Frequently asked questions

Both new investment projects and expansions of existing projects that contribute to the development of the Qatari economy are eligible for incentives. To qualify, the following criteria must be met:

• Minimum investment: The project must involve a minimum local investment of QAR 25 million covering both capex and opex from the agreed project start date until the end of the support period.
• Employment creation: The project must create at least five high-skilled full-time equivalent (“FTE”) positions over the support period, emphasizing job creation in the community.
• Sector eligibility: The project must fall within the permitted sectors and activities as outlined in the available incentive packages. These sectors typically align with national development strategy, including advanced manufacturing, logistics, technology, financial services.
• Compliance with regulations: The project must adhere to all relevant laws and regulations, ensuring that they operate within the legal framework established by the State of Qatar.

For a detailed list of the eligible sectors and activities, please refer to the incentive packages provided here: https://invest.qa/en/incentives

High-skilled FTE employees are those who satisfy the following criteria:

• Project-specific: They must be hired for the proposed investment project covered by the incentive application, with the employment commencing after the agreed project start date.
• Residency: They must reside in the State of Qatar for a minimum of 9 months per year throughout the duration of the project.
• Legal status: They must possess a valid Qatar residence permit and have formal housing arrangements in the State of Qatar.
• Compensation: They must earn a total monthly compensation exceeding QAR 10,000, including salary and benefits

Only those FTE employees assigned to the Project will be counted towards the employment targets under the incentive package.

To apply for a specific incentive package, an applicant must first create a company profile on the Invest Qatar Gateway. Once the incentive application portal opens within the Invest Qatar Gateway (as announced on www.invest.qa), the applicant can submit the preliminary screening form.  This form will be used to assess the applicant’s eligibility for the Invest Qatar incentive packages. Applicants can expect to receive a notification regarding their eligibility within two weeks from the date of submission of a completed preliminary screening form. Invest Qatar retains the right to reject any preliminary screening form received. 

Eligible applicants will be invited to submit a detailed business and operational plan regarding the proposed project within twelve weeks from the receipt of notification of eligibility from Invest Qatar. Invest Qatar may request further information from the applicant following submission of the business plan.  Applicants can expect a decision as to whether they will be provided with an incentive offer within four weeks of submission of the complete detailed business case (and any further documents or information requested by Invest Qatar, if applicable).   The approval of the business plan and the offer of any incentive is at the sole discretion of Invest Qatar.  

Applicants who accept an incentive offer must execute the necessary contractual documents within two weeks of receipt of the incentive offer.  The project should commence within six months of the contract execution date to receive incentive funding. 

The deadlines for the applications in relation to the incentive packages will be published on www.invest.qa. Please visit our website for updates and announcements regarding the incentive packages. 

The current incentive offering is limited to specific activities and clusters aligned with Qatar’s National Development Strategy. Projects outside these defined areas are not eligible for support at this time. We encourage applicants to review the eligibility criteria carefully before applying. 

When submitting the preliminary screening form, applicants must provide a valid company registration or incorporation certificate issued by the relevant authority, along with key details of the planned project in Qatar—such as its scope, sources of funding, and talent development approach. 

Applicants deemed eligible for incentives will be required to submit a comprehensive business and operational plan, including financial projections and a hiring plan for the duration of the project. The full list of required documentation is available at https://invest.qa/en/incentives. 

Subsidiaries are eligible to apply, provided they can demonstrate satisfactory operational status and compliance. Any application by a subsidiary must include information about the parent company and details of the ultimate beneficial ownership.

No

The Invest Qatar incentive programme offers financial incentives in the form of reimbursements for an agreed portion of specific cost items incurred within the State of Qatar.

The scope of the Invest Qatar incentive programme is strictly limited to reimbursement of eligible expenses directly related to the proposed project or approved expansion in Qatar, incurred from the agreed start of the proposed project.  

Expenses incurred prior to the approval of the incentive package or those unrelated to the proposed project’s operations (i.e., legacy or non-project-specific costs) are not reimbursable under the incentive programme. 

Approved incentive packages will be offered to eligible applicants for a five-year period commencing on the agreed project start date, divided into 10 semi-annual semesters. At the end of every six-month semester, the awardee must submit the necessary documentation and the required evidence to receive the reimbursement amount for that semester.

At the application stage, the applicant will be required to submit detailed projections of expenditure (operational and capital) and hiring of high-skilled FTE employees on a semester basis over a five-year period. These projections constitute “targets” for the projected incentives. Thereafter, once an incentive package is confirmed, the awardee must evidence the actual expenditure and hiring per semi-annual semester to the full satisfaction of Invest Qatar, which will be then reviewed against the pre-agreed targets. If the target is met, the awardee is eligible to receive the full amount of pre-agreed incentives for that semester.

A project can qualify for only one incentive package. The eligible package is determined by the cluster that generates the majority of the project's projected 5-year revenue. 

For example, a proposed project that has both advanced manufacturing and logistics operations but is expected to generate 51% of revenue from advanced manufacturing will be eligible for the advanced industries package. 

For any additional information or clarification, please reach out to incentives@invest.qa