Immigration
Sponsored residence with permanent residency available since 2018
Residence is normally employer-sponsored. Law 10 of 2018 created the Gulf's first permanent residency scheme, and exit permits were abolished for most workers.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Ministry of Interior, Search and Follow Up Department.
- Deadline — 90 days to complete residence permit formalities after entry
- Deadline — Residence permits typically valid 1 to 3 years and renewable
Governing law
- Law 21 of 2015 on Entry, Exit and Residence of Expatriates
- Law 10 of 2018 on Permanent Residency
- Law 13 of 2018 — exit permit abolition
In practice
Law 10 of 2018 was a genuine first for the Gulf: permanent residency, capped at one hundred grants a year, giving rights to health and education, property ownership and business ownership without a Qatari partner. It is narrow but it is real, and it is distinct from the long-term visas offered elsewhere because it does not expire. Exit permits, which required employer permission to leave the country, were abolished for most workers in 2018 and this is the change with the widest practical effect. Naturalisation exists in law but is highly restricted and rarely granted.