Accountants and corporate service providers in Doha

Which platform the Doha firms work on

The structures named by Doha firms mirror Qatar’s split between three licensing platforms. Ten of the 26 handle Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) companies, seven handle LLCs and four describe their work as mainland LLCs. Six mention free zone companies, three name Qatar Free Zones companies specifically, and four work with companies at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). Branches and representative offices of foreign companies are each named by four Doha firms, subsidiaries by three.

That spread means a Doha firm’s experience on one platform says little about the others. Before you shortlist, decide whether your company belongs on the mainland, in the QFC or in a free zone, then ask each Doha candidate how many applications on that platform it filed last year. If one proposes a QFC company, ask where the registered office will be: the QFC’s guide for investors requires every QFC-licensed firm to have one on QFC designated premises.

Industries and clients in Doha

Manufacturing is the sector Doha firms name most, by four of them. Construction, oil and gas and energy follow with three each, and real estate, financial services, finance, retail, aviation and healthcare with two each. Hospitality and tourism and trading appear once.

The energy thread has a tax consequence. The General Tax Authority taxes income at 10% across activities but applies a minimum of 35% to activities linked to petroleum operations and petrochemical industries, so a Doha firm that names oil and gas clients should be able to explain which rate applies to your contracts and why.

Foreign investors are the client group Doha firms name most, 13 times, followed by SMEs with ten and start-ups with eight. Twelve of the 26 say they focus on foreign clients. Single profiles mention Indian expatriates, branches of foreign companies and banks and financial institutions.

Services in Doha

Every Doha firm offers company formation. Twenty-five keep accounts, 23 handle tax compliance and 21 offer audit. Sixteen run payroll, 12 help with bank accounts and 12 with residence and visas. Five provide a virtual office and three act as company secretary, so a group that needs board minutes and register updates handled has a short list to work through.

None lists VAT work, which matches the General Tax Authority’s statement that Qatar has not applied VAT. The same authority requires a fully foreign-owned company to support its return with audited statements from a licensed auditor registered with it, so the 21 Doha audit firms matter from the first year.

The licences Doha firms declare lean towards audit: two say they are MOCI-licensed audit firms, two are approved auditors for the QFC and the Qatar Free Zones, two are Qatar Central Bank approved auditors and two are Tawteen-approved in-country value certifiers. Single firms declare QFC Regulatory Authority supervision as a designated non-financial business or profession and approval as a QFC business support service provider.

English is offered by 16 Doha firms and Arabic by five. Six state a founding year, the oldest 2007 and the median 2014, and one publishes its prices.

Choosing a firm in Doha

With 20 of the 26 Doha firms small, ask who will prepare your monthly accounts, who signs the audit report and whether those are different people. Ask which returns the firm files with the General Tax Authority itself and which go through a partner, and in which language it sends your working papers. The Qatar guide explains the legal steps, company formation in Qatar covers choosing a provider, and the accounting and audit pages show the firms by service.

Lusail has three firms with a different profile: two of them belong to large networks and they name funds, family offices and capital markets work. If you would rather not contact Doha firms one by one, a single quote request is passed to the ones that match your structure and sector.