Just Landed in Qatar? Your First 7 Days

Qatar has some of the best mobile coverage in the world, with dense nationwide 4G and 5G and reliable fibre broadband in homes and compounds. The market is a duopoly between Ooredoo, the state-linked incumbent, and Vodafone Qatar. A passport-based visitor prepaid SIM gets you online within minutes of landing, but a permanent line in your own name, and features like mobile wallets, require your QID.

Typical cost: A prepaid tourist or visitor SIM with data runs from around QAR 30 to QAR 100 depending on the bundle; a monthly postpaid plan with generous data and calls typically costs QAR 100-250, and home fibre broadband is usually QAR 200-400 per month, often bundled with your compound or building.

The Qatari Riyal is pegged to the US dollar at a fixed 3.64 QAR to 1 USD, so day-to-day currency risk is essentially zero and prices are stable. Contactless payments and Apple Pay and Google Pay are ubiquitous across malls, supermarkets, petrol stations and most restaurants, but keep some cash for taxis, tips and small independent vendors.

Opening an account: You cannot open a resident current account until your QID is issued. The largest and most accessible bank is Qatar National Bank (QNB), with Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Doha Bank, Commercial Bank (CBQ) and international names such as HSBC and Standard Chartered also common. Salaries are paid through the government's Wage Protection System (WPS), so your employer often nominates a bank; to open the account you will typically need your QID, passport and a signed salary certificate from your employer.

Cash: Formal retail is overwhelmingly cashless, but cash still matters for older Karwa taxis, small groceries, laundries, barbers and workers' cafeterias, so keep a stock of small notes.

Tipping: Tipping is not obligatory and not deeply ingrained. Many restaurants already add a 10 percent service charge; beyond that, rounding up a taxi fare or leaving 10-15 percent for good restaurant service is appreciated but never expected.

Qatar does not have a self-registration at a town hall as in Europe; residence is handled through the Qatar ID (QID) issued by the Ministry of Interior. Within days of arrival your sponsor must complete your medical exam, fingerprinting and residence-permit processing, and your registered address is linked electronically to your QID. If you later move home, you update your address through Metrash2 rather than at any counter. In practice the whole process is coordinated by your employer's PRO, and your job is mainly to attend appointments promptly with the right documents.

Deadline: The medical and biometric steps are usually completed within the first week or two, and the residence permit must be finalised before your entry visa expires, commonly within 30 days of arrival. Do not let this slip, as overstaying an entry visa triggers daily fines.

Where: Medical Commission centres handle the exam and fingerprinting; the General Directorate of Passports at the Ministry of Interior issues the QID; the entire flow is normally driven by your employer's PRO on your behalf.

The Doha Metro (Red, Green and Gold lines) is modern, spotless, air-conditioned and cheap, and it feeds into a free Metrolink and Metroexpress bus-and-shuttle network for the last mile to your door. A single Metro ride is about QAR 2 on a standard Karwacard, with an unlimited day pass around QAR 6. Karwa metered taxis and the Uber and Careem apps cover everywhere the Metro does not, and a private car remains useful once you settle outside central Doha, given the short distances and cheap fuel.

From the airport: A Karwa taxi from the Hamad International Airport rank costs roughly QAR 50-70 to central Doha and a bit more to Lusail or The Pearl. The Metro Red Line reaches an airport station, but it is outside the terminal and awkward with luggage, so most new arrivals take a taxi. Uber and Careem may drop passengers at the airport but are not allowed to pick up there, so book a Karwa or use the official rank for departures.

Most expats rent furnished or semi-furnished flats and villas, either in gated compounds with shared pools and gyms or in apartment towers. Popular areas include The Pearl and Lusail Marina for waterfront apartment living, West Bay for high-rise proximity to offices, and Al Sadd, Bin Mahmoud (Fereej Bin Mahmoud) and Najma for more central, better-value flats. Many employers provide housing or a housing allowance, so read your contract carefully before committing to anything privately.

Typical rent: A furnished one-bedroom flat in a central or Pearl location typically runs QAR 6,000-10,000 per month, with two-bedrooms from around QAR 8,000-14,000 and compound villas considerably higher. Water and electricity (Kahramaa) are sometimes included in furnished lets and sometimes billed separately, so confirm before signing.

Deposit norm: Expect one month's rent as a security deposit plus the first month up front. Annual contracts are the norm and are often paid by a set of post-dated cheques, which means you generally need your resident bank account and QID first. Always get a written, attested tenancy contract and register it, as a registered lease is what links Kahramaa utilities and your QID address to the property.

Qatar has a strong, well-funded public system led by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), which runs Hamad General Hospital and specialist centres, alongside excellent private hospitals such as Sidra Medicine (women and children), Al Ahli, Al Emadi and the sports-medicine hospital Aspetar. Clinical standards are high and modern. In an emergency, dial 999 for an ambulance, and emergency treatment is provided regardless of your residence status.

How to access it: Once your QID is issued, register for a Hamad Health Card, which is linked to your QID and gives you access to subsidised public clinics and hospitals. Routine and primary care runs through Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) health centres, where you register at the one nearest your home; for non-emergencies you book through PHCC or through your private insurer's network of clinics.

Insurance: Health insurance is mandatory for residents and is normally arranged and paid for by your employer as part of the sponsorship, so most newcomers never buy their own. Read your policy carefully, because dental, optical, maternity and some specialist care are frequently excluded, capped or subject to co-payments, and you may want top-up cover for family needs.

• Dress modestly in public: shoulders and knees covered for both men and women, especially in malls, government offices, souqs and outside beach or pool areas where signs often make this explicit.
• Use your right hand for eating, giving and receiving, and graciously accept offers of Arabic coffee (gahwa) or dates when visiting a home or office, as refusing outright can seem rude.
• Respect prayer times, when many small shops briefly close, and observe Ramadan strictly: do not eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours, and expect adjusted working and opening times.
• Greet elders and hosts first, and be patient and warm rather than blunt; relationships and courtesy carry a lot of weight, and rushing or raising your voice rarely helps.
• Ask before photographing people, particularly women and Qatari nationals, and never photograph government, military, industrial or airport facilities.
• Keep public displays of affection to a minimum; holding hands may pass, but anything more is frowned upon and can attract trouble.
• Learn a few Arabic pleasantries such as 'salam alaikum', 'shukran' and 'inshallah'; you will get by in English everywhere, but the effort is genuinely appreciated.

• Alcohol is tightly controlled: it is legal only in licensed hotel bars and restaurants, or at home with a QDC permit, and being drunk in public or drink-driving carries severe penalties including jail and deportation.
• Qatar has a zero-tolerance drug policy; even trace amounts, and some medicines that are legal elsewhere, can lead to imprisonment, so check any prescription medication before you travel.
• Do not criticise the government, the ruling family or religion online or in public; cybercrime and defamation laws are actively enforced, and even sharing others' posts can be an offence.
• Swearing, rude gestures and public arguments, including in traffic or online, can genuinely lead to police involvement and charges.
• Relationships and living arrangements are governed by conservative law; cohabitation and relationships outside marriage sit in a legal grey area, so be discreet and aware of the local context.