Frequently asked questions
Qatar is constantly expanding opportunities for progressive businesses looking to establish their presence in, or extend their reach to, Qatar and the GCC. We pride ourselves on having the most enabling, conducive and friendly economic and business environment in the region.
When you invest in Qatar, you shall enjoy:
- Up to 100 % foreign ownership
- Ownership of certain resort properties and residential units
- No export duties or taxes on corporate profits for pre-determined periods
- The world’s third least demanding tax regime
- No quantitative quotas on imports and no custom duties on machinery and equipment
- No restrictions on money exchange and transfer of profits abroad
- Ability to transfer ownership to any other investor or a Qatari partner in case of joint ventures
- World-class Infrastructure and global connectivity via air and sea connections
- Multicultural talent pool and liberal laws for the import of skilled and unskilled labour
- Exceptional lifestyle and many more...
As an investor, you will enjoy rapid access to leading markets and suppliers, especially in the following fields:
- Logistics and Transport
- Tourism
- Agriculture
- Fintech
- Sports
- E-commerce
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Healthcare
- Education
- Consultancy services
- Information Communication Technology (IT)
- Energy
Qatar has also developed a well-designed entrepreneur-support ecosystem that helps Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups realise their ambitions from ideation to market.
Qatar’s tax system is competitive and concise. The rate of tax is 10% of a company’s total state income, paid annually. Typical business costs are deductible, and losses can be rolled over for up to three years from the original accounting declaration.
Get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to answer all your questions and provide you with relevant information.
As a provider of key support services and a comprehensive source for investment solutions in the country, we work closely with you to understand your business goals. Furthermore, we connect you to the right people, resources and platforms throughout the investment process to ensure your long-term success in Qatar and the region. You will not be charged until the incorporation process begins.
Qatar offers investors a variety of solutions with long-term success in mind. These include the following Free Zones, Logistics Parks and Industrial Zones:
Ras Bufontas - Airport Free Zone
Ras Bufontas is situated 6 km away from the world-renowned Hamad International Airport (HIA). As a leader in freight and passenger operations and efficiency, let Ras Bufontas and HIA take your business to new heights. Recommended industries include logistics, consumer products, light manufacturing, services, technology and applications, and pharmaceuticals.
Umm Alhoul - Port Free Zone
A 34 km2 free zone near Hamad Port, the world’s largest Greenfield port, the Umm Alhoul Free Zone is set to become a major factor in Qatar’s imports and exports. It offers a wealth of resources and connectivity, already capturing 27% of trade in the GCC region. Invest here to improve your global supply chain. Recommended industries include maritime industries, polymers and plastics, advanced manufacturing, and logistics.
Al Karaana Industrial Zone
Al Kaarana is an Industrial Zone with an area of 48 km2, advantageously situated half-way between Doha and Abu Samra. With access to over 100 million customers, locating on Al Kaarana will provide you with the infrastructure you need to successfully service global markets.
Mesaieed Industrial Zone
Strategically Located next to the Industrial City and only 40 km south of Doha, the Mesaieed Industrial Zone is a hub for many industries, such as oil refining, petrochemicals, fertilisers, workshops, and primary building material.
Jery Al Samur Logistics Park
The Jery Al Samur Logistics Park is designed for the distribution of land-based goods and materials, throughout Qatar and the wider region.
Birkat Al Awamer Logistics Park
The Birkat Al Awamer Logistics Park is ideal for companies that seek to build their own facility, with the option to build their own showrooms, offices, and worker accommodation in the plot. Offering plots vary in size, starting from 1000m².
Aba Saleel Logistics Park
The Aba Saleel Logistics Park serves as a major logistics area, providing investors with the perfect breeding ground for their business, and the infrastructure required to cater their needs. Offering plot sizes of that, this Park is ideal for small enterprises.
Al Wakra Logistics Park
The Al Wakra Logistics Park is one of several logistics facilities that promote an efficient, sustainable, and modern supply chain of goods and materials throughout Qatar.
Under the Qatari law, you may invest in all sectors permitted with a shareholding of up to 49%, which can be increased to 100% upon the approval of the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
Qatar’s licensing platforms represent regulatory environments where businesses can incorporate and operate, they include:
Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI)
In Qatar, you can incorporate any of the following legal entities: a limited liability company; a limited liability company owned by one person; a limited liability partnership; a joint liability company; a public joint stock company; and a private joint stock company. To streamline the registration process for you, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has developed a new system to process investment applications through the online submission of required forms.
Qatar Financial Centre (QFC)
QFC is one of the world’s leading and fastest growing onshore business and financial centres, endeavouring to promote Qatar as an attractive business destination. QFC provides its own legal, regulatory, tax and business infrastructure, offering favourable conditions including related to ownership requirements, profit repatriation, corporate taxation, legal jurisdiction based on English common law, and dispute resolution.
Qatar Free Zone Authority (QFZA)
QFZA develops and regulates world-class free zones in Qatar, delivering long-term solutions for businesses while supporting Qatar’s continued growth and diversification. Qatar’s free zones provide an ideal platform for companies to expand across the region and world. As an authority, we are also focused on raising awareness of Qatar as a great place to live and work.
Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP)
QSTP was established in 1995 as an international hub for applied research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The Park links early research with commercialization, manages intellectual property assets, and engages in active network relationships in various domains such as energy, environment, healthcare, and ICT. In addition to 100% foreign ownership, as well as potential fee waivers, rent discounts, and space customization. Funding is also available for product development and tech ventures.
You can kick-off your business project following the approval of the competent department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) and obtaining the commercial registration and license from relevant authorities. You can expect MOCI to reach a decision on your application within fifteen days of receiving the required documents.
Thanks to a host of visa facilitation measures, Qatar is now the most open country in the Middle East. Visitors from all around the world can now enter Qatar either visa-free, or by filling out simple online applications, depending on the passport they carry. For more information about visa types and requirements you can check out Visit Qatar's website.
All covid-19 updates and travel restrictions can be found on the website of the Ministry of Public Health.
Qatar is connected to more than 130 destinations through direct flights, you can book your flight today on Qatar airways' website.
An applicant must fulfil the following criteria to be eligible for incentives:
- Legal incorporation: An applicant must be officially registered and recognized as a business legal entity under the laws of its governing jurisdiction.
- Operational status: An applicant must have been actively engaged in business operations for the last five years.
- Compliance: The applicant must comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including the compliance with the anti-money laundering and anti-bribery laws.
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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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