Leaving Qatar in 2026: a 90-day countdown for the 14-day rule

Why the old plan no longer works

For years, people leaving Qatar used the same trick: let the employer cancel the residence permit, then use the next month to sell the car, close the flat and say goodbye. That month is gone. In June 2026 the Ministry of Interior (MOI) said that once your residence permit is cancelled you must leave within 14 days, not 30. Staying longer costs QAR 10 per day (Gulf Times, 16 June 2026 ↗).

So the work has to move earlier. This article turns the exit into a countdown. Start about 90 days out, finish the slow jobs while your Qatar ID (QID) still works, and treat the 14 days as the time to pack and fly, not to do paperwork. Our step-by-step exit checklist has the detailed steps for each task.

The countdown at a glance

These are suggested timings, not legal deadlines. Your contract and your lease decide the real notice periods.

90 to 60 days out: money first

Start with what you owe. Personal loans, car loans, credit cards and bounced cheques are the things most likely to stop you at the airport, because unpaid debts and court cases can lead to a travel ban. Ask your bank for the settlement figure on each loan and how long a clearance (no-liability) letter takes. Cancelling a credit card can take weeks. Our guide to loans, credit cards and travel bans explains how this works.

At the same time, read your employment contract. Find your notice period and how your end-of-service gratuity is worked out. Gratuity is the lump sum due when a job ends, and our gratuity guide shows the legal minimum and how to check your employer's figure.

60 to 30 days out: the car, the home and your things

The car is the classic last-minute trap. You have three choices:

• Sell it. Since July 2025 the seller starts the transfer in Metrash (the MOI's official app), the buyer approves it in their own Metrash, and the seller then pays the fee. The car needs a valid registration and no unpaid traffic violations (The Peninsula ↗). See selling your car.
• Ship it home. This needs extra paperwork, covered in exporting your car.
• Hand it to someone you trust, through the same Metrash transfer, so they sell it after you leave.

Any bank loan on the car must be cleared before it can change hands. Start this early.

For your home, give written notice as your lease requires and plan a joint move-out inspection. For your belongings, get written quotes from licensed movers; sea freight takes weeks, so book early (shipping your belongings). Sell what you will not ship while you still have time to wait for good offers (selling things before you leave).

30 to 14 days out: clearances

• Final settlement. Get your gratuity, last salary, leave pay and any deductions in writing, with a payment date. If there is a dispute, it is far easier to raise with the Ministry of Labour while you are still in Qatar.
• Fines and bans. An MOI official told residents to use Metrash before travelling to pay traffic fines, overstay fines and other dues, and to follow up on any travel ban (Gulf Times ↗). Do this now, not at the airport. Our travel ban guide explains how to check and lift one.
• Electricity and water. Ask KAHRAMAA, Qatar's electricity and water company, for final clearance. Many landlords want the clearance certificate before they return your deposit (closing your KAHRAMAA account).

The last 14 days

Only now should permits be cancelled. If you sponsor family or a domestic worker, their permits are cancelled first, and each person then has 14 days to leave. Then your employer, usually through its PRO (the staff member who handles government paperwork), cancels yours. Check the date in Metrash so you know when your 14 days started. Our guide to cancelling a residence permit covers the order.

In this window, switch your phone line to prepaid instead of closing it, so you can still receive bank codes. Move your money abroad once your deposit and dues have arrived, then close the bank account. On the day you fly, check Metrash once more.

Scenarios and common traps

Realistic scenarios

Common traps

• Cancelling too early. Once the permit is cancelled, many services stop working. Keep your QID active until the slow tasks are done.
• Leaving the car to the last week. A car in your name can block your permit cancellation.
• Closing the bank account first. Your gratuity and deposit refunds need somewhere to land.
• Mixing up visit visas and residence permits. The MOI also stopped extensions for expired or nearly expired entry visas from 7 June 2026 (Gulf Business ↗). That is about entry visas such as visit visas, not the 14 days after a residence permit is cancelled. The visit visa overstay fine is QAR 200 per day.

Check before you act: the MOI statements we have seen speak about cancelled permits. They do not set out exceptions or say exactly how the 14 days are counted. If your situation is unusual, ask your employer's PRO or the MOI before you rely on the full 14 days. If your permit has expired rather than been cancelled, see an expired residence permit.