Law & Regulation

Law No. 21 of 2015 Regulating the Entry, Exit and Residence of Expatriates

QatarLabour / ImmigrationIn Force

The principal statutory architecture for expatriates’ entry into, residence in and departure from Qatar — visas and residence permissions, hosting/employing responsibilities, status expiry/cancellation, change-related procedures, departure and sanctions. Materially amended by Law No. 13 of 2018, Decree-Law No. 19 of 2020 and implementing decisions affecting departure and labour mobility; current position must incorporate only verified later reforms.

Legal Significance

What This Instrument Does

Law No. 21 of 2015 provides the principal statutory architecture for expatriates’ entry into, residence in and departure from Qatar. It regulates visas and residence permissions, the responsibilities associated with hosting or employing expatriates, status expiry/cancellation, change-related procedures, departure and sanctions. The current framework is not identical to the original 2015 model. Law No. 13 of 2018, Decree-Law No. 19 of 2020 and implementing decisions materially altered aspects of departure and labour mobility. The parent record therefore explains the framework as amended and directs users to the verified reform chain without importing unverified historical restrictions as current law.

Why It Matters

Infrastructure projects depend on timely entry, lawful residence and deployment of expatriate engineers, managers, technicians and labour. Immigration non-compliance can prevent mobilisation, disrupt access to sites, delay demobilisation and expose the relevant persons or entities to sanctions. Employment-law compliance does not itself create immigration status, and immigration permission does not determine all employment rights.

Key Provisions

Scope and definitions
The persons and immigration statuses governed by the Law and the statutory roles relevant to entry, residence and responsibility for expatriates.
Entry permission
Requirements for lawful entry and the use of the appropriate visa or permission.
Residence permission
The framework for obtaining, maintaining, renewing and evidencing lawful residence, including obligations tied to expiry or cancellation.
Employer/host responsibilities
Duties imposed on the person or entity responsible for the expatriate under the Law.
Work-related interface
The relationship between residence/immigration status and employment, while preserving the boundary between MOI immigration functions and labour-market permissions.
Change of employer / mobility
The current framework as altered by verified reforms. Historic employer-consent assumptions must not be presented as the general current rule.
Departure and exit mechanics
The current departure architecture after verified amendments. The original exit-permit model must not be stated as universally current.
Notification and record duties
Administrative duties concerning passports, residence documents, changes, absences or other reportable matters within the Law’s scope.
Cancellation, expiry and overstay
Legal consequences and closeout requirements when residence ends, employment terminates or the permitted period expires.
Dependants and other categories
Treatment of family or other residence categories where the Law provides it.
Inspection and enforcement
Competent-authority powers and compliance mechanisms relevant to documents, status and violations.
Offences and penalties
Consequences for prohibited conduct or failures, which must be stated from the current text and attributed to the correct responsible person.
Relationship to implementing decisions
Operational detail supplied by MOI decisions, including the Executive Regulation and later reform implementation.

When You Would Use This

Mobilising expatriate project staff

Sequence entry, employment and residence steps and identify which party owns each compliance action.

Changing employer

Apply the current amended legal route and official process rather than relying on the original 2015 position or informal “sponsorship” assumptions.

Planning employee departure

Separate employment termination, immigration cancellation and physical departure requirements.

Demobilising an EPC workforce

Manage status expiry, final employment obligations, records and departures across large worker populations.

Appointing a specialist for short work

Confirm that the selected entry/status category legally supports the intended activity and duration.

Immigration due diligence

Review status records, expiries, responsible-entity obligations, absences, open processes and potential violations.

Managing a worker dispute

Avoid using immigration action as a substitute for lawful employment procedure and identify any restrictions imposed by current law.

Contractor governance

Allocate administrative responsibilities while recognising that private indemnities do not remove statutory responsibility.

InfraLex Relevance

The Law is the main immigration reference for cross-border workforce deployment. InfraLex should show the lifecycle from entry to residence and exit and layer verified reforms over the parent framework. Its value is greatest when paired editorially — but not automatically linked — with the Labour Law and project mobilisation planning.

Legal Framework Position

Labour / ImmigrationPrimary / Framework Instrument

Related / Implementing Instruments

Instrument Overview

Official Citation: Law No. 21 of 2015
Instrument Type: Law / Act
Source Language: Arabic
Last Verified: 4 September 2026