Law No.(21) of 2015 Regulating the entry, exit and
residency of expatriates in Qatar (New Immigration Law) has
recently been published in the Arabic press and reported in various
English language publications. We understand that it will be
published in the official Gazette next month. The New Immigration
Law states that its provisions will take effect one year after such
publication, i.e. towards the end of 2016. There is yet no fixed
implementation date. The Minister of Interior (Minister) through
the Ministry of Interior (Ministry) and Immigration Department will
be responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the New
Immigration Law.
The New Immigration Law will repeal Law No.(4) of 2009 (Old
Immigration Law) and the decisions and resolutions previously
issued to implement it. However, until the Minister issues the new
implementing decisions and regulations, the current decisions and
resolutions will remain in force to the extent that they do
