START A COMPANY / MIDDLE EAST
How to register a company in Qatar
Register a company with MOCI (name, Articles, commercial registration, Chamber of Commerce, trade licence, tax card). Foreign-owned LLCs may be 100% owned in most sectors. Financial and professional services can use the QFC.
- REGISTRY
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) Commercial Registration; Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) for the financial free zone
- ONLINE
- Partly online
- FROM
- QAR 3,000 (≈ £610)
- STRUCTURES HERE
- 3
Setting up from abroad
Yes. Foreigners can own up to 100% of a Qatari company in most sectors (banking, insurance and commercial agencies excluded), under the foreign investment law. Needs a Qatari address, a manager, and often the Investment Promotion Agency approval; in-person signing is common.
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
LLC: Limited Liability Company (With Limited Liability, WLL)
Most foreign-owned trading, consulting and service businesses, now with up to 100% foreign ownership.
- Liability
- Limited to what you put in
- You need
- 1 shareholder (a single-member LLC is permitted)
- Minimum capital
- No statutory minimum per MOCI; some sources and banks still cite QAR 200,000 (unverified)
- Time
- 2 to 4 weeks
Steps
Check the activity is open to foreign ownership and whether approval is needed from the Investment Promotion Agency.
Reserve the trade name on the MOCI portal.
Draft the Articles of Association and sign them before the MOCI notary.
Rent premises and register the lease (Qatar lease system).
Apply for the commercial registration (CR) and pay MOCI fees.
Join the Qatar Chamber of Commerce.
Obtain the trade licence from the municipality.
Register with the General Tax Authority for a tax card, and open a bank account.
Documents
- Passports of shareholders and manager
- Articles of Association
- Lease contract
- Trade name approval
- Parent company documents (attested) if corporate shareholder
Official fees
CR about QAR 1,000, licence about QAR 1,500 plus Chamber fee; total government fees typically QAR 2,600 to 8,500 (unverified).
Budget
| How | About | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | QAR 3,000≈ £610 | DIY: CR, licence and chamber fees, about |
| With an accountant or agent | QAR 15,000≈ £3,100 | About: with a business setup agent |
| Full service | QAR 40,000≈ £8,200 | About: lawyer, office, visas and bank account help |
Every year
- Renew commercial registration and trade licence yearly
- File tax return within 4 months of year-end
- Keep audited accounts
- Renew leases, residence permits and work permits
Check before you rely on it. Not confirmed with an official source: MOCI fees and capital rules from secondary sources; MOCI FAQ page did not load.
BRANCH OF A FOREIGN COMPANY
Branch: Branch of a Foreign Company
Foreign companies carrying out a specific contract or extending existing operations.
- Liability
- Unlimited: you are personally liable
- You need
- Parent company and a branch manager
- Minimum capital
- None
- Time
- 3 to 6 weeks
Steps
Attest the parent's documents in the home country and at the Qatari embassy.
Translate documents into Arabic.
Obtain Ministry of Commerce and Industry approval for the branch.
Reserve a name and register the lease.
Obtain the branch commercial registration and trade licence.
Register with the Tax Authority.
Open a bank account.
Documents
- Parent certificate and articles (attested)
- Board resolution
- Manager appointment
- Lease
Official fees
Similar to LLC: about QAR 2,600 to 8,500 (unverified).
Budget
| How | About | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | QAR 3,500≈ £710 | DIY: fees only, about |
| With an accountant or agent | QAR 18,000≈ £3,700 | About: agent plus document attestation |
| Full service | QAR 45,000≈ £9,200 | About: lawyer, office, visas and bank help |
Every year
- Renew registration and licence
- Tax return
- Audited accounts
Check before you rely on it. Not confirmed with an official source: parent is liable for branch debts.
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
QFC LLC: Qatar Financial Centre Limited Liability Company
Financial, professional and tech firms wanting English common-law rules and 100% ownership.
- Liability
- Limited to what you put in
- You need
- 1 shareholder
- Minimum capital
- None for most entities (unverified)
- Time
- 4 to 8 weeks
Steps
Choose the QFC activity and check eligibility.
Submit the application on the QFC Authority portal.
Provide a business plan and shareholder KYC.
Receive approval and pay the application fee.
Take QFC office space.
Receive the licence and tax registration.
Open a bank account.
Documents
- Passports
- Business plan
- KYC documents
- Corporate documents
Official fees
QFC application and annual fees of several thousand USD; confirm with QFC (unverified).
Budget
| How | About | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | QAR 10,000≈ £2,000 | DIY: QFC application and first-year fees, about |
| With an accountant or agent | QAR 30,000≈ £6,100 | About: with advisor and shared office |
| Full service | QAR 70,000≈ £14,000 | About: lawyer, office, visas and bank help |
Every year
- Annual licence fee
- Annual return and audited accounts
- Tax return
Check before you rely on it. Not confirmed with an official source: costs are rough market estimates.
After you register
- Register with the General Tax Authority (Dhareeba portal) for a tax card; corporate income tax is 10% on the foreign-owned share of profit.
- There is no VAT in Qatar at the time of writing (unverified for 2026).
- Social insurance applies only to Qatari employees; foreigners need work contracts and residence permits.
- Use the Wage Protection System to pay staff through Qatari banks.
- Register beneficial owners with MOCI.
- Open a corporate bank account (CR, Articles and passports needed).
- Renew commercial registration and licences yearly.
Sources
Checked against:
Pound amounts use HMRC's exchange rates for 2026-10 and are a rough guide only.
Other countries in Middle East
This guide is general information to help you plan, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Fees, forms and rules change: check the official registry before you file, and take professional advice for anything complex. Agent and lawyer costs are typical market prices, not quotes.