Document Attestation and Certified Translation in Qatar: A Guide for Foreign Investors

Which documents need attestation?

When a company or branch with a foreign partner is set up in Qatar, the Single Window asks for documents that are usually issued abroad. Its condition is that any official document issued outside Qatar must be attested by the foreign ministry and the Qatari embassy in the issuing country.

The executive regulations of the investment law (Decision No. 44 of 2020) require the non-Qatari investor's documents to be notarised and attested by the competent authority in the head office country and by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Commercial registration of a corporate partner registered outside Qatar.
• Articles of association or statutes of the parent company.
• Authorisation or power of attorney for whoever represents the partner or the company.

Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs fees

The figures below are published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

• Attestation of other documents such as contracts and certificates: QAR 100 according to the legalization fee schedule.
• Attestation of judicial documents (authorisations, litigation papers, arbitration): QAR 100.
• Digital attestation: QAR 100.
• Completing attestation outside Qatar: QAR 150, plus the equivalent of QAR 120 for the Qatari mission and the fees of the issuing country's foreign ministry.
• Qatar Post collection and delivery: QAR 40.
• Review of the attestation request: within one working day.

When is a certified Arabic translation required?

The provisions below are from Qatari legislation published on the Al Meezan portal.

• Notarisation Law No. 1 of 2023 (Articles 7 and 22): a foreign-language document presented to a notary must be accompanied by a certified Arabic translation by a translator entered on the experts roll at the Ministry of Justice.
• Minister of Justice Decision No. 157 of 2024 (Article 13): sets the conditions for using a translator from outside the roll.
• Judicial Enforcement Law No. 4 of 2024 (Article 15): an application to enforce a foreign judgment must include a certified Arabic translation.

Notarising an authorisation at the Ministry of Justice

If the authorisation is signed in Qatar, the Ministry of Justice signature attestation and authorisation service costs QAR 100 for three copies, plus QAR 50 for each party and QAR 50 for each additional copy. The published service time is 10 minutes.

A practical order for investors

A practical order that avoids attesting or translating twice:

• First confirm the list of documents required for your entity type on the Single Window.
• Attest the documents in the issuing country at the competent authority and then at the Qatari embassy there.
• Complete the attestation at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Have the documents translated into Arabic by a certified translator after all stamps are in place, so that the translation covers the attestations too.