Guides / Family & education / Newborns
Newborn in Qatar: birth certificate, passport and residence permit
What to do after your baby is born in Qatar, in the right order: the hospital birth notification, the MOPH birth certificate, the embassy passport, the residence permit and Qatar ID, then the health card and first vaccinations.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Time
- Birth certificate within days; passport and RP usually take a few weeks in total
- Deadline
- Report the birth within 15 days; aim to apply for the baby's RP within 60 days of birth
- Cost
- First birth certificate free; RP about QAR 500 per year of validity
- Where
- MOPH online birth registration, your embassy, then Metrash or an MOI service centre
Every baby born in Qatar, Qatari or not, must be registered with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and gets a Qatari birth certificate. Being born here does not give a non-Qatari child Qatari nationality, so your baby also needs a passport from your own country and then a Qatar residence permit (RP) and Qatar ID (QID) from the Ministry of Interior (MOI). The order matters: hospital notification first, then the birth certificate, then the embassy and passport, then the residence permit, then the health card. Each step needs the document from the step before, so start straight away. This guide is for expatriate parents who live in Qatar; rules for Qatari families differ in places.
Before you start
- Both parents' passports and Qatar IDs (QIDs), or the mother's entry visa if she is not a resident
- Your marriage certificate; if it was issued outside Qatar, have it attested now, because embassies and MOI often ask for it
- The mother's hospital file number or HMC health card (HC) number, which the birth registration system uses to find your baby's record
- A Qatari mobile number for SMS codes and a credit or debit card for online payments
- The baby's full name agreed in advance, spelled exactly as you want it on the passport
- Passport photos of the baby; check your embassy's photo rules, and MOI asks for a blue background
- The sponsor's documents for the RP: usually the father's QID, passport and salary or employment details
- Your embassy's current checklist for registering a birth and issuing a child's passport
Step by step
Get the birth notification before you leave hospital
The law requires every birth in Qatar to be reported within 15 days, and the hospital and the father share that duty. In practice the delivering hospital, such as HMC's Women's Wellness and Research Center, Sidra Medicine, Al Wakra or a private hospital, records the birth and gives you a Notification of Live Birth. Your baby also gets a hospital record number: an HC number at HMC and Sidra, or a file number at private hospitals. Ask for the vaccination card or booklet for the first vaccines given at birth. Keep all of these together, because you need them for the birth certificate.
Choose the name carefully
The name you enter in the birth registration goes on the birth certificate, and from there onto the passport and QID, so decide it before you apply. Qatar's birth registration law says a child's name cannot be the same as a sibling's, cannot be a compound name, and must not go against public norms. Use the same English spelling you will use for the passport, and check how the family name is written on the parents' QIDs. Changing a name later is much harder than fixing a typo before submission.
Apply for the birth certificate online
Open the MOPH Birth Registration System (eservices.moph.gov.qa/bcmoi) at least 48 hours after the birth. Choose resident and enter your QID number and its expiry date, then your mobile number and the SMS one-time code. Find the birth using the HC number (HMC and Sidra births) or the hospital file number (private hospitals), the baby's date of birth and the mother's ID number. Choose New Baby Request, fill in the baby's, mother's, father's, informant's and delivery details, upload the documents and submit.
Collect the certificate and check every detail
When the request is processed, MOPH sends an SMS telling you to collect the certificate from the birth registration office at the hospital you selected, or you can choose delivery by Qatar Post. The first original is free; extra stamped copies cost QAR 20 each and are paid through an SMS payment link by card. Order a few copies, because the embassy, MOI and others may each want one. Check names, dates and nationality before you leave; if something is wrong, use the Update Baby Request option or ask the registration office straight away.
Attest or translate the certificate if needed
A Qatari birth certificate used inside Qatar, for example for the RP, does not normally need attestation. If you will use it abroad, or your embassy asks for it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) attests personal documents for QAR 100, online through mofa.gov.qa or at the Consular Affairs department. Some embassies also ask for an English or home-language translation by a certified translator. Ask your embassy what it accepts before paying for extra steps.
Register the birth with your embassy and apply for a passport
Your baby needs a passport before MOI will issue a residence permit, so book the embassy as soon as you have the birth certificate. Many countries register the birth abroad and issue the child's first passport together. For example, the Indian Embassy in Doha asks parents to register the birth and apply for the child's passport, and the Philippine Embassy issues a Report of Birth (QAR 100) with extra paperwork if it is filed more than a year late. For British parents, registering the birth with the UK is optional and you can apply for a UK passport with the Qatari certificate and an approved translation. Requirements change, so check your embassy's website.
Apply for the baby's residence permit
Once the passport is ready, the sponsor applies for the baby's RP through Metrash or at an MOI service centre. The sponsor is usually the father; the mother can sponsor if she works and holds her own employment RP, which may need extra documents such as an NOC and the father's salary papers. You will normally upload the birth certificate, the baby's passport, a blue-background photo and the sponsor's employment or salary details, then pay by card. Reported fees are about QAR 500 per year of RP validity, plus a small delivery fee if Qatar Post brings the card.
Read guide: Metrash: registering and using Qatar's Ministry of Interior app →Know the deadline and the late fine
Qatar's residency law gives a resident 90 days from the birth to apply for the child's residence permit, but MOI guidance and most recent practical guides use 60 days, with a fine of QAR 10 for every day late. Treat 60 days as your working deadline so you are safe either way. If the embassy passport is slow, keep proof of your appointment and ask MOI for advice before the deadline passes. If the mother was in Qatar on a family visit visa when she gave birth, the sponsor uses a separate Metrash service to issue the newborn a visa like the mother's, and the law gives 60 days for that.
Read guide: Bring your family to Qatar →Finish the QID: medical and fingerprints
Babies and young children are normally exempt from the Medical Commission check and fingerprints that adults need for residency, so the RP can go straight to issue. If Metrash does not show the option to issue the RP after approval, an MOI service centre can complete it and often prints the QID card the same visit. After issue, the baby's QID number appears in the sponsor's Metrash account and you can add the digital ID there. Note the expiry date, because the baby's RP is renewed with the sponsor's.
Read guide: Get your Qatar ID (residence permit) →Get a health card and register with a PHCC health centre
With the QID issued, apply for the baby's health card through the Nar'aakom app or at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) health centre that covers your home address. For a resident child PHCC asks for the valid QID, a 4x3 cm photo, the vaccination card and a utility bill as proof of address; the fee is QAR 100 for a non-Qatari child, paid by card. The health card gives subsidised care at PHCC centres and HMC, and registers your baby with a family doctor. Your baby's routine vaccines and check-ups will be done at that centre.
Read guide: Get your health card (now linked to your QID) →Start the vaccination schedule
Qatar's national immunisation programme starts at birth with BCG and hepatitis B, usually given in the delivery hospital. The next doses are due at 2 months, then 4 and 6 months, at your PHCC health centre or your private paediatrician. Bring the vaccination card or booklet to every visit, because schools and later residency steps may ask for it. If you are unsure what is due, ask your family physician or call PHCC on 107.
Plan travel around the residence permit
A baby born in Qatar can leave on their own passport, but without a Qatar residence permit they cannot simply re-enter as a resident, as MOI officials reminded residents in June 2026. If you must travel before the RP is issued, ask MOI first how the baby will come back. Guides report that babies under six months whose mother is sponsored by the father can get a visa on arrival with the original birth certificate and passport, but this depends on conditions on the day. The safest plan is to finish the RP and QID before booking flights.
Read guide: Leaving Qatar for good: a step-by-step exit checklist →
What it costs
| Birth certificate, first original | Free |
| Extra stamped copy of the birth certificate | QAR 20 each |
| MOFA attestation of a personal document (if needed) | QAR 100 |
| Baby's residence permit (reported) | QAR 500 per year of validity |
| Late residence permit application (reported) | QAR 10 per day |
| PHCC health card, non-Qatari child | QAR 100 |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until the baby is a month old to start; the passport alone can take weeks and the RP clock is already running
- Entering a different spelling of the name in the MOPH system than the one you will use on the passport
- Giving a sibling's name or a compound name, which the birth registration law does not allow
- Not checking the birth certificate before leaving the counter, then needing a correction later
- Assuming the mother can sponsor the baby when she is on the father's family RP; the father sponsors in that case
- Booking a holiday before the RP is issued, then finding the baby cannot come back as a resident
- Forgetting the health card, then paying higher fees for routine care or missing PHCC vaccination appointments
Questions people ask
Does a baby born in Qatar get Qatari nationality?
No. A child of non-Qatari parents gets a Qatari birth certificate but not Qatari citizenship. The baby takes your nationality under your own country's rules, which is why you need your embassy and a passport.
Is the deadline for the baby's residence permit 60 or 90 days?
The residency law text gives 90 days from birth, while MOI practice and most guides use 60 days with a QAR 10 daily fine after that. Aim for 60 days so you are covered either way, and ask MOI if something delays you.
Is the birth certificate in English?
Guides differ: older ones describe an Arabic certificate, while recent ones describe a bilingual Arabic and English certificate. Look at what you receive, and ask your embassy whether it needs a certified translation.
Can the mother sponsor the baby?
Usually the father sponsors. A mother who works and holds her own employment RP can sponsor, but expect to show extra documents such as an NOC and the father's salary details. If the mother is on the father's family RP, the father must sponsor.
Does my newborn need a medical test for the RP?
Normally no. Children are exempt from the Medical Commission check that adults need, so the RP can go straight to issue. If Metrash asks for a medical step, check with MOI or a service centre.
We delivered at a private hospital. Is the process different?
Only slightly. In the MOPH system you search for the birth by the hospital file number instead of the HC number, and you choose a collection point from the listed registration offices. Everything after that is the same.
Can we travel home with the baby before the RP is issued?
The baby can leave on their passport, but cannot simply return as a resident without an RP. Some babies under six months can get a visa on arrival, but it is safer to finish the RP and QID before you travel.
What if I miss the 15-day birth reporting deadline?
Late reporting is an offence under Law No. 3 of 2016, with a fine of up to QAR 10,000. Hospitals normally start the notification for you, so register online as soon as you can and contact MOPH if you are late.
Official sources
- MOPH Birth Registration System (apply for the birth certificate) ↗
- HMC: MOPH birth registration system user manual (PDF) ↗
- Gulf Times: rules on birth and death registration (Law No. 3 of 2016) ↗
- MOFA: birth certificate attestation ↗
- PHCC: health card requirements and fees ↗
- Gulf Times (June 2026): MOI on newborn residency and travel ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.