Qatar CV checklist
Practice items are common recruiter expectations, not rules. Official items were checked against the linked sources on 15 October 2026.
| Topic | What to do | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Qatari priority | Qataris and children of Qatari women say so in the header, because private employers must offer them jobs first | Labour Law, Article 18; Law No. 12 of 2024 |
| Kawader profile | Qatari job seekers keep the CV they send to employers in line with their Kawader profile | Ministry of Labour; matching is practice |
| Notice period | Write your real notice: one month in your first two years with an employer, two months after that | Law No. 18 of 2020 |
| Changing employer | Expatriates already in Qatar can move to a new employer through the Ministry of Labour without an NOC | Law No. 19 of 2020 |
| Hired from abroad | Biometrics, the medical test and the contract signing may take place at a Qatar Visa Centre in your country | Ministry of Interior, reported by QNA and Gulf Times |
| Foreign degrees | Expect legalisation by the Qatari embassy where the degree was issued and then by MoFA in Qatar; there is no apostille route | MoFA Qatar, HCCH |
| Engineers | Give your degree, graduation year and exact years of experience, because the engineering grade depends on them | Engineers registration committee |
| Health practitioners | Match every job title and date to your experience letters; the licensing department checks them | Ministry of Public Health |
| Teachers | Add your MoEHE professional licence and its level if you hold one | Ministry of Education and Higher Education |
| Length and photo | Two pages for most candidates; add a photo only if the advert asks | Expat guide; common practice |
Recruitment fees: Article 33 of the Labour Law bars licensed recruiters from taking recruitment fees or other charges from the workers they bring to Qatar.
Qatari priority and the 2024 nationalisation law
Article 18 of Qatar's Labour Law (Law No. 14 of 2004) gives Qatari workers priority in employment and allows non-Qataris to be employed only where there is a need. In September 2024 the Amir issued Law No. (12) of 2024 on the nationalisation of jobs in the private sector. It takes effect six months after publication in the Official Gazette. According to the Ministry of Labour, the law covers private establishments in the commercial register, commercial companies (state-owned or private) and private non-profit, sports and similar bodies. Its target group is Qataris and the children of Qatari women. Clyde & Co, a law firm, reads the law as requiring employers to offer jobs to that group first and to recruit expatriates only when no suitable candidate is available. In its reading, job seekers in that group must register with the ministry, and employers must report vacancies to it. In November 2024 the ministry said the plan would be rolled out in phases across eight sectors: manufacturing, logistics, tourism, IT, finance, education, agriculture and healthcare. In February 2026 the minister said the national workforce strategy aims to raise the Qatari share of private sector jobs from 17 to 20 percent. The tips below are practice.
- Qatari candidates: write Qatari national in the header, under your name.
- Children of Qatari women: say so clearly, because the law names you as part of the priority group.
- Expatriates: give your residence status and whether you are in Qatar now, so the recruiter does not have to ask.
Kawader: the national employment platform
The labour ministry launched Kawader, the National Employment Platform, in August 2020. Job seekers sign in through the national authentication system, create a CV on the platform, choose jobs and follow their interviews and appointment there, and the ministry said it would help them prepare their CVs. At launch, unemployed Qatari citizens could register first, and children of Qatari mothers could be nominated for private sector jobs. Officials asked people to enter their personal details accurately and to attach the documents for their education and experience. Kawader is still part of the system in 2026: companies entering the ministry's new nationalisation award had to be listed on it. As a matter of practice, use the same job titles, dates and qualification names on Kawader and on the CV you send to an employer, so a recruiter who sees both does not find two versions of your history.
Notice periods and changing employers
Two laws from 2020 changed what a Qatar CV should say about availability. Law No. 19 of 2020 states that an expatriate worker can change employer under the Ministry of Labour's procedures; the ILO lists it as the law that removed the no-objection certificate (NOC) requirement. Law No. 18 of 2020 amended the Labour Law's rules on probation and notice. In the ILO's unofficial English translation, probation can last up to six months, and a worker has only one probation period with the same employer. After probation, either side can end the contract with written notice: one month during the first two years of service and two months after that. A worker who wants to move to a new employer during probation must give one month's written notice, and the new employer pays the old one part of the recruitment costs, up to two months of basic wage. A non-compete clause can last no more than one year and is allowed only where the job gives access to clients or business secrets. The tips below are practice.
- Write your notice period as the law and your contract set it, for example one month or two months.
- Do not write NOC available or transferable visa; the NOC is no longer part of a job change.
- If your contract has a non-compete clause, check it before you apply to a direct competitor.
Hired from abroad: Qatar Visa Centres and recruitment fees
Qatar's Ministry of Interior runs Qatar Visa Centres (QVCs) in the countries many workers come from. The first opened in Colombo in October 2018. The employer applies in Qatar, and the worker then books an appointment at the centre for fingerprints and biometrics, the medical examination and the signing of the work contract. The first phase covered India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tunisia, the Philippines and Indonesia. In March 2019 a ministry official said 20 centres were planned in those eight countries, and that the employer in Qatar pays all the recruitment fees. The ILO said the centres help stop deception because workers see and sign their contracts before they migrate. In the Ministry of Labour's contract authentication service, the contract is printed in Arabic and in the worker's language and signed by both parties. Contracts for specialised professions also need a check of the worker's professional certificates. Under Article 9 of the Labour Law, the Arabic text prevails if the two versions differ. For your CV, as practice, make sure the job title on your CV matches the job you are being recruited for, because that title follows you into the contract. Article 33 of the Labour Law also bars licensed recruiters from charging workers recruitment fees, so do not pay anyone for a job or a visa. If you are already in Qatar and were charged, you can complain to the Ministry of Labour through its Unified Platform for Complaints and Whistleblowers.
Degree attestation and why Qatar has no apostille route
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) offers an attestation completion service for documents issued outside Qatar. You apply and pay, a courier (DHL) collects the documents, they are attested at the embassy and then by MoFA's Consular Affairs Department, and they are delivered back to you. MoFA's fee table lists academic certificates at QAR 100. Some certificates issued in Qatar, such as government school certificates and good conduct certificates, can be attested electronically. Qatar is not on the Hague Conference's status table for the Apostille Convention (last updated 30 June 2026), so a foreign degree needs legalisation rather than an apostille. That is a real difference from Saudi Arabia, which joined the convention in 2022. As practice, write the degree title, university and graduation year exactly as they appear on the certificate. Ask your employer early whether your job needs an attested degree, because the chain of attestations takes time.
Engineers: registration grades depend on years of experience
Engineering practice in Qatar is regulated by Law No. 19 of 2005. A brochure from the Engineers and Consulting Offices Accrediting and Classifying Committee, issued under the name of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, sets out the grades. First category needs a bachelor's degree plus 10 years of experience, a master's plus 7 or a PhD plus 5. Second category needs 7, 5 or 3 years, third category 5, 3 or 2 years, and engineers with less experience are registered as trainees. Applicants must also pass a technical test in their specialisation. Registration lasts three years and is cancelled four months after it expires if it is not renewed. The brochure lists a QAR 300 registration fee and a QAR 200 renewal fee, and engineers must put their name and registration number on their drawings and reports. In 2018 Fragomen, an immigration firm, reported that foreign engineers holding work residence permits for engineering jobs must register and pass the exam, or they cannot renew their permits or register new employment contracts. As practice, show your degree, graduation month and year, total years of experience since graduating, and your registration category and number if you have them.
Health practitioners: licensing checks every experience letter
Doctors, nurses, dentists and other health practitioners are registered and licensed by the Department of Healthcare Professions at the Ministry of Public Health. The department checks academic credentials and work experience before it registers anyone. In September 2020 the ministry blacklisted 23 practitioners, 17 doctors, two nurses and four allied health workers, who had submitted forged certificates, mostly certificates of experience. They were banned from working in Qatar and their names were shared with the other GCC countries. Exams are part of licensing too. In July 2025 the ministry launched a national qualifying exam for general dentists, taken on the Prometric platform: 150 multiple-choice questions in three and a half hours, with a pass mark of 60 percent and up to five attempts. The home nursing policy of 2023 requires the ministry's nursing licensing exam. Anyone can check whether a practitioner is licensed through the ministry's Find a Registered Healthcare Practitioner service. For your CV, as practice, use the exact job titles and dates that appear on your experience letters, and list every licence you hold with its country and number.
Teachers and school leaders: the professional licence
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) runs a Professional Licensing System for teachers, coordinators, deputy principals and principals. In September 2026 it opened applications from 3 to 10 September through the licensing system on its website. Licences are awarded after an assessment of actual professional practice against set standards for each level. In 2022 the ministry said about 40 percent of teachers in Qatar held a licence, that teachers' licences come in three levels and coordinators' licences in two, and that the licence is closely linked to promotion. As practice, a teacher's CV for Qatar should name the licence and its level if you hold one, the subjects and grades you taught, and the curricula you used.
Layout that works for Qatar employers
These points are practice, not rules. Expatica's guide to CVs in Qatar recommends a professional tone, contact details at the top, work experience in reverse order with job title, company, dates and achievements, then education and professional qualifications, then languages and computer skills. It says CVs in Qatar run to at least two pages, and up to three for experienced professionals. It also advises leaving out a photo unless the advert asks for one, and leaving out salary and references unless they are requested. The same guide suggests leaving out nationality too; that suits many expatriates, but for Qataris and children of Qatari women nationality is the point, as explained above. An Arabic version helps for government-facing and many local roles, and its facts should match the English version. Send a PDF unless the employer or Kawader asks for another format. On equality, Article 93 of the Labour Law requires a woman doing similar work to a man to be paid the same and to get the same chances of training and promotion.