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Working for a Qatar government body as an expat: contracts, leave and end of service
If you work for a ministry or public body in Qatar, the Civil Human Resources Law usually applies instead of the Labour Law. Here is how hiring, pay, leave, resignation, gratuity and complaints work for non-Qatari staff after the 2025 amendments.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Law
- Civil Human Resources Law 15/2016, amended by Law 25/2025
- Annual leave
- 30, 40 or 45 days a year depending on grade
- Gratuity (non-Qataris)
- 1 month's basic salary per year, up to 10 months
- Probation
- 3 months, can be extended by 3 months
Most expats in Qatar work under the Labour Law, but if your employer is a ministry, a government agency or a public authority, your job is usually governed by a different law: the Civil Human Resources Law (Law No. 15 of 2016), which was heavily amended by Law No. 25 of 2025 from 7 October 2025. The rules on leave, gratuity, resignation and complaints are different, sometimes better and sometimes stricter, so private-sector advice often does not fit. This guide is for non-Qatari staff (and those about to accept a government offer). Work through it in order: confirm which law covers you, understand how expats are hired and paid, then the day-to-day rules on hours and leave, and finally resigning, gratuity and where to complain. The law and its executive regulations are applied by each entity's HR department under the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, so always check details with your HR team.
Before you start
- Your signed contract or appointment letter, showing your job title, grade and basic salary
- A list of your allowances (housing, transport, tickets) and whether housing is provided instead of an allowance
- Your entity's HR policies or staff handbook, and access to its HR self-service portal
- Your QID, and a check in the Metrash app that your sponsor is the government entity you work for
- Attested degree and experience letters, since grade and starting salary depend on them
- Any professional licence your job needs (teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers)
- Payslips and your leave balance record, kept month by month
- Copies of any warnings, evaluations or decisions you may want to challenge later
Step by step
Check which law covers your job
The Civil Human Resources Law covers civilian staff of ministries, government agencies, public authorities and public institutions. It does not cover the judiciary, the Amiri Diwan, the State Audit Bureau, diplomats, university teaching staff, QatarEnergy or the Qatar Investment Authority, which have their own rules. Many state-owned companies and some public bodies also run their own HR regulations, and some follow the private-sector Labour Law. Your contract or appointment letter should say which law or regulation applies; if it does not, ask HR in writing. Everything in this guide assumes the Civil Human Resources Law.
Understand how expats are hired
By law, government jobs go first to Qataris. If no qualified Qatari is available, priority goes, in order, to children of Qatari mothers, non-Qatari spouses of Qataris, GCC nationals, Arab nationals and then other nationalities. Vacancies must be advertised on the national recruitment platform and in two daily newspapers for at least 15 days. Kawader, the government's job platform, is aimed at Qataris and children of Qatari mothers, so most expats are hired through the entity's own careers page or its overseas recruitment. Applicants must be at least 18, medically fit, of good conduct and pass any tests the entity sets.
Read guide: Finding a job in Qatar: where to look and how hiring works →Read your contract and pay package
Non-Qataris are placed on a grade in the government's job classification, and your basic salary starts at the bottom of that grade unless the entity places you higher for relevant experience. Your entity can add an exceptional allowance with the Bureau's approval, but total pay cannot go above the top of the scale. A housing allowance depends on your contract and is not paid if the employer gives you housing. Air tickets are paid by the entity under the conditions in the regulations and your contract, and a transport allowance can be paid if you use your own car for work. Check the contract length and how it can be renewed or ended before you sign.
Get through probation
Everyone appointed for the first time serves a 3-month probation, which can be extended once by another 3 months. If you are found unsuitable, your service can be ended during probation, and no gratuity is paid for a probation period that was not passed. If you pass, the probation months count towards your service. A new probation applies if you are re-appointed later. If you want to leave during probation, put it in writing and ask HR what notice the regulations require.
Read guide: Probation period in Qatar: the rules for workers and employers →Sort out your licence and residence
Your government employer sponsors your residence permit and family visas, the same way a private company does. Teachers in public schools, doctors, nurses and engineers usually also need a professional licence or registration before they can practise, and your contract may depend on keeping it valid. Keep track of your QID and licence expiry dates yourself, because a lapse can affect your pay and your status. If you bring your family, the usual family visa rules apply.
Read guide: Healthcare professional licence in Qatar (DHP): nurses, doctors and allied health →Know the rules on hours and overtime
Government working hours, flexible hours and remote work are set by the Council of Ministers, not by each employer. Overtime is paid at 1.25 times your normal hourly rate on work days and 1.5 times on weekends and holidays, up to 3 hours on a work day and 8 hours on a day off. For non-Qataris, overtime pay is capped at 20% of salary and QAR 5,000 a month, and you can take one day off for every 7 overtime hours instead (up to 15 days a year). Lateness and leaving early without permission can be deducted from pay; a manager can approve up to 3 hours at a time and 10 hours a month.
Read guide: Working hours, overtime pay and weekly rest in Qatar →Plan your annual leave
Annual leave is 45 days a year for grade 7 and above, 40 days for grades 8 to 10, and 30 days for other grades, on full pay. You must take at least half of it each year, and the rest can be carried forward only to the following year. Unlike many private-sector jobs, you generally cannot be paid cash for leave you did not take, so plan your leave rather than saving it up. Your employer can refuse or recall leave for work reasons, and you are compensated for up to 15 days of leave lost this way.
Read guide: Annual leave, sick leave and leave salary in Qatar →Use the other types of leave
Casual leave is up to 10 working days a year and lapses at the end of the financial year. Sick leave needs a medical certificate: short absences are covered by a doctor's note, and longer sick leave needs approval from the official medical committee; pay drops after a period, so check your balance with HR. Maternity leave in the government sector is longer than in private companies, and there are also training leave (paid, up to 2 months a year) and other special leave types. Taking more than 8 months of leave in a year (with some exceptions) leads to a below-expectations rating.
Read guide: Maternity leave and nursing hours in Qatar →Know where you stand on Qatarisation
Since the 2025 amendments, every government entity must make a yearly plan to replace non-Qataris with qualified Qataris. If the entity does not appoint nominated Qatari candidates within a month without good reason, the Bureau can appoint them directly to those posts. This does not mean every expat contract will end, but specialist and hard-to-fill roles are safer than general administrative ones. Keep your CV, experience letters and attested documents up to date so you are ready to move if your post is localised.
Read guide: Salary certificates, experience letters and the end-of-service certificate in Qatar →Resign the right way
Hand in your resignation in writing to HR and keep a stamped or emailed copy. Since October 2025 you can withdraw a resignation in writing, without conditions, before it takes effect or within one month of submitting it (whichever comes first), and only twice with the same entity. Your employer can ask you to stay for up to one month for work reasons. Do not simply stop coming to work: being absent without permission for more than 15 days in a row, or more than 30 days in a year, can be treated as a resignation once you have been warned in writing.
Read guide: Resigning in Qatar: notice periods, resignation letters and employer refusal →Work out your end-of-service gratuity
Non-Qatari employees get a gratuity of one month's basic salary for each year of service, with a maximum of 10 months' basic salary. You need at least one year of service to qualify. For example, with a basic salary of QAR 12,000 and 6 years' service the gratuity is QAR 72,000; after 14 years it stays at the cap of QAR 120,000. GCC nationals covered by the GCC unified social insurance scheme are excluded. The 2025 amendments also allow an investment savings scheme for non-Qataris funded by gratuities, but its rules are set by the Council of Ministers, so ask HR whether it applies to you.
Read guide: End-of-service gratuity in Qatar: how it is worked out and how to claim it →Raise a grievance if something is wrong
Start with a written grievance to your entity's HR department, attaching your contract, payslips and the decision you disagree with. If that fails, the 2025 amendments created a Grievances and Complaints Committee at the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, chaired by the Bureau's President, which hears employees' complaints about their entitlements and issues binding decisions. Claims for money owed under the law expire after 15 years, but act quickly while records are easy to find. Because government staff are usually outside the Labour Law, the Ministry of Labour's complaint route may not apply to you; a lawyer can advise on going to court.
Read guide: Finding a lawyer and legal help in Qatar →
Common mistakes
- Assuming the Labour Law applies to a ministry or public authority job, and relying on private-sector rules for leave or gratuity
- Saving up annual leave for a cash payout at the end, when government rules generally do not allow cash in lieu of leave
- Stopping work after resigning without written acceptance, which can turn into a deemed resignation for absence
- Signing a contract without checking the grade and basic salary, which drive your gratuity, overtime cap and leave
- Letting a professional licence or QID lapse, which can stop your pay or your contract
- Ignoring a written absence warning from HR instead of replying with your reason in writing
- Waiting until you leave to dispute an evaluation or deduction instead of raising a grievance straight away
Questions people ask
I work for a ministry. Does the Qatar Labour Law apply to me?
Usually not. Civilian staff of ministries, government agencies and public authorities are covered by the Civil Human Resources Law (Law No. 15 of 2016, amended in 2025). Some public corporations and state-owned companies have their own regulations or follow the Labour Law, so check what your contract says.
Is government gratuity better than the private sector's 3 weeks a year?
For the first 10 years it is higher: one month's basic salary per year of service instead of at least three weeks. But it is capped at 10 months' basic salary in total, while the Labour Law has no cap. Someone with a long career may end up with less than a private-sector employee on the same basic salary.
Can I get paid for annual leave I did not take?
Generally no. You must take at least half your leave each year and can carry the rest only into the next year. If your employer refuses or recalls your leave for work reasons, you are compensated for up to 15 days.
Do government employees need an exit permit to travel?
No. Exit permits for government and public-sector staff were abolished in January 2020 (Decision No. 95 of 2019). An employer can still name up to 5% of its staff who must get approval before leaving because of the nature of their work, so ask HR if you are on that list.
Can I move from a government job to a private company?
Yes, people do, but the process can differ from a normal private-sector job change because your sponsor is a government entity. Resign in writing, get your service and experience certificates, and confirm with HR and the Ministry of Labour (16008) what the new employer needs to transfer your residence.
Will my government job be given to a Qatari?
It may be. Every government entity must now have a yearly plan to replace non-Qataris with qualified Qataris, and the Bureau can appoint Qatari candidates if an entity delays. Specialist roles are less affected, but keep your documents ready in case your post is localised.
I resigned and changed my mind. Can I take it back?
Yes, since October 2025. You can withdraw your resignation in writing, without conditions, before it takes effect or within one month of handing it in, whichever comes first. You can do this only twice with the same entity.
My HR department will not pay an allowance I am owed. Where can I complain?
Raise a written grievance with HR first. If that does not work, the Grievances and Complaints Committee at the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau hears employees' complaints about their entitlements and its decisions are binding. A lawyer can advise you on going to court.
Official sources
- Clyde & Co: amended Qatar Civil Human Resources Law, the 2025 reforms ↗
- Law No. 25 of 2025 amending the Civil Human Resources Law (Arabic text) ↗
- Cabinet Decision No. 34 of 2025 amending the executive regulations (Arabic text) ↗
- Gulf Times: Qatari citizens given priority for public jobs ↗
- Gulf Times: exit permits abolished for government and domestic workers ↗
- Mondaq: commentary on Qatar's Civil Human Resources Law ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.