Changing Employer or Sponsor in Qatar: What the Official Pages State
Under Decree-Law No. 19 of 2020, foreign workers may change employer according to rules set by the Ministry of Labour, and the No Objection Certificate requirement to change employer was abolished. This article does not give a step-by-step procedure for changing employer or sponsor. It states only the post-reform framework and notice rules in the Ministry of Labour 2021 report; the current procedure is not verified here. The framework is: the No Objection Certificate requirement was abolished, notice periods apply when a contract ends, and an electronic notice service exists for termination of a contract or a change of employer.
No Enotice steps, documents list, fees, or profession-amendment steps are given here, because the official pages cited here do not state them. The current MOI position could not be verified from a live MOI page for this guide, so check the live MOI or Ministry of Labour service before you act.
What Decree-Law 19 of 2020 changed
Decree-Law No. 19 of 2020 amended the law regulating the entry, residence and exit of expatriates so that foreign workers may change employer according to rules set by the Ministry of Labour. The same reform abolished the No Objection Certificate requirement to change employer. The reform changed the legal framework. The Ministry of Labour account used here is a 2021 report, and the current service requirements must still be confirmed on the live Ministry of Labour and MOI services, because the current MOI position is not verified in this guide.
Notice periods when a contract ends
Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020 enables an employee and an employer to terminate the contract without stating reasons, provided due notice is given. The notice stated in the Ministry of Labour 2021 report is one month in advance for the first and second year of employment, and two months in advance after the second year. The Ministry set up an electronic notice service, called Enotice, for termination of a contract or a change of employer. Only the existence of the service is stated in this guide. It does not state how to submit a notice through it, what form or documents it asks for, or how long any step takes, because none of that is stated on the official pages cited here.
When a change of employer must take place
The Ministry of Labour 2021 report states a timing rule for a change of employer. The report’s wording is: change of employer must take place during the validity period of the residence permit, unless the permit expired for reasons beyond the foreign worker’s control, or within 90 days of the residence permit’s expiration. That is the timing position as stated in the report. It is not a full procedure, and it does not by itself state what happens if the timing rule is missed, so no consequence is added here.
Secondment to another company
Workers may be seconded from one company to another for a renewable period of 6 months. For a secondment, the employer must provide the appendix of the employment contract, signed by the previous employer and the employee and ratified by the Ministry of Labour. That is all the Ministry of Labour 2021 report states on secondment. No further secondment steps, documents, or conditions are stated here, because none are stated on the official pages cited here.
Domestic workers and the same change
The abolition of the No Objection Certificate requirement applies to domestic workers as well. Domestic workers may terminate at any time provided the notice period is respected, guaranteeing labour-market movement like other workers. Domestic workers must respect the notice period as stated in the 2021 report. Confirm the current live service requirement before you act.
What is not verified about the current MOI position
The current MOI sponsorship-change position could not be verified from a live MOI page for this guide. The only verified source for the framework above is the Ministry of Labour 2021 report. Do not rely on the 2021 framework alone for a current application. Confirm the current requirement on the live MOI or Ministry of Labour service before you act.
Occupation changes on the Qatar ID itself
For a change of occupation on the Qatar ID itself, see Changing Name, Nationality or Occupation on a Qatar ID. That existing guide is the place for the occupation-on-QID angle, so it is not repeated here. Profession amendment itself — changing the profession recorded for a worker — is out of scope here; this guide covers the employer and sponsor change only.
