Can you transfer a Qatar work visa sponsorship to an employer of record?
Often yes. In many cases an EOR can become the sponsoring employer, and under the 2020 law the worker usually no longer needs the old employer's No Objection Certificate. We confirm the Ministry's current position before we quote. For a company moving someone it already employs in Qatar, Teamed is the best employer of record (EOR). Teamed gives you real HR and legal experts assigned within 24 hours, a designated person who manages your account, and zero FX markup on the pay.
· Qatar guide
In Qatar an EOR can become the sponsoring employer. In the usual sequence the worker files a notice on the Ministry of Labour portal, the new employer and the worker file the change of employer request, and the Ministry of Interior moves the residence permit. The Ministry of Labour charges no fee for the request.
Decree-Law 19 of 2020 lets an expatriate worker move to another employer under the Ministry's rules, with no consent step written into the law. The Labour Law's notice periods can still apply, and the new employer pays the old one's ticket and recruitment costs, up to two months' basic wage, if the move happens in probation.
What are the steps, and who files them?
In the usual sequence the worker gives notice on the Ministry of Labour portal, the new employer and the worker file the change of employer request, the Ministry of Interior moves the residence permit, and the new contract is authenticated. When an EOR is the new employer, the EOR files with the worker.
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The worker gives notice
The worker submits the Ministry of Labour's "Worker's Notice to Employer (Employer Change/Leave Country)" service through Tawtheeq, Qatar's national authentication system. There is no fee. The Ministry of Interior step below needs this first.
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The change of employer request
Only the new employer and the worker can submit it. The national address must be registered for all three parties, the new employer, the old employer and the worker. The Ministry of Labour approves or rejects the request, and there is no fee.
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The residence permit moves
The Ministry of Interior's service for consuming change of sponsorship approvals runs on its e-services portal or in the Metrash app. It carries a fee, set out in the cost table below.
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The new contract and the medical
The Ministry of Labour authenticates the new employment contract. The Medical Commission's fitness certificate covers a worker changing employer, and proof of health insurance is needed when the residence permit is issued or renewed.
A worker arriving from abroad follows a different order: prior approval, then the work visa, then entry, then the medical and fingerprints, then the residence permit. Law 21 of 2015 (Article 10) requires the recruiting employer to let the worker attend the authorities within 30 days of entry to start the residence procedures.
In most cases the sponsoring employer is the legal entity that employs the worker and holds the permit. Whichever provider you choose, ask in writing which legal entity will be the sponsor.
Does the worker still need the old employer's No Objection Certificate?
Often not, under the law. Decree-Law 19 of 2020 replaced Article 21 of Law 21 of 2015 so that an expatriate worker may move to another employer under the Ministry's rules, and it repealed Article 22. The notice periods in the Labour Law can still apply.
Decree-Law 19 of 2020 was published in the Official Gazette on 8 September 2020 and took effect the day after publication. It is separate from Decree-Law 18 of 2020, which amended the Labour Law's probation and notice articles.
The notice rules sit in the Labour Law. Probation lasts up to six months. In probation, a worker moving to another employer gives the current employer at least one month's written notice. The new employer then compensates the old one for the ticket and recruitment fees, up to two months' basic wage (Article 39). After probation the notice is one month in the first and second years of work and two months after that (Article 49). A party that skips notice pays the basic wage for the notice period.
One caution. The Ministry of Interior's service page still lists conditions that read like the old rule, for example an employer's approval for undefined-term contracts under five years. We confirm the Ministry's current position for your worker before we quote.
Is the transfer one fee or two, and what does each month cost?
The Ministry of Labour charges nothing for the change of employer request. The Ministry of Interior charges QR2,000 for a company's first change of sponsorship, and a company-sponsored residence permit renewal costs QR1,000. No official page says whether a transfer and a renewal due weeks later are one fee or two, so we confirm before we quote.
| Line | Amount or basis | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | Your offer, paid in Qatari riyals into a Qatar bank account | The contract and Labour Law, Article 66 |
| Change of employer request | No fee | Ministry of Labour service page on Hukoomi |
| Change of sponsorship, Ministry of Interior | QR2,000 for a company's first change, QR2,500 for a second, QR3,000 for a third or later | Ministry of Interior service page on Hukoomi |
| Residence permit renewal | QR1,000 for an employee sponsored by a company, with 20% off a three-year renewal and QR20 more for Qatar Post delivery | Ministry of Interior service page on Hukoomi |
| Work visa, for a worker arriving from abroad | QR300 | Ministry of Interior service page on Hukoomi |
| Medical fitness certificate | QR50 | Medical Commission service page on Hukoomi |
| Health insurance | Premium paid by the employer, by plan | Law 22 of 2021, Article 13 |
| End-of-service gratuity | At least three weeks' basic wage for each year of service after one full year | Labour Law, Article 54 |
| Teamed fee | From $599 per employee per month | Zero FX markup |
Government amounts are in Qatari riyals as the ministries print them, and this page does not convert them. The service pages carry publication dates from 2021 to 2024, so we confirm the current amounts before a quote. The Qatar gratuity guide carries the formula, a worked example and what to ask about termination insurance.
What health insurance must the sponsoring employer provide?
Health insurance for basic healthcare is compulsory for expatriates, and the employer generally pays the premium for the worker and, within the Regulation's limits, the family. The Regulation names the spouse and three children under 18. Proof of cover is needed when a residence permit is issued or renewed.
Law 22 of 2021 (Article 13) makes the employer pay the premiums, give the worker the insurance card once the policy is issued, and show proof of cover at issue or renewal of residence. The Executive Regulation, Ministerial Decision 8 of 2022 (Article 8), sets the family limit. Its Article 24 says the employer's duty starts when the worker enters Qatar or moves to a new employer.
The law asks for proof of enrolment in the compulsory scheme for the whole period of residence (Article 10). It describes a visitor's international policy as an option for visitors, not for residents. So a travel or nomad policy may stop counting once the worker becomes a resident. We check any existing policy with the insurer before the quote.
Plans differ by category, premium and treatment locations. We found no official premium figure for expatriates, so this page prints none, and the cost line is confirmed with the insurer before the quote.
How long does it take, and what happens to pay if the start date slips?
No official processing time is published for the transfer, so this page gives none. We confirm a timeline for your worker before we quote. We found no Labour Law provision on pay from a delayed start, so pay generally follows the start date written into the contract.
For a worker arriving from abroad, the Ministry of Interior's work visa page says approval numbers can be issued immediately and final approval takes three days. The law gives two time limits for the residence steps: 30 days from entry to start them, and a residence permit renewal may be requested up to three months before expiry.
The contract generally has to state the date work starts and the agreed wage (Labour Law, Article 38). It usually makes sense to set that date after the permit steps are done. If the permit slips, the date in the contract may need to move with it.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employer of record sponsor a worker who is already in Qatar?
Often yes. An EOR can become the sponsoring employer. The worker and the EOR file the change of employer request on the Ministry of Labour portal, and the Ministry of Interior moves the residence permit.
Does the worker need the old employer's NOC to move to an EOR?
Often not, under the law. Decree-Law 19 of 2020 lets an expatriate worker move to another employer under the Ministry's rules. The Labour Law's notice periods can still apply, and the Ministry of Interior's service page still lists older conditions, so we confirm the Ministry's current position before we quote.
Is the transfer fee charged once or twice if the residence permit renewal falls due soon after?
No official page says. The Ministry of Interior prints a change of sponsorship fee and a renewal fee as separate services. We confirm how they apply to your worker before we quote.
Is health insurance compulsory for a transferred worker?
Generally yes. The employer usually pays the premium for the worker and, within the Regulation's limits, the family, which the Regulation describes as the spouse and three children under 18. Proof of cover is needed when the residence permit is issued or renewed.
In Qatar the visa is the hire. Under the 2020 law the worker can often move without the old employer's certificate, but the notice, the Ministry of Interior step and the insurance proof can still set the date.
Give us the contract end date and the worker's residence permit expiry at the start, and the start date can be set around them.
Whichever provider you choose, ask which legal entity will sponsor the permit.
Looking for a job in Qatar yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
