Qatarization Guide: Law No. 12 of 2024

It's Qatar's law on localising jobs in the private sector (Qatarisation). It requires covered employers to employ, train and qualify Qatari job seekers, and — where no Qatari candidate exists — to give priority to children of Qatari mothers. It was published in the Official Gazette on 17 October 2024 and came into force six months later, on 17 April 2025.

Private employers on the commercial register, commercial companies operating in Qatar (whether state-owned, part-owned or private), private public-benefit institutions, sports institutions and associations. Companies founded by or with QatarEnergy, and companies running petroleum and petrochemical agreements, are excluded. The Cabinet can add or exempt entities.

The law itself sets no percentage. The Ministry of Labour sets a localisation plan that classifies employers by size and job types and names jobs reserved for Qataris, with Cabinet approval. We haven't seen those percentages published in a form we can calculate, so this guide marks them as coming soon.

Every vacancy — with its requirements, salary and start date — within one month of the job falling vacant or being created; the details of people hired under the law within 60 days of contracting; and data on all Qatari and non-Qatari staff every six months.

For breaching the reserved-jobs or reporting duties, the Ministry can issue a written warning, suspend your transactions for up to three months, or impose a financial penalty from the schedule attached to the law (a law-firm summary puts the maximum at QAR 100,000), and can name repeat offenders on its website. Faking compliance or obtaining incentives with false data carries up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to QAR 1,000,000.