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Sick leave in Qatar: how many days, how it's paid, and the certificate
How paid sick leave works under Qatar's Labour Law: who qualifies, the full-pay, half-pay and unpaid stages, the medical certificate your employer will accept, and what happens after a long illness or a work injury.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Who qualifies
- Private-sector employees after 3 months' service
- Paid days
- 2 weeks full pay, then 4 weeks half pay, per year of service
- After 6 weeks
- Unpaid; contract may end after week 12 on a doctor's report
- Proof
- Medical certificate from a doctor your employer accepts
If you work in Qatar's private sector, the Labour Law (Law No. 14 of 2004) gives you paid sick leave once you have completed 3 months with your employer. Article 82 sets the minimum: the first 2 weeks of sick leave in a year on full pay, the next 4 weeks on half pay, and after that unpaid leave until you recover, resign or your contract ends on medical grounds. To get paid, you need a medical certificate from a doctor your employer accepts, and you should tell your employer as early as you can. This guide explains each stage in order: check that you qualify, see a doctor and get a valid certificate, notify your employer, understand how the days are paid, and know your rights after a long illness. Injuries caused by your work follow different, more generous rules, and domestic workers have their own law; both are covered near the end.
Before you start
- Your valid QID (Qatar ID) and health card, so a PHCC health centre or Hamad (HMC) can see you
- Your employer's sick leave policy (in the contract, offer letter or staff handbook): who to tell, by when and how
- The name and phone or email of your line manager and HR contact
- Your employment start date, to check you have passed 3 months of service
- A note of how many sick days you have already taken this year (your payslips or HR system will show them)
- A copy of each sick leave certificate (photo or PDF) before you hand over the original
- Your health insurance card, if your employer's insurance covers private clinics
- For a work injury: the date, place and names of witnesses, and any photos
Step by step
Check that the Labour Law covers you
Article 82 applies to employees covered by the Labour Law, which is most private-sector workers on a Qatar work permit. Government employees, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) staff and some semi-government bodies have their own HR rules, which are often more generous, so check your contract or HR policy. Domestic workers (house helpers, family drivers, nannies) are covered by a separate law, explained in step 10. Your employer can always give you more sick leave than the law; it cannot give you less.
Confirm you have passed 3 months of service
Paid sick leave starts only after 3 months from your first day of work. If you are ill in your first 3 months, the law does not oblige your employer to pay you for those days, although many employers still do, so ask HR. Because probation can last up to 6 months, you may qualify for sick leave while still on probation. You still need to tell your employer and bring a medical certificate, because unexplained absence can count against you.
Read guide: Probation period in Qatar: the rules for workers and employers →Tell your employer as early as possible
Call or message your manager before your shift starts, or as soon as you can, and follow any reporting steps in your company policy. If you are too ill, someone else can tell them for you. Keep the message or a screenshot of it. This matters because Article 61 lets an employer dismiss a worker without notice or end-of-service gratuity for unjustified absence of more than 7 days in a row or more than 15 days in a year, so you want a clear record that your absence was for illness.
See a doctor and ask for a sick leave certificate
Go to your PHCC health centre, a Hamad hospital or emergency department, or a licensed private clinic, and tell the doctor you need a sick leave certificate for work. Only a licensed doctor can issue one, and it should state the dates you are unfit to work. Article 82 requires a certificate from a doctor your employer approves, so check whether your company has its own clinic or a list of accepted facilities. Doctors issue sick leave for the days they judge you need; if you are still unwell when it ends, go back for a review and a new certificate rather than staying off without one.
Read guide: Get your health card (now linked to your QID) →Make sure your certificate can be verified
Sick leave certificates in Qatar are legal documents. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) runs a central electronic sick leave system called e-Jaza, and since May 2024 employers are told to check certificates in it; certificates from Hamad and PHCC may sit in their own systems and can be confirmed with them directly. A certificate that cannot be verified can be treated as invalid, and fake or bought certificates can lead to disciplinary and criminal action. Only accept a certificate from a licensed facility, never from a website or social media seller.
Hand the certificate to your employer on time
Send a clear copy (photo or PDF) to your manager and HR the same day if you can, and give the original when you return if your employer asks for it. Keep your own copy of every certificate. For a long illness, expect your employer to ask for a fresh certificate every week or month; send it before the previous one runs out. If HR rejects a certificate, ask them to tell you why in writing and what they will accept.
Understand how the days are paid
In each year of service, the first 2 weeks of sick leave are on full pay and the next 4 weeks are on half pay. After that, any further sick leave is unpaid until you return to work, resign or your contract is ended for health reasons. Under Article 72, sick pay is calculated on your basic wage, so allowances such as housing and transport are not part of the legal minimum unless your contract includes them. Sick leave is separate from annual leave and is not taken out of it, and unused sick days do not carry over to the next year.
Read guide: Annual leave, sick leave and leave salary in Qatar →Know your protection during sick leave
Article 85 says your employer may not end your contract, or give you notice of termination, while you are on any leave provided by the law, including sick leave. Sick leave of up to 12 weeks does not break your continuous service, so it still counts towards your end-of-service gratuity. If you are dismissed or your salary is cut while on approved sick leave, keep all certificates and messages and use the labour complaint route.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →Plan for a long illness
If you are still unable to work at the end of the 12th week of sick leave and a competent doctor confirms you cannot return, the employer may end your contract on health grounds without further notice. You keep your end-of-service gratuity in that case. If you resign because of illness before your 6 paid weeks are used up, with a doctor's report supporting it, the employer must pay you the balance of your paid sick leave; the same is paid to your family if a worker dies of the illness in that period. Ask for every decision in writing and check your final settlement carefully.
Read guide: End-of-service gratuity in Qatar: how it is worked out and how to claim it →Use the work injury rules if your job caused it
An injury or illness caused by your work is not ordinary sick leave. Article 108 requires the employer to report a work injury immediately to the police and the labour authorities, and Article 109 says the employer pays for your treatment and pays your full wage during treatment for up to 6 months, then half wage until you recover, a permanent disability is confirmed, or death. You may also be entitled to compensation for permanent disability under Article 110. Report the injury to your supervisor at once, get it recorded, and keep copies of every medical report.
Read guide: Working hours, overtime pay and weekly rest in Qatar →Domestic workers: know your separate rights
House helpers, family drivers, nannies and cooks are covered by the Domestic Workers Law (Law No. 15 of 2017) and the standard contract, not by Article 82. Under it you have the right to rest and not be made to work while you are ill, and your employer must provide medical care and medicine at no cost to you. The standard contract gives 2 weeks of paid sick leave a year after the first 3 months, with a doctor's certificate. If your employer refuses, see the domestic worker rights guide for how to complain.
Read guide: Domestic workers in Qatar: your rights and where to get help →Raise a complaint if you are not paid correctly
First, write to HR with your certificates, dates and the amount you think is missing, and ask for a written reply. If that does not work, you can file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour, which can mediate and, if needed, refer the case to the Labour Disputes Settlement Committee. Complaints about sick pay are much stronger when you have the notification message, each certificate and your payslips.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →
What it costs
| Sick pay, first 2 weeks in a year of service | Full basic wage (minimum by law) |
| Sick pay, next 4 weeks | Half basic wage (minimum by law) |
| Treatment of a work injury | QAR 0 to you; the employer pays |
| Medical care for domestic workers | QAR 0 to you; the employer pays |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Staying off work without telling your employer, or without a certificate, so the days are treated as unauthorised absence.
- Buying a sick note online or from a social media seller: certificates are checked in e-Jaza, and fake ones can lead to dismissal and criminal action.
- Assuming you get 6 weeks of full pay: only the first 2 weeks are full pay, the next 4 are half pay.
- Expecting unused sick days to roll over or be paid out when you leave; they do not.
- Letting a certificate run out during a long illness instead of going back for a review and a new one.
- Treating a work injury as ordinary sick leave, which can mean losing the full pay and compensation the injury rules give you.
- Handing over your only copy of a certificate without keeping a photo or PDF.
Questions people ask
How many days of paid sick leave do I get in Qatar?
Under Article 82, after 3 months of service you get, for each year of service, 2 weeks on full pay and then 4 weeks on half pay, so 6 paid weeks in total. Any sick leave after that is unpaid. Your contract may give you more.
Do I get sick leave during probation?
The law links sick leave to service, not to probation: it starts once you have completed 3 months. In the first 3 months your employer does not have to pay sick days, though many do. After 3 months you qualify even if your probation is still running.
Will my employer accept a certificate from a private clinic?
The law requires a certificate from a doctor approved by the employer, so check your company policy; some employers name specific clinics. Any certificate should come from a licensed facility and be verifiable in the MOPH e-Jaza system or with Hamad or PHCC. If HR rejects one, ask in writing which facilities they accept.
Is sick leave deducted from my annual leave?
No. Sick leave is a separate entitlement from annual leave, and your employer should not take sick days out of your annual leave balance. Unused sick leave does not carry over to the next year and is not paid out when you leave.
Can I be fired while I am on sick leave?
Article 85 says an employer may not terminate your contract or give you notice during any leave provided by the law, including sick leave. The exception is a long illness: if you still cannot work at the end of the 12th week and a competent doctor confirms it, the employer may end the contract, and you keep your end-of-service gratuity.
Is sick pay based on my basic salary or my total salary?
Article 72 says sick leave pay is calculated on your basic wage, so allowances are not part of the legal minimum. If your contract or company policy pays sick leave on the full salary, the better terms apply.
I fell ill while on annual leave or abroad. What should I do?
Tell your employer straight away and get a medical certificate from a licensed doctor where you are. The law does not set a special rule for this, so whether those days are switched from annual leave to sick leave, and whether a foreign certificate needs attestation, depends on your employer's policy. Ask HR in writing before you return.
I was injured at work. Is that sick leave?
No. A work injury follows Articles 108 to 110: the employer reports it, pays for your treatment, and pays full wages during treatment for up to 6 months, then half wages until you recover or a permanent disability is confirmed. You may also be due compensation for permanent disability.
Official sources
- ILO NATLEX: Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (English text, Articles 61, 72, 82, 85, 108 to 111) ↗
- Gulf Times: Sick leave under the Qatar Labour Law ↗
- Al Raya: New rules on sick leave certificates and e-Jaza verification (May 2024, Arabic) ↗
- Gulf Times: Work injury compensation ↗
- ILO: Know your rights, domestic workers in Qatar ↗
- Gulf Times: Expert calls for unified digital sick leave platform (September 2026) ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.