Residency and visas in Qatar

Once a company exists in Qatar, owners and staff who will live there need residence and work permits linked to it, and each permit has to be renewed and cancelled on time. Founders have a second route to consider. Invest Qatar’s Residency Program offers long-term self-sponsored residency to founders, co-founders and senior executives: the entrepreneur track is for early-stage and scaling entrepreneurs endorsed by a local incubator, and the executive track is open to people who already hold a Qatar ID.

Most delays start with paperwork from home. Invest Qatar asks for documents to be authenticated by the issuing body, then by the issuing country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Qatar Embassy, so degrees, marriage and birth certificates should be attested before you arrive.

Ask a firm which permits it handles itself, whether it can advise on the Residency Program, and how it tracks expiry dates for a whole team. Ask what the government charges are and what its own fee covers, including medical tests and family visas.

Accountanty lists 12 firms in Qatar for residence and visa work: ten corporate service providers and two accounting firms. Ten focus on foreign clients, and English is offered by ten and Arabic by four. All of them are in Doha. Payroll for the same staff is covered on payroll in Qatar.

Firms offering residency and visa support in Qatar

Mavensmark

Corporate services provider · Medium-sized firm

Doha

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +4 more

Languages: English · Arabic

View profile of Mavensmark

Ayam Group

Corporate services provider · Boutique firm

Doha

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +5 more

Languages: English · Arabic

View profile of Ayam Group

Newoon

Corporate services provider · Boutique firm

Doha

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +6 more
View profile of Newoon

Frequently asked questions

Can a founder sponsor their own residence in Qatar?

Invest Qatar runs a Residency Program with long-term self-sponsored residency for founders and senior executives. Entrepreneurs need endorsement from a local incubator, so ask a firm whether your project could qualify.

Which documents need attestation for a Qatar visa?

Documents issued abroad, such as degrees and civil records, generally need attestation in the issuing country and by the Qatar Embassy. Ask your firm for the exact list for each family member before you travel.

Do visa firms in Qatar also open bank accounts?

Ten of the 12 firms listed for residence and visa work also help with bank accounts, and all of them offer company formation, so one firm can often handle the whole start-up file.

Other services in Qatar

Accountants by city in Qatar

Setting up a company in Qatar: the guide and every firm

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.