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For Bangladeshi workers in Qatar: e-passport, BMET clearance, welfare board and Embassy of Bangladesh help
How Bangladeshi workers in Qatar get a new e-passport through the Embassy of Bangladesh in Doha, what to sort out with BMET and the Wage Earners' Welfare Board before flying back after leave, how to get an NID from Qatar, and where the embassy labour wing can help.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Embassy hotline
- +974 3366 3000; email mission.doha@mofa.gov.bd
- Labour wing
- +974 4037 4725 / +974 4467 1499; labour.doha@mofa.gov.bd
- WEWB welfare fee
- BDT 5,500 from 1 October 2026 (was BDT 3,500), plus BDT 1,000 insurance
- If a worker dies
- WEWB: BDT 35,000 for burial and transport plus a BDT 300,000 grant to the family
If you are a Bangladeshi working in Qatar, two governments have paperwork for you. Qatar handles your QID, work permit and contract; Bangladesh handles your passport, your NID, your BMET record and your membership of the Wage Earners' Welfare Board (WEWB), which is what pays your family if something goes wrong. Most passport, NID and labour questions start at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Doha, while BMET and WEWB matters are usually settled in Bangladesh or at the Probashi Kallyan (expatriate welfare) desk at the airport. This guide goes in the order most workers need it: passport first, then NID, then welfare board and BMET before you fly back from leave, then the labour wing, remittances and emergencies. Qatar-side steps such as moving your residency to a new passport, salary complaints and repatriation have their own guides, linked below.
Before you start
- Your current Bangladeshi passport (MRP or e-passport) and a clear copy of the photo page
- Your NID card or NID number; if you do not have one yet, your online birth registration certificate
- Your Qatar ID (QID) and a copy of the front and back
- Your employment contract and your company name, address and contact person
- Your BMET clearance (smart card) details from when you first left Bangladesh, and your WEWB membership receipt if you have it
- A mobile number that works in Qatar and one that a family member in Bangladesh can use for you
- For a lost passport: a police report from Qatar and any copy of the old passport you can find
- For a labour problem: salary slips or bank statements, messages from your employer and your QID number, so the labour wing can act quickly
Step by step
Know which office does what
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Doha handles passports, travel permits for people who lost their passport, NID registration for expatriates, attestation and the labour wing. BMET (Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training) issues the emigration clearance card you needed to leave Bangladesh for work. The Wage Earners' Welfare Board (WEWB) collects the welfare fee and pays help to workers and families, and Probashi Kallyan Bank gives loans to migrants. Qatar's own offices (Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Interior) deal with your work permit, salary and residency. Knowing this saves you wasted trips: the embassy cannot renew your QID, and Qatar cannot fix your BMET record.
Save the embassy and labour wing contacts
Save the embassy hotline +974 3366 3000 and the email mission.doha@mofa.gov.bd in your phone today, before you need them. The labour wing (the embassy's section for workers) lists +974 4037 4725 and mobile +974 5001 0428 for the Counsellor, +974 4467 1499 for the First Secretary, and emails labour.doha@mofa.gov.bd and qatarlabourwing@gmail.com. Check the embassy's website or official Facebook page for the current address, opening hours and any notice about appointments or holidays before you go. When you email, always write your full name, passport number, QID number, company name and phone number so they can reply without asking again.
Apply for a new e-passport before the old one runs out
Start at least six months before your passport expires, because Qatar needs a valid passport to renew your QID and airlines will refuse you with less than six months left. Bangladesh now issues e-passports through its missions; you fill the online application at epassport.gov.bd, choose the Embassy in Doha as your office, pay the fee shown, and book or take the printed form for your appointment. At the appointment the embassy takes your fingerprints, photo and signature, so you must go in person. Adults now get a 10-year passport. The fee depends on pages, validity and speed and the government said in June 2026 it is reviewing cuts for expatriates, so pay only the amount the official site or embassy shows on the day.
Collect the passport and check every detail
Finished passports are printed in Dhaka and sent to the embassy, which tells applicants when they are ready; keep your delivery slip safe because you need it to collect. Before you leave the counter, check your name spelling, date of birth, parents' names and passport dates against your NID and old passport. A spelling mistake now can block your QID renewal, your BMET record or remittances later. If something is wrong, tell the counter straight away rather than months later.
Move your Qatar residency to the new passport
A new passport has a new number, and Qatar's system still shows the old one until you or your employer update it. Ask your company PRO (the staff member who handles government papers) to transfer your residency to the new passport, or follow the update-passport-in-residency guide. Do this before you travel, because the airport and e-gates check the passport linked to your QID. Keep the old passport too: it may still carry visas or stamps you need.
Read guide: Got a new passport? Updating it in your Qatar residence record →Lost passport: police report first, then the embassy
If your passport is lost or stolen in Qatar, report it to the police first and keep the report; the lost-items-police-report guide explains how. Then contact the embassy, which can issue a new passport or, if you must fly urgently, a one-way travel permit to Bangladesh. Bring the police report, your QID, your NID and any copy of the old passport. Your employer is not allowed to keep your passport against your will under Qatari law; if they refuse to return it, that is a labour complaint, not a lost passport.
Read guide: Lost something in Qatar? Reporting it and getting it back →Register for an NID from Qatar if you do not have one
Bangladesh needs an NID (National ID) for e-passports, bank accounts, mobile banking, land and voting. Since May 2024 the Election Commission has run voter registration for expatriates through the Bangladesh missions in Qatar. You apply through the embassy, go in person for fingerprints and photo, and the NID card is printed in Bangladesh and sent back to the embassy for you to collect. Ask the embassy for the current document list and dates before you go, as it can change and the service runs alongside the embassy's normal work.
Before flying back after leave: check BMET and WEWB
At Dhaka, Chattogram or Sylhet airport, the Probashi Kallyan desk and immigration check that outgoing workers are registered with BMET and the Wage Earners' Welfare Board. Your BMET smart card is free and can be checked or downloaded on the worker portal employee.oep.gov.bd with your registered mobile number. From 1 October 2026 the WEWB welfare fee rose from BDT 3,500 to BDT 5,500, with a separate BDT 1,000 insurance fee, and the new rate applies to workers already abroad and to those paying at the airport. Ask BMET or the airport desk, or call Probash Bandhu, a few days before your flight whether anything is due, rather than on the morning of departure.
Read guide: Annual leave, sick leave and leave salary in Qatar →Know what the welfare board gives your family
WEWB membership is what lets your family claim help. If a registered worker dies abroad, WEWB pays BDT 35,000 by cheque at the airport towards burial and transport when the body arrives, and a one-time grant of BDT 300,000 to the family after documents are checked. It also offers medical help for sick returnees and education stipends for workers' children. Tell your family your passport number and that you are a WEWB member, and keep your receipt where they can find it.
Read guide: When a family member dies in Qatar: certificates, repatriation and next steps →Use the labour wing for problems at work
If your salary is late, your employer keeps your passport, you are not given your QID, or you want to go home and cannot, contact the labour wing. Officers can advise you, call the employer, help with a complaint to the Ministry of Labour and, in serious cases, help with a ticket or shelter. The formal claim for unpaid salary or end-of-service still has to be made in Qatar, which the labour-complaint and delayed-salary-wps guides explain. Keep copies of everything and never sign papers in Arabic you do not understand.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →Send money home the legal way
Bangladesh pays a 2.5% cash incentive on remittances sent through banks and licensed channels, and the 2026-27 budget kept it. Money sent by hundi (informal agents) gets no incentive, has no protection if the agent disappears, and is illegal in both countries. Use a Qatari exchange house or bank app and send to a bank account or a mobile wallet in your family's name; the send-money-home guide compares the options. Probashi Kallyan Bank, a state bank for migrants, also offers migration and returnee loans; ask at a branch in Bangladesh about the current terms.
Read guide: Sending money home from Qatar: options, fees and limits →Keep your papers ready for emergencies
Keep photos of your passport, NID, QID, contract, BMET card and WEWB receipt in one folder on your phone and give copies to a family member in Bangladesh. The Probash Bandhu call centre helps workers and families: 16135 from Bangladesh and +880 9610 102030 from abroad. In a regional crisis the embassy posts advice and its hotline; in February 2026 it asked citizens in Qatar to stay indoors and stay alert. If you need a police clearance certificate from Qatar for a new job, follow the police-clearance guide.
Read guide: Police clearance certificate (good conduct) in Qatar →
What it costs
| WEWB welfare fee (from 1 October 2026) | BDT 5,500 |
| Expatriate worker insurance fee, paid with the welfare fee | BDT 1,000 |
| BMET emigration clearance smart card | Free |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Letting the passport drop below six months; Qatar will not renew your QID and the airline may not board you.
- Paying an agent near the embassy to 'fast-track' a passport; apply on the official site and pay only the official fee.
- Getting a new passport and forgetting to move your Qatar residency onto it before travelling.
- Not checking name spelling against your NID; mismatches cause problems with BMET, banks and remittances.
- Leaving the BMET and welfare fee check to the morning of your flight back from leave.
- Sending money by hundi; it loses the 2.5% incentive and the money is not protected.
- Not telling your family you are a WEWB member, so they do not know to claim the BDT 300,000 grant.
- Expecting the embassy to settle unpaid salary; the formal claim must be filed with Qatar's Ministry of Labour.
Questions people ask
How do I renew my Bangladeshi passport in Qatar?
Bangladesh no longer 'renews' old passports; you apply for a new e-passport online at epassport.gov.bd, choose the Embassy in Doha, pay, and attend in person for fingerprints and photo. When it is ready you collect it from the embassy. Then move your Qatar residency onto the new passport.
How much is the e-passport fee at the embassy in Doha?
It depends on the number of pages, 5 or 10 years validity, and regular or express delivery. The government said in June 2026 that it is reviewing a fee cut for expatriates, so check the fee shown on epassport.gov.bd or by the embassy on the day you apply rather than relying on older social media posts.
Do I need a new BMET card when I go back to Qatar after leave?
Rules for returning workers have changed several times, so check before you fly. Your existing clearance can be checked on employee.oep.gov.bd, and the Probashi Kallyan desk at the airport will tell you if any welfare fee is due. The BMET card itself is free; never pay an agent for it.
Has the welfare fee really gone up?
Yes. A ministry circular in September 2026 raised the WEWB welfare fee from BDT 3,500 to BDT 5,500 from 1 October 2026, and it applies to workers already abroad and to those paying at the airport. A separate BDT 1,000 insurance fee is also paid.
Can I get an NID card while I am working in Qatar?
Yes. The Election Commission started voter and NID registration for expatriates in Qatar in May 2024, working through the Bangladesh mission. You give your fingerprints and photo at the embassy and collect the printed card there later. Ask the embassy for current dates and documents.
My company is holding my passport. What can I do?
Under Qatari law an employer may keep your passport only if you ask in writing, and must give it back when you ask. Ask politely first, then contact the labour wing and file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour as explained in the labour-complaint guide. Do not report it as lost if you know who has it.
What does the family get if a Bangladeshi worker dies in Qatar?
If the worker was registered with WEWB, the family receives BDT 35,000 at the airport for burial and transport when the body arrives, and a one-time BDT 300,000 grant after the papers are checked. Qatar-side steps for repatriating the body are in the death-of-a-family-member guide; the labour wing can also help with the employer.
Official sources
- WEWB: labour wing contacts at Bangladesh missions, including Doha (updated October 2025) ↗
- bdnews24: welfare fee raised to BDT 5,500 and WEWB benefits (September 2026) ↗
- Hazrat Shahjalal Airport: Probashi Kallyan desk services ↗
- UNB: NID and voter registration for expatriates, including Qatar (March 2025) ↗
- The Business Standard: 2.5% remittance incentive kept in the 2026-27 budget ↗
- Bangladesh Monitor: Embassy in Doha advisory and hotline (February 2026) ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.