Guides / Health / Pregnancy & baby
Having a baby in Qatar: antenatal care, hospitals and costs
How pregnancy care works in Qatar for residents: booking antenatal care at a PHCC health centre or a private hospital, referral to a Hamad maternity hospital, scans, costs, the documents you need (including your marriage certificate), maternity leave and what to do after the birth.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- First visit
- Book as soon as you know, ideally before 10 weeks (PHCC: call 107)
- Hospital referral
- Public route: from about 34 weeks, earlier if high-risk
- Key documents
- Valid QID, active health registration, marriage certificate
- Maternity leave
- Private sector: 50 days on full pay after 1 year of service
If you live in Qatar and are expecting a baby, you can be looked after in the public system or privately. In the public system you start at your local Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) health centre, which looks after a normal pregnancy until about 34 weeks and then refers you to a Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) maternity hospital for the birth. Privately, you book directly with a hospital such as Sidra Medicine or a private hospital and pay yourself or through insurance. Either way, you will be asked for a valid Qatar ID (QID) and your marriage certificate, so have both ready from the first visit. This guide goes in order: confirming the pregnancy, checking your cover, antenatal visits and scans, choosing where to deliver, maternity leave, and the first steps after the birth.
Before you start
- Your valid QID, and your husband's QID, ideally not expiring before your due date
- An active public health registration (QAR 100 a year for most non-Qatari residents), which is now linked to your QID instead of a printed health card
- Your marriage certificate, the original and a copy; a certificate issued abroad may need to be attested and translated first
- Your passport, and a copy of your husband's passport if he is not in Qatar
- Your building number, street and zone (your national address), because PHCC registers you at the health centre nearest your home
- Your insurance card and the policy's table of benefits, if you have private or employer insurance
- Records from any earlier pregnancies, your blood group if you know it, and details of any long-term conditions or regular medicines
- A letter from your sponsor or employer, in case the health centre asks for one when you register
Step by step
Confirm the pregnancy and check your papers
A home test from any pharmacy is a fine first step, and your health centre or a private doctor will confirm it. Before your first appointment, check three things. Your QID must be valid, your public health registration must be active, and you need your marriage certificate. Since April 2026 residents show their QID at PHCC and HMC instead of a health card, but the yearly registration fee still applies. If your registration has lapsed, renew it through Hukoomi or the Nar'aakom app first, because unregistered patients pay much higher charges.
Read guide: Get your health card (now linked to your QID) →Check what your insurance covers for maternity
If you have private or employer insurance, open the table of benefits and find the maternity line. Look for the annual maternity limit, the co-payment, whether a caesarean is covered at the same level, which hospitals are in your network, and whether the newborn is covered from birth. Many policies have a waiting period of 10 to 12 months before maternity benefits start, so a pregnancy that begins soon after you join may not be covered. Ask HR or the insurer in writing, and keep the reply. If you have no cover, you can still use the subsidised public system with your QID.
Read guide: Health insurance in Qatar: what residents and visitors need →Book your first antenatal visit at a PHCC health centre
In the public system, antenatal care starts at the PHCC health centre for your area. Call Hayyak on 107 or walk in, and aim to be seen as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, ideally before 10 weeks. The first booking visit covers your medical history and past pregnancies, blood and urine tests, an ultrasound, and supplements such as folic acid. Follow-up appointments are booked through 107 or at reception. PHCC also runs antenatal education classes, which are worth joining for a first baby.
Or choose private antenatal care
You can also be followed by a private obstetrician at hospitals such as Sidra Medicine, Al Ahli Hospital, Doha Clinic Hospital, Al Emadi Hospital or Aster. Sidra does not need a referral; you can book directly, and it accepts insurance or self-pay. Private clinics often sell an antenatal package of check-ups and scans, with the birth billed separately. Ask for the price of the package and of the delivery in writing, and check whether your insurer needs pre-approval. If you start privately and later want a public birth, ask about the referral route early, as HMC's Women's Wellness and Research Center (WWRC) accepts referrals from private hospitals.
Follow the scans and tests timeline
At every visit your weight, blood pressure and urine are checked. The first-trimester scan is usually between 11 and 13 weeks, and a more detailed scan of the baby's anatomy is usually between 18 and 20 weeks. Your doctor will normally also arrange blood tests, including a glucose test in mid-pregnancy to check for gestational diabetes. Women with health conditions or a higher-risk pregnancy may need more scans or earlier hospital care. Keep all reports and your antenatal record together and bring them to every appointment.
Get referred to an HMC maternity hospital
PHCC looks after a normal pregnancy until about 34 weeks and then refers you to hospital care until the birth; high-risk conditions are referred earlier. The public maternity hospitals are WWRC in Doha, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Khor Hospital and The Cuban Hospital in Dukhan. After the referral, book through HMC's Nesma'ak line on 16060 for WWRC and The Cuban Hospital; Al Khor and Al Wakra have their own booking numbers in HMC's maternity guide. Do not assume the appointment is made automatically; if no one calls you within a few days of the referral, call.
Decide where you will give birth
In the public system, a normal pregnancy is usually delivered at the maternity hospital nearest your home, while complex or high-risk pregnancies are delivered at WWRC. Privately, you deliver at the hospital where your obstetrician works. Compare the cost for a normal birth and a caesarean, the room type, whether an epidural is available at any hour, and whether the hospital has a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for babies who need it. Many hospitals offer maternity tours or antenatal classes where you can ask these questions.
Plan maternity leave with your employer
Under the Labour Law, a private-sector employee with one full year of service gets 50 days of maternity leave on full pay, and at least 35 of those days must be taken after the birth. You need a doctor's certificate showing the expected delivery date, so ask your doctor for one and give it to HR early. For one year after the birth you are also entitled to a paid nursing hour each working day. Government employees are covered by the Civil Human Resources Law, which was amended in 2025 and gives different, longer leave, so check with your HR.
Read guide: Annual leave, sick leave and leave salary in Qatar →Pack your bag and know when to go in
From around 36 weeks, keep a bag ready with clothes, maternity pads and toiletries for you, and nappies, vests, hats and a going-home outfit for the baby. Keep your QID, your husband's QID, the marriage certificate, your insurance card and your antenatal records in one folder. Go to your hospital straight away if your waters break, you bleed, the baby moves less than usual, you have a fall, a severe headache or blurred vision, or regular contractions about every 2 to 3 minutes. In a serious emergency call 999.
Read guide: Emergencies in Qatar: who to call and where to go →After the birth: notification and birth certificate
The hospital records the birth and gives you a notification of live birth with a hospital number for the baby, so make sure the names and details are correct before you leave. At least 48 hours after the birth you can apply for the birth certificate online through the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) birth registration system; the first original is free. Your baby is screened in hospital in the first days of life with a heel-prick blood test and hearing and vision checks. Ask the ward when the results come and who will call you.
Read guide: Newborn in Qatar: birth certificate, passport and residence permit →Get the baby a passport, residence permit and health registration
With the birth certificate, apply for the baby's passport at your embassy, then apply for the baby's residence permit (RP) through Metrash, the Ministry of Interior app. Treat 60 days from the birth as your deadline for the RP, because late applications are fined. Once the baby has a QID, register them with your PHCC health centre so they can use public care. Do not plan to travel abroad with the baby before the RP is issued without checking first how they will re-enter as a resident.
Read guide: Newborn in Qatar: birth certificate, passport and residence permit →Go to postnatal checks and start vaccinations
After a public birth, PHCC's postnatal service is offered to new mothers: a maternal and child health counsellor calls within a few working days to check your physical and emotional health, and you can also self-refer by calling 107. Mothers who had a caesarean or a high-risk pregnancy may get home visits from a community midwife. Your baby's first vaccines, BCG and hepatitis B, are usually given at birth, with the next doses at 2, 4 and 6 months. PHCC's well-baby clinic sees children at 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 30 months and at 4 years, so bring the vaccination card each time.
What it costs
| Annual public health registration, most non-Qatari residents (adult or child) | QAR 100 |
| Private hospital: normal delivery (typical reported range) | QAR 10,000 to 15,000 |
| Private hospital: caesarean delivery (typical reported) | Around QAR 25,000 |
| Private antenatal package: check-ups and three ultrasounds (typical reported) | Around QAR 2,000 |
| Birth certificate, first original / each extra copy | Free / QAR 20 |
| Baby's residence permit (reported) | QAR 500 per year |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Reading the insurance policy only after becoming pregnant: maternity waiting periods of 10 to 12 months are common, and a pregnancy that starts too early may not be covered.
- Letting the yearly health registration lapse, so that antenatal visits and the birth are charged at the much higher rate for unregistered patients.
- Arriving at the first appointment without the marriage certificate, or with a foreign certificate that has not been attested or translated.
- Waiting for a call after the 34-week referral instead of calling Nesma'ak on 16060 or the hospital to confirm the booking.
- Booking a private delivery without a written quote that covers a caesarean, extra nights and NICU care, or without insurer pre-approval.
- Giving HR the medical certificate late, so the 50 days of maternity leave are not planned around the due date.
- Leaving the baby's passport and residence permit until the last weeks and paying the late fine.
- Booking a flight late in pregnancy without checking the airline's rules and getting a fit-to-fly letter from your doctor.
Questions people ask
Do I really need a marriage certificate for antenatal care and the birth?
Yes, in practice. HMC's maternity guide lists a marriage certificate or other proof of marriage among the documents to bring, and recent expat guides (2026) and the US State Department's advice for Qatar say it is asked for at antenatal registration and when registering the birth. Sex outside marriage is a crime in Qatar, so an unmarried pregnant woman should speak to her embassy before seeking routine care. Emergency treatment is not refused, but do not delay it.
Is pregnancy care free at Hamad for expats?
Not completely free, but heavily subsidised for residents with a valid QID and active health registration. Charges depend on the service and your patient category, and HMC does not publish a simple maternity price list, so ask at registration. Patients without an active registration can be billed at the full official fee schedule, which is why renewing the registration matters.
Can I go to Sidra Medicine without a referral?
Yes. According to HMC's maternity guide, Sidra Medicine does not need a referral, and you can contact its women's care team directly. Sidra is paid for through insurance or by paying yourself, so check that it is in your insurer's network and what your maternity limit is. The public hospitals at Al Wakra, Al Khor and The Cuban Hospital need a PHCC referral, while WWRC accepts referrals from PHCC and private hospitals.
I am already pregnant and my insurance has a maternity waiting period. What can I do?
New insurance taken out during pregnancy usually will not cover that pregnancy. Ask HR whether the waiting period can be waived, which some group policies allow. If not, use the public system with your QID and health registration, which is subsidised, or ask private hospitals for a self-pay package price.
What if I go into labour before my hospital appointment?
Go to the maternity hospital nearest you or the one you were referred to. WWRC has an emergency department for pregnancy and gynaecology emergencies, and Sidra has obstetric triage for women beyond 20 weeks. Bring your QID and antenatal records. In a serious emergency call 999.
How much maternity leave do I get if I have worked less than a year?
The 50 days on full pay in the Labour Law apply after one full year with the same employer. HR guides say that with less service the leave is usually unpaid unless your contract or company policy is better. Ask HR in writing what applies to you, and check whether you can add annual leave.
Is there paternity leave in Qatar?
The private-sector Labour Law does not give a set paternity leave. Many employers give fathers a few paid days as company policy, so check your contract or ask HR. Fathers can also use annual leave.
Does a baby born in Qatar get Qatari citizenship?
No. Being born in Qatar does not give Qatari nationality to the child of expatriate parents. Your baby takes your nationality, needs a passport from your embassy, and needs their own Qatar residence permit under a parent's sponsorship.
Official sources
- PHCC: Antenatal care ↗
- HMC: Guide to maternity services (PDF) ↗
- PHCC: Postnatal care ↗
- Sidra Medicine: Obstetrics ↗
- Qatar Living: Public vs private healthcare in Qatar (August 2026) ↗
- Expat Focus: Maternity and giving birth in Qatar (reviewed May 2026) ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.