All About Residence Permits: The Hows and Whys

All About Residence Permits: The Hows and Whys

Qatar remains to have one of the most lucrative business environments in the region. As such, plenty of foreign investors and hopeful entrepreneurs and professionals flock to the State to take advantage of the multitude of career opportunities and commercial endeavours available for everyone. The Residence Permit is only one of the required documents every individual must secure when considering relocating to Qatar for work or for other official purposes.

Expats who wish to live and work in Qatar for the long term must have their residence permit ready. Your residence permit will allow you to apply for a loan, obtain a Qatar driving license, sign a rental accommodation agreement, open a bank account, or buy a car. You will also need this to apply for other permits, as well as apply for a Hamad medical card, or even sponsor your family members for a family visa.

The first step in acquiring a residence permit is to have a Qatari sponsor, who is usually your employer. You have to be working and living in Qatar when you apply, which means that you must already have a temporary visa or a work visa from your Qatari employer. Your employer must be responsible for handling the paperwork needed for the permit on your behalf.

On your part, you will need to undergo a medical test, which includes a blood grouping test, a chest x-ray, and a blood test. You will also need to register your finger prints and have them legalised and attested for authentication with the Ministry of Interior.

A temporary work visa can have a validity of about two to four weeks, but note that you are not allowed to leave the country during this period while you are waiting for your visa to be converted into a permit.

Once your residence permit has been issued, you will now have access to a wide range of benefits for permanent residents in Qatar. After which, your residence permit must be renewed every one to three years.

All of the paperwork required must also be duly translated into the official Arabic language, as well as attested for authenticity by accredited business consultancy providers in Qatar. Having a trusted and professional partner to do this for you can save you from the hassle and the stress of having incomplete requirements, waiting in line at government offices for long periods of time, going back and forth between departments, or worse, having your applications denied. It’s always a smart move to invest in some assistance to help you facilitate all of the required documents needed for your residence permit in Qatar.

With this initiative, Qatari companies can participate and do their part in contributing to a wide range of development projects all over the country. This includes grading works, drainage facilities, enhancing traffic safety, building construction, road pavement, and construction of pedestrian lanes for the overall safety of all citizens on the road. With these projects—even without any previous experience in road construction or in maintenance required—more investors both foreign and local in the construction sector will be able to grab the opportunity to help implement initiatives regardless of scale. These small projects will offer investors the invaluable chance to qualify to be part of the strategic projects of the country for the future, and contribute to the development of the local economy as a whole.

The goal of Ashghal is to close the tender for these projects by the end of the year in December. By the first quarter of 2020, road improvement works will be launched. In the first contract, road improvement projects will be in the following geographical areas: Umm Slal, Al Daayen, and Al Shamal Municipalities, while the second contract will involve the locations within Doha Municipality. In the third contract, the geographical boundaries of Al Wakrah Municipality will be included, and finally, the fourth contract involves road improvement works within Al Rayyan and Al Sheehaniya Municipalities.