a body outside the Labour Law, and don't know which rules apply.
- It is nearly a year since your contract ended.

What the law says

This guide relies on the Labour Law, Law No. 14 of 2004, as amended up to Law No. 9 of 2026, in particular Articles 3, 4, 10, 39, 49, 54, 57, 66, 67, 72 to 79 and 115 bis to 115 bis 7. Law No. 17 of 2020 sets the minimum wage, and Articles 7 and 21 of Law No. 21 of 2015 govern leaving Qatar and changing employer. Labour Law texts checked on Al Meezan on 18 and 19 October 2026.

Read on Al Meezan

Questions people ask

QAR 1,000 basic wage a month, plus a housing allowance of at least QAR 500 and a food allowance of at least QAR 300 if the employer does not provide them (Law No. 17 of 2020).