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For Ugandans in Qatar: passports, national ID, police clearance and help from the Embassy of Uganda in Doha
How Ugandans in Qatar renew their national ID at the Embassy in Doha, plan a passport renewal through Uganda's online passport portal, get a Uganda Police (Interpol) certificate of good conduct, and where to turn for help with work problems, recruitment and emergencies.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Embassy
- Embassy of Uganda, Building 9, Street 544, Zone 66, Doha; +974 4427 7339; doha.mofa.go.ug
- National ID
- Renew at the Embassy in Doha, which has NIRA registration equipment
- Passport
- Apply and pay on passports.go.ug (UGX 250,000), then biometrics at a passport centre; ask the Embassy where
- Emergency
- Qatar 999 for police, ambulance or fire; then call the Embassy
Thousands of Ugandans live and work in Qatar, many as security guards, drivers, hospitality staff and domestic workers, and since 2024 a Uganda-Qatar labour agreement has opened more jobs. The Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Doha is your first stop for national ID renewal, document certification, welfare cases and advice. Passports are different: you apply and pay online on Uganda's passport portal, but your fingerprints and photo must be captured at a Ugandan passport centre, and in late 2025 Doha did not yet have that equipment, so plan early. This guide goes in the order most people need things: Embassy contacts, national ID, passport, Uganda police clearance, attestation, then help with work, recruitment and emergencies. Qatar-side tasks such as moving your residency to a new passport, Qatar police clearance, salary complaints and repatriation have their own guides, linked in each step.
Before you start
- Your current Ugandan passport (even if expired) and copies of the bio-data page
- Your Ugandan national ID card (Ndaga Muntu) or your NIN, plus a copy of both sides
- Your Qatar ID (QID) and a copy, as proof that you live in Qatar
- A recommendation letter from a Ugandan who knows you, with a copy of their national ID (asked for on passport renewals)
- Someone in Uganda who can pay the passport fee at a bank, or a way to pay the payment advice from Qatar
- Recent passport-size colour photos on a white background
- For a child born in Qatar: the Qatari birth certificate and both parents' passports and IDs
- For a lost passport: a Qatar police report and a short signed letter explaining how it was lost
- For a work problem: your contract, payslips or bank statements, and your employer's name and contact
Step by step
Save the Embassy's contacts and follow its notices
The Embassy of the Republic of Uganda is at Building 9, Street 544 (Umm Al Seneem Street), Zone 66, Doha, and its published phone number is +974 4427 7339. Its website, doha.mofa.go.ug, has a contact form where you can choose Consular Service or Document Certification as the subject. Opening hours are not published there, so call before you go. Watch the website's news page and the Embassy's official social media for notices such as national ID drives and diaspora events, because these are announced only a short time ahead.
Read guide: Emergencies in Qatar: who to call and where to go →Renew or replace your national ID in Doha
Uganda's national ID and National Identification Number (NIN) are needed for a passport and most services back home, and many first-generation ID cards have expired. In 2025 the Embassy ran national ID registration and renewal programmes for Ugandans in Qatar, and by October 2025 it had NIRA equipment, so you can renew your ID in Doha without flying home. Check the Embassy's notices for the current days and documents, and bring your old ID or NIN, passport and QID. Sort out your ID first, because a passport application can stall without a valid NIN.
Start your passport application online
Ugandan passports are handled by the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) through the passport portal, passports.go.ug. You accept the disclaimer, answer the security questions, fill in the form, then print the payment advice and pay at one of the listed banks; someone in Uganda can pay for you. The ordinary passport fee is UGX 250,000, and express processing costs an extra UGX 150,000, paid separately. After payment you book an appointment and print the appointment form. Apply at least six months before your passport expires, because Qatar residency renewal and travel both need a valid passport.
Plan where you will give your biometrics
Every e-passport applicant must attend a passport centre in person for fingerprints, photo and signature. Uganda has passport centres in Uganda and at some missions, including Abu Dhabi, and opened a passport office in Riyadh in 2025. At the December 2025 diaspora convention in Doha, the government said a mobile biometric kit would be deployed in Qatar, with a passport machine to follow, so ask the Embassy in Doha what is available before you choose a centre. If you must travel to the UAE, check that you can get a visa first. Bring your old passport, the recommendation letter with the recommender's ID copy, and proof of any name or profession change.
Read guide: UAE visa for Qatar residents: who needs one and how to apply →Move your Qatar residency to the new passport
Your new passport has a new number, but your Qatar residency is still linked to the old one. Until it is updated, airport immigration and some government services can show a mismatch. Ask your employer's PRO (the staff member who handles government paperwork) to transfer the residency details, or do it in the Metrash app if your sponsor allows it. Keep the old passport, since it holds your visa history. The full process is in the update-passport-in-residency guide.
Read guide: Got a new passport? Updating it in your Qatar residence record →If your passport is lost or damaged
Report the loss to the Qatar police first and get a report, as the lost-items-police-report guide explains. Then contact the Embassy: it will tell you how to apply for a replacement and, if you need to go home urgently, whether it can issue an emergency travel document. Uganda's immigration department charges a fine of UGX 100,000 for a lost or damaged passport on top of the normal fee. Uganda's missions in the UAE say a passport lost there can only be replaced in Uganda, so ask the Doha Embassy what applies to you before you pay anything. Tell your employer too, because your exit and residency renewal depend on it.
Read guide: Lost something in Qatar? Reporting it and getting it back →Get a Uganda police certificate of good conduct
Some employers, licensing bodies and visa processes ask for a police clearance from your home country. Uganda's version is the Certificate of Good Conduct from the Uganda Police Directorate of Interpol and International Relations in Kampala. For people abroad it needs certified fingerprints taken by the police where you live, a certified copy of your ID, two colour photos, a letter explaining why you need it, and the fee. You can apply through the Embassy, through a relative in Uganda, or by post to Interpol Kampala; ask the Embassy where to have your fingerprints certified in Qatar. A Qatar police clearance is a different document from Qatar's Ministry of Interior, covered in the police-clearance guide.
Read guide: Police clearance certificate (good conduct) in Qatar →Certify documents for Qatar or for Uganda
The Embassy offers document certification. Ugandan certificates used in Qatar, such as degrees or marriage certificates, normally need attestation in Uganda, then by Qatar's Embassy in Kampala, then by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qatari documents you want to use in Uganda go the other way: Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs first, then the Embassy of Uganda in Doha. The Qatar-side steps are in the degree-attestation and marriage-certificate-attestation guides, and a power of attorney for someone in Uganda is in the power-of-attorney guide. Ask the Embassy for its fee and timing before you submit.
Read guide: Attesting your degree for Qatar: the full chain →Get help with work problems
If your salary is late, your passport is being held or you are being mistreated, contact the Embassy, which visits workers' accommodation and can advise you and talk to employers. A formal claim for unpaid salary or other rights must still be filed in Qatar with the Ministry of Labour, as the labour-complaint guide explains; the Embassy cannot decide a dispute. Qatar's Workers' Support and Insurance Fund can pay wages owed when a company cannot. Keep copies of your contract, payslips and messages, and never sign a paper you do not understand.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →Helping someone come from Uganda for a job
Uganda and Qatar signed a labour agreement in April 2024 covering skilled, semi-skilled and domestic workers. Only recruitment companies licensed by Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development may place Ugandans in jobs abroad; 246 companies were licensed in February 2026. Before anyone pays, check that the company is licensed and that the Ministry has approved the job order it claims to have. The Ministry warned in 2026 that tour and travel companies are not allowed to recruit workers, and never accept a visit visa in place of a proper work visa. Overcharging by agents was one of the main complaints at the 2025 convention in Doha.
Read guide: Common scams in Qatar: fake fine messages, delivery texts, job and rental fraud →Send money safely and join the community
Mobile-money fraud and high transfer costs were raised by Ugandans in Qatar at the 2025 convention, so use licensed exchange houses or banks and never share a PIN or code, as the send-money-home guide explains. The Uganda Community in Qatar (UGACOQ) and Uganda Peninsula Community Qatar organise welfare help, sports and cultural events, and the Embassy holds a yearly Uganda-Qatar Diaspora Convention. If a Ugandan dies in Qatar, the Embassy can help with repatriation, and the Qatar-side steps are in the death-of-a-family-member guide.
Read guide: Sending money home from Qatar: options, fees and limits →
What it costs
| Ordinary Ugandan passport (paid via the passport portal) | UGX 250,000 |
| Express processing, on top of the passport fee | UGX 150,000 |
| Fine for a lost or damaged passport, on top of the passport fee | UGX 100,000 |
| Passport replacement at Uganda's missions in the UAE, for comparison (express AED 410) | AED 260 |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until the last months of your passport; biometrics are not yet taken in Doha, so the process can take longer than you expect.
- Applying for a passport before fixing an expired national ID or a wrong NIN.
- Getting a new passport and forgetting to move your Qatar residency to the new number.
- Paying an agent or 'fixer' to speed up a passport or certificate of good conduct instead of using the official portal and the Embassy.
- Confusing the Uganda Interpol certificate of good conduct with Qatar's police clearance; employers sometimes ask for both.
- Paying a recruitment company that is not licensed by Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, or a tour company offering 'jobs'.
- Expecting the Embassy to settle a salary dispute; the formal claim must go to Qatar's Ministry of Labour.
- Sharing mobile-money PINs or codes with callers who say they are from the Embassy, a bank or a telecom company.
Questions people ask
Can I renew my Ugandan passport in Qatar?
You can apply and pay online on passports.go.ug from Qatar, but your fingerprints and photo must be taken at a passport centre. In late 2025 Doha did not yet have passport equipment, and Uganda said a mobile kit would be deployed in Qatar. Ask the Embassy in Doha what is available now before you book a centre in Uganda or abroad.
How do I renew my expired national ID while in Qatar?
The Embassy in Doha has NIRA equipment and has run national ID registration and renewal programmes for Ugandans in Qatar since 2025. Check its website and social media for the current dates and requirements, and bring your old ID or NIN, passport and QID.
I lost my passport in Qatar. What do I do first?
Get a police report in Qatar, then contact the Embassy and tell your employer. Uganda charges a UGX 100,000 fine for a lost or damaged passport on top of the normal fee. If you need to travel home urgently, ask the Embassy about an emergency travel document.
How do I get a Uganda police clearance (Interpol certificate) from Qatar?
You need certified fingerprints taken by the police where you live, a certified copy of your ID, two photos, a letter explaining the purpose and the fee. Apply through the Embassy, a relative in Uganda, or by post to the Directorate of Interpol and International Relations in Kampala. Ask the Embassy first where fingerprints are certified in Qatar.
My employer is holding my passport and my salary is late. Can the Embassy help?
Yes, contact the Embassy, which can advise you and speak to your employer. A formal claim for wages must still be filed with Qatar's Ministry of Labour, as the labour-complaint guide explains. Employers are not allowed to keep a worker's passport against their will in Qatar.
How do I know a recruitment agent for a Qatar job is genuine?
Only companies licensed by Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development may recruit for jobs abroad, and the Ministry must have approved the job order. Individuals and tour or travel companies are not licensed to place workers. Get receipts, never pay for a job offered only on WhatsApp or social media, and report fake agents to the police in Uganda.
Can I use my Ugandan driving permit in Qatar?
Only licences from countries on Qatar's approved list can be swapped without lessons and tests, and the list changes; check the licence-transfer guide. Ugandans raised driving-permit problems at the 2025 convention and the government said it would work on them, so watch the Embassy's notices.
Who do I call in an emergency?
In Qatar, call 999 for police, ambulance or fire. Then call the Embassy of Uganda on +974 4427 7339. If a family member dies in Qatar, see the death-of-a-family-member guide for the repatriation steps.
Official sources
- Embassy of Uganda in Doha: contact details ↗
- Uganda DCIC: passport application and fees ↗
- Uganda MOFA: 2025 Uganda Diaspora Convention in Doha ↗
- Qatar Tribune: national ID renewal at the Embassy in Doha (Oct 2025) ↗
- Pulse Uganda: only licensed companies may place workers abroad (Feb 2026) ↗
- Government of Canada: how to get a Uganda police certificate ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.