Guides / Visas & residency / Cancellation & exit

Cancelling a residence permit in Qatar: dependants, employer and the 14-day rule

Who cancels a Qatar residence permit, the order to do it in (dependants first), the clearances to sort out beforehand, and the 14-day window you have to leave once it is cancelled.

Last reviewed: 13 October 2026

Who cancels: Employer for work permits; you for family and domestic workers
Order: Dependants and domestic workers first, then you
Time to leave: 14 days from cancellation (since June 2026)
Overstay fine: QAR 10 per day after the 14 days

A residence permit (RP, the permit behind your Qatar ID or QID) has to be cancelled when you leave Qatar for good or when a sponsor relationship ends. You cannot cancel your own work permit: your employer does that, usually through its PRO (the company's government-relations officer). If you sponsor your spouse, children or a domestic worker, you cancel their permits yourself, and theirs must be cancelled before yours. Cancellation takes effect straight away, and since June 2026 the Ministry of Interior (MOI) says you must leave Qatar within 14 days of it, down from 30, or pay QAR 10 for every extra day. So the order matters: clear fines and debts, take the car off your name, cancel dependants, then let your employer cancel your permit close to your flight.

Before you start

Your flight dates, and those of each family member, so permits are cancelled only when travel is booked
Metrash (the Ministry of Interior's official app) working on your phone, with your mobile number registered to your QID
The QID and residence permit numbers of everyone you sponsor (spouse, children, parents, domestic workers)
Proof that traffic fines are paid and that no travel ban shows in Metrash
A clearance or no-liability letter from your bank if you had a loan or credit card
Your car sold or transferred out of your name, with the transfer complete in Metrash
For a domestic worker: their final wages, end-of-service pay and return ticket ready, and their passport to hand back
Your resignation or termination letter and final settlement in writing, so your employer can close your contract

Step by step

Plan the dates before anyone cancels anything
Cancellation is instant and cannot be undone, and from that day the person has 14 days to leave Qatar. So book flights first and work backwards. The usual pattern is: domestic worker and family leave first, then you leave last once your employer cancels your permit. If you are moving to a new job in Qatar rather than leaving, do not ask for cancellation at all; a job change goes through the Ministry of Labour (MOL) and keeps your permit alive.
Read guide: Changing jobs in Qatar without an NOC →
Clear traffic fines and check for travel bans
Since September 2024, people with unpaid traffic violations cannot leave Qatar until they pay. Open Metrash, check violations for every vehicle in your name and pay them. Metrash also lets you check whether a travel ban is registered against you. Unpaid loans, credit cards, bounced cheques or court cases can lead to a ban, so settle them with your bank and ask for a clearance letter. If you find a ban, contact the department that placed it well before your flight.
Read guide: Traffic fines in Qatar: check, pay, object, and avoid the travel ban →
Take your car off your name
A residence permit cannot be cancelled while a vehicle is still registered to that QID. Sell the car or transfer it to a friend who will sell it for you. The seller starts the transfer in Metrash, the buyer approves it in their own Metrash, and the fee is paid to complete it; any car loan must be cleared first. Check afterwards that the car no longer shows under your QID.
Read guide: Leaving Qatar for good: a step-by-step exit checklist →
Settle with your domestic worker, then cancel their permit
If you sponsor a housemaid, driver or nanny, you are their sponsor and you cancel their permit. First pay their final wages, end-of-service pay and anything else their contract promises, give back their passport, and book their return ticket, which the employer pays. Then cancel their permit in Metrash or at an MOI service centre, close to their flight date. Do this before your own permit is cancelled, because your permit cannot be cancelled while someone is still sponsored under it.
Read guide: Hiring a domestic worker in Qatar: visa, contract and rights →
Cancel your family's permits in Metrash
As the sponsor, log in to Metrash, go to the residency services and choose the residency cancellation service. Select or enter the residence permit number of each person to cancel, check the names carefully, and pay the fee shown. The cancellation is usually immediate, and you can save the payment receipt. You can also do it at an MOI service centre with a cancellation form and your QID. Cancel children and spouse together if they are travelling together, so everyone's 14 days start the same day.
Read guide: Metrash: registering and using Qatar's Ministry of Interior app →
If a family member has already left Qatar
If your spouse or child is already abroad, you still need to cancel their permit, because their record stays active under your sponsorship and blocks the cancellation of your own. Sources say a sponsor can cancel a dependant's permit while they are outside Qatar, but some residents report that Metrash refused the request. If that happens, go to an MOI service centre with their QID and passport copies, or call the MOI. Do it before your own last weeks, so it does not hold up your exit.
Your employer closes your contract with the Ministry of Labour
For a work permit, your employer does the cancellation, not you. Since February 2025, companies registered with the Ministry of Labour first have to get the contract termination approved by MOL, and only then can they cancel the permit with the MOI. This extra step usually takes 5 to 7 working days, so agree the timing with HR early. Make sure your final settlement is agreed before this, because a dispute is much harder to pursue from abroad.
Read guide: End-of-service gratuity in Qatar: how it is worked out and how to claim it →
Your employer cancels your permit; check it in Metrash
Once your dependants are cancelled and no car is in your name, the employer's PRO cancels your permit through the MOI system. Ask HR to cancel it a few days before your flight, not weeks before, because the 14-day clock starts on the cancellation date. Then check Metrash or ask HR for the cancellation document, and note the date. If your employer refuses to cancel after your contract has ended, raise it with the Ministry of Labour.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →
If you are already outside Qatar
An employer can cancel a work permit while the employee is abroad, for example if you resigned during leave. Stay in touch with HR so they cancel it, and ask them to send you the cancellation document, because you will need the old permit cancelled before anyone can issue you a new Qatar visa. Under the residency law, a resident who stays outside Qatar for more than six months can lose the permit, but an uncancelled or simply expired permit is not automatically cleared, so do not rely on that. If your old employer cannot be reached, ask your new employer's PRO or the MOI what is possible.
Keep your records
Save the Metrash payment receipt for every cancellation, a screenshot of each status showing 'Cancelled', and any cancellation letter from your employer. Keep your final settlement, experience certificate and bank clearance letter too. These papers help if a future employer, an embassy or the MOI asks about your old permit, and they prove the date your 14 days started if a fine is ever questioned.
Leave within 14 days
Fly out within 14 days of the cancellation date to avoid the QAR 10 per day fine. Check Metrash on the day you travel for any new fines. At Hamad International Airport you leave through passport control or the e-gates as usual; an officer may keep your cancelled QID, which is normal. There is no general exit permit for most private-sector workers any more.
Read guide: Leaving Qatar for good: a step-by-step exit checklist →
Coming back later on a new visa
Once your old permit is cancelled, you can come back on a new work or family visa; the old two-year re-entry ban was abolished by the 2015 residency law. Your new employer or sponsor applies for the visa, and you go through the medical and fingerprint steps again. The law still allows a four-year work ban for a worker dismissed for misconduct who did not challenge the dismissal, so if that applies to you, check with the MOI before accepting an offer. A new visa usually cannot be issued while an old permit is still active.
Read guide: Residence medical exam and fingerprints in Qatar →

What it costs

Overstay after the 14-day period	QAR 10 per day
Cancellation fee, personal sponsorship (family, domestic worker)	QAR 20 per person (reported; confirm in Metrash)
Cancellation fee, company sponsorship (paid by employer)	QAR 50 per person (reported)

Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.

Common mistakes

Cancelling family permits weeks before their flight and then running past the 14 days.
Assuming the grace period is still 30 days; it has been 14 days since June 2026.
Leaving a car registered in your name, which blocks your own cancellation.
Forgetting a domestic worker or a dependant who already left, so your permit cannot be cancelled.
Asking your employer to cancel your permit when you are actually changing jobs in Qatar; a transfer goes through MOL instead.
Flying out before your final settlement is agreed, or with unpaid traffic fines that stop you at the airport.
Not keeping the cancellation receipt, then being unable to prove the date or status later.

Questions people ask

How long can I stay after my residence permit is cancelled?

Fourteen days from the cancellation date. An MOI official announced the change from 30 days in June 2026, and staying longer costs QAR 10 per day. The 2015 residency law mentions 90 days, but the MOI applies 14 days in practice, so plan on that.

Can I cancel my own work residence permit?

No. Your employer, usually through its PRO, cancels a work permit after closing your contract with the Ministry of Labour. You can only cancel permits you sponsor yourself, such as your family's or your domestic worker's.

Why can't my employer cancel my permit?

The most common reasons are a family member or domestic worker still sponsored under you, a car still registered in your name, or the MOL contract termination not yet approved. Unpaid dues or a travel ban can also hold things up. Fix these and ask HR to try again.

My wife has already gone home. Can I still cancel her permit?

Usually yes, the sponsor can cancel a dependant's permit while they are abroad. Some residents report Metrash refusing it, in which case go to an MOI service centre with her QID and passport copies. Her permit must be cancelled before yours.

I left Qatar and my old employer never cancelled my QID. What now?

Ask the old employer to cancel it, because a new visa usually cannot be issued while the old permit is active. An expired permit is not cancelled automatically. If the employer will not cooperate, a labour complaint or help from your new employer's PRO may be needed.

Does cancelling my wife's permit cancel the children's?

No. Each permit is separate, so cancel each child you sponsor individually. Check the list in Metrash after cancelling so nobody is left active under your sponsorship.

Is there a ban on coming back to Qatar after cancellation?

Not in general. The old two-year ban was abolished, and you can return on a new visa once the old permit is cancelled. A four-year work ban can still apply to someone dismissed for misconduct who did not challenge the dismissal.

Do I need a KAHRAMAA clearance to cancel my residence?

It is not an MOI requirement for cancellation that we could find, but landlords often ask for it before refunding a deposit, and some employers ask for it in their exit checklist. Close your KAHRAMAA account before you leave anyway, so you are not billed later.

Official sources

Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.

Cancelling a residence permit in Qatar: dependants, employer and the 14-day rule

Before you start

Step by step

Plan the dates before anyone cancels anything

Clear traffic fines and check for travel bans

Take your car off your name

Settle with your domestic worker, then cancel their permit

Cancel your family's permits in Metrash

If a family member has already left Qatar

Your employer closes your contract with the Ministry of Labour

Your employer cancels your permit; check it in Metrash

If you are already outside Qatar

Keep your records

Leave within 14 days

Coming back later on a new visa

What it costs

Common mistakes

Questions people ask

Official sources

Further reading

Related guides