Plain answers to the questions people bring us.
Each guide answers one question about Qatari law, in a few minutes' reading. For your own case, write to us.
Browse by topic
Cheques & debt8- Can't repay a bank loan or credit card in Qatar: what can the bank do, and what are your options?
- Personal guarantee for a company's bank loan in Qatar: what are you liable for?
- Urgent court orders in Qatar: how do you stop a debtor leaving, freeze assets or preserve evidence?
Criminal defence12- Being blackmailed online in Qatar: what should you do, and what does the law say?
- Can you claim compensation inside a criminal case in Qatar, or do you need a civil case?
- Fraud, breach of trust and embezzlement in Qatar: what is the difference, and what if you are accused?
Labour & employment13- Qatar Labour Law: what are your basic rights at work?
- Can I change jobs or leave Qatar? A labour rights checker
- Qatar Labour Law for employers: what must you get right?
Divorce & custody8- Qatar inheritance calculator: what is each heir's share?
- How is an inheritance divided in Qatar?
- Marriage certificate in Qatar: how do I register, copy or attest it?
Property & rental6- Disputes over property ownership or title in Qatar: what can you do?
- Buying off-plan property in Qatar: protections and risks
- Can my landlord increase the rent in Qatar?
Corporate & Commercial20- Company setup wizard: which structure fits your business in Qatar?
- Can you end a commercial contract early in Qatar, and what does it cost if the other side breaches?
- How do you close or liquidate a company in Qatar, and what happens to creditors?
Courts and the legal system12- Qatar legal dictionary: Arabic and English legal terms explained
- Legal deadline calculator: how long do I have to appeal or claim in Qatar?
- How do you make, attest or cancel a power of attorney in Qatar?
Latest
- Corporate & CommercialCompany setup wizard: which structure fits your business in Qatar?6 min read
- Divorce & custodyQatar inheritance calculator: what is each heir's share?6 min read
- Corporate & CommercialCan you end a commercial contract early in Qatar, and what does it cost if the other side breaches?8 min read
- Corporate & CommercialHow do you close or liquidate a company in Qatar, and what happens to creditors?12 min read
- Property & rentalDisputes over property ownership or title in Qatar: what can you do?7 min read
- Courts and the legal systemHow do you make, attest or cancel a power of attorney in Qatar?9 min read
- Cheques & debtCan't repay a bank loan or credit card in Qatar: what can the bank do, and what are your options?10 min read
- Courts and the legal systemWhich court in Qatar hears your case? How Qatar's courts and committees are organised10 min read
- Criminal defenceBeing blackmailed online in Qatar: what should you do, and what does the law say?7 min read
- Labour & employmentQatar Labour Law for employers: what must you get right?10 min read
- Criminal defenceCan you claim compensation inside a criminal case in Qatar, or do you need a civil case?10 min read
- Criminal defenceFraud, breach of trust and embezzlement in Qatar: what is the difference, and what if you are accused?7 min read
Start here
Qatar's laws, explained
What each law covers, and when it applies to you.
- Qatar Commercial Companies Law: what does Law No. 11 of 2015 say?9 min read
- Qatar Criminal Procedure Code: what are your rights from arrest to judgment?9 min read
- Qatar Civil Code: what does Law No. 22 of 2004 cover?9 min read
- What role does Sharia play in Qatar's legal system?10 min read
- Qatar Labour Law: what are your basic rights at work?8 min read
Tools
Work it out before you write to us.
Qatar legal dictionaryCourt papers, contracts and ministry forms in Qatar use Arabic legal terms that have no exact English twin. This dictionary explains more than fifty of them in plain words, with the English term lawyers use and a link to the guide that goes further: cheques and debt, labour, family, property, companies, criminal cases and the courts.4 min read
Legal deadline calculatorMost periods in Qatari law are short and fixed: 15 days to appeal a criminal judgment or a Labour Dispute Settlement Committee decision, 30 days for an ordinary civil appeal (15 from notification before the Investment and Trade Court), 60 days for a cassation appeal (30 before the Investment and Trade Court), ten working days to object to an enforcement notice, one year to bring a Labour Law claim, six months to present a cheque. The calculator adds the period to your date, shows a safe filing date and the days left, and says when the law runs the period past a weekend.7 min read
Can I change jobs or leave Qatar? A labour rights checkerIn most cases, yes. Since 2020 a worker under the Labour Law may change employer without the old employer's approval, by giving written notice and applying through the Ministry of Labour, and may leave Qatar during the contract without an exit permit. Notice is one month in the first two years of service and two months after that; on probation the rules differ; and in an Article 51 case no notice is needed. A temporary trip abroad does not end the contract at all. The checker shows your position from five answers.7 min read
Company setup wizardMost businesses in Qatar are limited liability companies (WLL) under the Commercial Companies Law. A foreign investor may hold up to 100 per cent in most sectors with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's approval above 49 per cent (Law No. 1 of 2019). The Qatar Financial Centre and the free zones run their own regimes, and a foreign company performing a government contract works through a branch. The wizard matches your answers to those routes and lists the steps, the Ministry's published fees and the time limits in the law.6 min read
Qatar inheritance calculatorUnder Qatar's Family Law (Law No. 22 of 2006) an estate is divided after funeral costs, debts and any will. The spouse and the parents take fixed shares: a husband a half or a quarter, a wife a quarter or an eighth, a mother a sixth or a third, and a father a sixth, plus what is left when there is no son. A daughter with no brother takes a half, and two or more share two thirds; sons, with any daughters, take what is left, a son taking twice a daughter's share. The calculator applies those rules to the family you enter, as a first reading.6 min read
How do you check a court case online in Qatar?Log in to the Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) e-services portal with your Tawtheeq (National Authentication System) account, choose "Search by Case Number" and enter the case number, type, court and year. You can also use the SJC's Al Mahakem app or its WhatsApp "Virtual Employee" on 44597777. Travel bans are checked separately, with the Ministry of Interior.9 min read
Do I need a lawyer in Qatar?Not always. Many questions can be handled with good information. You should speak to a lawyer when something formal has started, such as a summons, a case or a judgment, when a deadline is close, or when your freedom, residency or children could be affected. The five questions below tell you where you stand.1 min read
Qatar gratuity calculatorUnder Article 54 of Qatar's Labour Law, a worker who completes at least one full year of service is owed an end-of-service gratuity of at least three weeks' wage for each year, plus a proportional share for any part of a year. It is calculated on the last basic wage, without allowances. Under one year, nothing is owed.8 min read
Every guide, by topic79
Cheques & debt8
- Can't repay a bank loan or credit card in Qatar: what can the bank do, and what are your options?10′
- Personal guarantee for a company's bank loan in Qatar: what are you liable for?10′
- Urgent court orders in Qatar: how do you stop a debtor leaving, freeze assets or preserve evidence?11′
- Judgment enforcement in Qatar: how do you file with the Enforcement Court and check your file?12′
- Why was my bank account frozen in Qatar, and what can I do?9′
- Is a security cheque enforceable in Qatar?8′
- How to recover money someone owes you in Qatar9′
- What happens after a bounced cheque in Qatar?9′
Criminal defence12
- Being blackmailed online in Qatar: what should you do, and what does the law say?7′
- Can you claim compensation inside a criminal case in Qatar, or do you need a civil case?10′
- Fraud, breach of trust and embezzlement in Qatar: what is the difference, and what if you are accused?7′
- Qatar Criminal Procedure Code: what are your rights from arrest to judgment?9′
- How do you get a police clearance certificate in Qatar, and what can stop it?9′
- How does deportation from Qatar work, and can it be challenged?9′
- How do I check for, and lift, a travel ban in Qatar?9′
- Carrying cash into or out of Qatar: when must you declare it?7′
- Using your bank account for someone else's money in Qatar: what are the legal risks?7′
- How a criminal case moves in Qatar: from the police to the Court of Cassation7′
- What counts as a cybercrime in Qatar?7′
- Received a police summons in Qatar? What to do in the first 48 hours7′
Labour & employment13
- Qatar Labour Law: what are your basic rights at work?8′
- Can I change jobs or leave Qatar? A labour rights checker7′
- Qatar Labour Law for employers: what must you get right?10′
- How much sick leave and maternity leave do you get in Qatar?9′
- Labour court in Qatar: where is it, when is it open, and how do you file?13′
- What is an absconding report in Qatar, and how is it cancelled?9′
- How do I file a labour complaint in Qatar?10′
- Do I still need an exit permit to leave Qatar?7′
- Annual leave, overtime and public holidays in Qatar: what the Labour Law says8′
- How do you change jobs or sponsorship in Qatar without an NOC?8′
- Resigning in Qatar: notice periods and what you're owed8′
- Salary unpaid in Qatar? How to file a labour complaint9′
- Qatar gratuity calculator: how is end-of-service gratuity calculated?8′
Divorce & custody8
- Qatar inheritance calculator: what is each heir's share?6′
- How is an inheritance divided in Qatar?10′
- Marriage certificate in Qatar: how do I register, copy or attest it?9′
- Qatar Family Court: where it is, what it handles and how to file a case10′
- Maintenance (nafaqa) in Qatar: for a wife, for children, and how it is set9′
- Child custody in Qatar: who keeps the children, until what age, and visits10′
- How does khula work in Qatar?9′
- How does divorce work for residents of Qatar?9′
Property & rental6
- Disputes over property ownership or title in Qatar: what can you do?7′
- Buying off-plan property in Qatar: protections and risks7′
- Can my landlord increase the rent in Qatar?7′
- Eviction and security deposits in Qatar: what landlords and tenants can do7′
- Where can non-Qataris own property in Qatar?7′
- How do rental disputes work in Qatar after the 2026 amendment?7′
Corporate & Commercial20
- Company setup wizard: which structure fits your business in Qatar?6′
- Can you end a commercial contract early in Qatar, and what does it cost if the other side breaches?8′
- How do you close or liquidate a company in Qatar, and what happens to creditors?12′
- How does Qatar's Commercial Agents Law work for a foreign brand and its Qatari agent?10′
- Contractor not paid or project delayed in Qatar: what does the law say?10′
- Settlement, mediation, arbitration or court: how do they compare in Qatar?11′
- Arabic and English contracts in Qatar: which version prevails, which law applies and which court decides?9′
- Can a foreign investor own 100 per cent of a business in Qatar?9′
- What is the Qatar International Court (QICDRC), and which cases can it hear?9′
- Qatar Commercial Companies Law: what does Law No. 11 of 2015 say?9′
- Commercial registration and trade licence in Qatar: what is the difference, and how do you renew or amend them?9′
- Do companies pay tax in Qatar, and how much?7′
- WLL or LLC in Qatar: what is the difference?8′
- How does arbitration work in Qatar, and when does it apply?9′
- Registering a business in someone else's name in Qatar: the legal risks9′
- Enforcing a foreign court judgment in Qatar8′
- General power of attorney in Qatar: the risks and how to limit them9′
- Before you sign a contract in Qatar: the clauses to check8′
- Partner disputes in a Qatar company: exits, deadlock and your options11′
- How do you register a company in Qatar, step by step?9′
Courts and the legal system12
- Qatar legal dictionary: Arabic and English legal terms explained4′
- Legal deadline calculator: how long do I have to appeal or claim in Qatar?7′
- How do you make, attest or cancel a power of attorney in Qatar?9′
- Which court in Qatar hears your case? How Qatar's courts and committees are organised10′
- How do you handle a court case or dispute in Qatar from abroad?10′
- Qatar Civil Code: what does Law No. 22 of 2004 cover?9′
- What role does Sharia play in Qatar's legal system?10′
- How do you check a court case online in Qatar?9′
- How do you appeal to the Court of Cassation in Qatar?9′
- How to choose a lawyer in Qatar8′
- Do I need a lawyer in Qatar?1′
- What happens after you message a lawyer in Qatar?2′