Recently the labor law was revised which made the residence and work permits in Qatar easy and simple to avail for every expat. The labor law is now flexible and protects all the rights of those working parties. There are certain guidelines that you have to follow to receive work permit without any trouble. For your help regarding work permits and visa services, there are a lot of attestation agencies around Qatar who can get your authenticated certificated within days. It is also possible to bring in your family to Qatar where your wife can work in the country after registering in Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs. It is compulsory for every expat to be in possession of a valid residence permit and a work visa while you land down in Qatar. The legal authorizations involved to live and work in the country are often complex, you are supposed to find a sponsor (a local employer who hire you). It is the sponsor who initiates the work visa application to Ministry of Interior in Qatar to give away all legal authorizations to hire a foreign worker. This sponsor holds the key role in many of your activities in Qatar including opening a bank account or sign a rental lease to stay in the country. When the procedures are in progress the expat may travel to Qatar with an entry visa that is valid for 3 months which gives you time for all the compulsory administrative procedures and also apply for a residence visa. This blog gives the complete details of Pro services in Qatar.
In order to receive a work permit, there must be a contract between the employer and the employee that is approved by the government. This work permit is mandatory while applying for a residency permit, so that is necessary that you have an assured job in Qatar before moving into the country. It is mandatory that all your documents must be legalized before arriving in Qatar so consult some attestation agencies who can provide you with fast attestation services.
Requirements for a work permit:
- Attested Educational and Personal documents
- Medical Test
- Fingerprints
Your Medical Test…
On arrival in Qatar, you are supposed to undergo a medical examination that will be arranged by your company PRO within the first week of being in the country. Your company is responsible for the online registration of medical test booking and taking you to the Medical Commission for your health evaluation. You ‘ud be having a blood and X-ray test to ensure that you are fit to work in the country. If found fit you will be directed for the fingerprint processing and if found unfit you will be sent immediately to your home country. The country is very strict regarding health concerns, especially if you are into food and beverages industries.
After successful completion of medical tests your company, PRO services in Qatar will take you to Forensic Laboratory at Criminal Evidence and Information Department (CEID) for fingerprinting. Once you are enrolled in the CEID system your official residence permit registration will be initiated by the company. An employment contract will be made in three copies- for your company, you and the Labour Department. This contract should be translated into English and Arabic that contains your employment details including remuneration, contract duration, etc.
Documents Required for Work Permit:
Every expat is required to submit personal, educational as well as corporate documents in order to support application that includes,
- Passport
- Educational certificate
- Marriage certificate & Birth certificate(if any family dependants)
- job description
- Project contract
- Employment contract
- Commercial Registration certificate
- An ID of your authorized company representative
- Recent electricity bill
- Municipality License
Getting Temporary Permit…
A temporary permit or the stamped NOC Certificate on your passport will be provided before you enter Doha airport which is okay to be used in Qatar for about six months. Within this period you will have to start the procedures for a residency permit. When you have got into your job your employer is the one who will be responsible to start the process for work residency permit that should be completed within the first 3 months in the country. There are many certificate attestation agencies who can help you will all those procedures involving your work permits and visas. It normally takes two to six weeks time for the processing of residence visa and you are not allowed to leave the country during this period.
Bringing family into Qatar on Work Permit…
You are allowed to bring in your family to Qatar on your work visa. The thing is you will be the sponsor for your spouses and children under the age of 25 for residence permits. The visa is valid for a period of 1-5 years that will be stamped in their passports. Make sure that your partner and children have their marriage and birth documents that have undergone marriage and birth certificate attestation before reaching Qatar. It is now possible for women to sponsor residence permit for their husbands in Qatar which was not possible before. But this residence permit does not give your spouse the provision to work in Qatar. If they need to work then there should be a corporate sponsor and should undergo administrative procedures for the work permit.
All these requirements and laws about Pro services in Qatar are may be subject to change, so ensure that you are updated with latest changes at the Visa Department at Qatar Embassy. Also, remember that the permit is valid to 1-5 years but if you leave the country for more than six months the permit will become invalid. Also, it is compulsory that all your documents should undergo attestation procedures before it is submitted for immigration or employment purposes. Attestation and not Apostille is the authentication process for documents in Qatar to prove its genuinity.
