Opening a Foreign Company Branch in Qatar: Conditions, Fees and Documents

When is a branch allowed?

Article 5 of Law No. 1 of 2019 sets rules for non-Qatari companies tied to works contracts in the State.

• The contract must be performed through the company's branch in the State.
• The contract must be with a ministry, government body, public authority or institution, or a company or institution in which the State holds a share.
• The branch must be entered in the commercial register and obtain its trade licence after the works are awarded and before the contract is signed.
• The requirements of the competent authorities must be met throughout the contract.
• The commercial registration and the branch licences must be renewed throughout the contract.

Government fees

These fees are published in the Start Your Business service on the Single Window.

• Commercial registration of a foreign company branch: QAR 5,000.
• Qatar Chamber for a foreign company branch: QAR 10,000.
• Trade licence: QAR 500.
• Establishment card: QAR 200.
• Total of these four items: QAR 15,700.

Documents required

The Single Window asks for the following for a foreign company branch. Any official document issued outside Qatar must be attested by the foreign ministry and by the Qatari embassy in the issuing country, and foreign-language documents presented for notarisation need a certified Arabic translation.

• Authorisation to represent the company.
• Commercial registration of the parent company.
• Articles of association or statutes of the parent company.
• The contract with the government entity and its approval.
• Premises documents for the trade licence.

Branch, representative office or LLC

A representative office has different fees on the Single Window: commercial registration QAR 5,000 and Qatar Chamber QAR 5,000, with no minimum capital.

For a company that wants to trade in the market generally, without a government contract, the most common legal form according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the limited liability company. Foreign ownership of up to 100% is allowed there in most activities, with a commercial registration fee of QAR 500 and minimum capital of QAR 1,000.

Tax on the branch

Income tax in Qatar is charged at 10% of taxable income from sources in the State, which includes income from contracts performed in Qatar, according to the General Tax Authority. Registration on the Dhareeba portal is required within 60 days of commercial registration or of first income.