Qatar PEO & Employer of Record

WeHG provides an International PEO and global Employer of Record service in Qatar to companies attempting to enter the Qatari market or hire local/expat employees in this location.

The traditional approach demands establishing a subsidiary in Qatar.  However, our offer allows you to start the operations in Qatar within days hence save time and money.  WeHG would hire candidates on your behalf while you maintain total operational control of their work. So legally they would be our employees, on our local payroll, 100% compliant but will work on your behalf.

Qatar fast facts

Population, million: 2
Land area:  11,581 km²
Capital: Doha
Local currency: Riyal (QAR

GDP per capita:$ 183.47
GDP in currency:$ 62021.10

Qatar is a country in the Middle East, occupying the Qatar Peninsula in the Persian Gulf, in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the southwest and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the south. Almost the entire territory of the country is a desert. In the north – a low sandy plain with rare oases, covered with moving aeolian sands; in the middle part of the peninsula – a rocky desert with areas of salt marshes; in the south – high sandhills.

The head of state and government is the emir. There is an Advisory Board appointed by the Emir. Qatar’s power is concentrated in the hands of the al-Thani dynasty. Emir Sheikh Ahmad was ousted in a bloodless coup by his cousin, Crown Prince Sheikh Khalifa, who put forward an ambitious program of social and economic reform while limiting the extravagance of the royal family.

The Emir appoints the Prime Minister, members of the Council of Ministers, and the Advisory Council. The power of the emir is limited only by Sharia. According to the constitution adopted on April 29, 2003, Qatar is an absolute monarchy. Additionally, in Qatar, the creation of political parties, trade unions, and demonstrations are prohibited.

Hiring, Negotiating and Doing Business in Qatar

Necessity of written employment contract

As specified in Qatar Law (the Commercial Companies Law No. 5 (2002)) all employment legal documents must be written in Arabic language (employment contracts as well). A foreign translation should be presented with a copy of the same documents in the Arabic language. 

Different forms of engagement: employment, contracting, work with private entrepreneur

The main condition for foreign workers to be legally employed in Qatar is the availability of a permanent residency visa and a work permit. No.14 of 2004 of the Labour Law is an official Law that regulates the main rules and conditions of employment in Qatar and specifies the employer as a responsible party to obtain all necessary visas and permits for candidates’ employment.

Qatar Employment Contract

Types of employment agreements

Qatar working hours

According to the Qatar Labor Law, the maximum duration of a normal working week should not exceed 6 working days; the normal duration of a working shift should not exceed 8 hours. Celebrating Ramadan allows reducing shifts to 6 hours per day. Additionally, workers mustn’t overwork 5 hours consecutively. 

Overtime

Overtime hours from 9 PN to 6 AM should be compensated with an additional 50% on the worker’s normal wage. Meanwhile, such compensation doesn’t refer to workers, who perform overtime jobs during a normal working shift. According to Chapter 40 of the Qatar Labor Law, there’s a list of professions that are not entitled to receive overtime compensations: physician, engineers, high administrative position and supervisory positions; marine ships crews, port workers, and other offshore workers.

Vacation leave in Qatar

There are two weeks of annual leave for Muslims during one year of employment; additionally, employers are entitled to provide workers with pay to fulfill the pilgrimage duty, but this compensation doesn’t refer to normal annual leave and is usually assigned for those workers who served in the company for a longer time. For workers who had been employed for at least 1 year, there are 3 weeks of vacation per year; for workers who had been employed for at least 5, there are 4 weeks of annual vacation. 

Qatar Maternity Leave

Conditions on the maternity leave for local and foreign employees have several differences: foreign female workers are entitled to receive 50 days of maternity leave in case they have been working for the company for more than 1 year (due to the Qatar Labor Law women can take 15 days of the leave before giving birth and 35 days after). To validate the start of maternity leave workers must provide employers with medical certificates with the expected date of birth.  Additionally, during the first maternity year, female workers are entitled to 1 hour of ”nursing time” per each working shift. Employment cannot be terminated by both sides during maternity leave. 

Qatar Severance Laws

According to Article 49 of Qatar Labor Law, indefinite or unlimited employment can be terminated by written notice, by the employer or employee equally,  in the case of successful completion of the probationary period. Mentioning the reason for termination of such type of employment is not required (see Types of employment agreements).

Qatar Tax

Health Insurance Benefits in Qatar

According to the Qatar Labor Law, health insurance is provided only for workers who have been employed in the company for more than 3 months. For receiving sick leave employees must provide employers with medical certificates. In case employees obtained sick leave for 2 working weeks, they are entitled to receive full compensation equivalent to the taken days. If workers were absent because of the sickness for 4 weeks, they receive compensation equivalent to half of the normal wage for these days. If a sick leave has a duration of more than 6 weeks and employees don’t resign/resume the work/terminate employment, they’re not entitled to receive sick leave compensation at all. If a worker dies or terminates employment up to 6 weeks of sick leave, he/she receives sick leave compensation equivalent to the days not taken.

Additional Benefits in Qatar

There are no additional bonuses specified by the Qatar Labor Law. Additional benefits might be mentioned in the employment contract; they can be agreed upon and discussed by the parties during the employment process. 

General market practice benefits/additional allowances

A common approach on the Qatar labor market is to search for a job referring not only to the promised salary but also taking into consideration the benefits provided by the local companies. As a rule, headhunters in Doha usually use increasing salaries as an instrument of attracting foreign candidates.

Qatar Holidays

• Al-Fitr Eid (After Ramadan) 3 days
• Al-Adha Eid (Pilgrimage period) 3 days
• Independence day 1 day

Why Choose WeHireGlobally

WeHG takes care of all the onboarding hurdles, payroll, compensation and benefits, tax filing, and termination of employment. Our Employer of Record solution allows you to manage your overseas teams efficiently while minimizing cost and risk.