Everyday safety in Qatar: roads, heat, scams, the law and emergency numbers

How safe Qatar is day to day

Foreign governments agree that crime in Qatar is low. The UK says crime levels are low and advises sensible precautions to protect yourself and your belongings. Canada says violence is rare, though credit card fraud does take place. Australia says pickpocketing, bag snatching and other petty crime are rare but can happen.

The US State Department’s security office says murders and violent crime are well below the global average. Most of this guide covers the roads, the heat and scams.

Women’s safety and reporting an assault

• The UK advises women visitors and residents to take care when walking or travelling alone, particularly at night.
• Canada says that, although rare, women may face harassment, verbal abuse or physical assault.
• Reporting a sexual assault is not straightforward. The UK says the law puts a high burden of proof on the victim to show the sex was not consensual. Australia says medical facilities must report rape and sexual assault, and police may charge the victim instead of treating them as a victim. Canada says foreign women have been detained and accused of sex outside marriage after reporting a sexual assault.
• Save your embassy’s emergency number before you need it. Our travel advice page links to each of the ten governments’ pages.
• Aman, the Protection and Social Rehabilitation Centre, runs a 24 hour hotline on 919 for women, children and victims of domestic violence, in several languages.

What ten governments advise, with their embassy contacts, side by side

On the roads

Canada says fatal road accidents are common and one of Qatar’s leading causes of death. The UK says road discipline is very poor, speeds are high and accidents are common. Canada warns of drivers who speed and drive aggressively, and of poorly lit roads and wandering livestock outside Doha. The Ministry of Interior recorded 168 road deaths in 2023, down from 222 in 2022.

• Using a phone while driving: a QAR 500 fine, with no discount.
• Not wearing a seatbelt, for the driver or the front passenger: QAR 500.
• Speeding: QAR 500 to 1,000 and 4 points.
• Running a red light: QAR 6,000, 7 points, and the car impounded.
• Children under 10 must not sit in the front while the car moves. The fine is QAR 500. The Ministry of Interior advises a child seat suited to the child’s age and weight, fitted in the back.
• Some fines are halved if you pay within the first month. Fines left unpaid for more than 12 months go to the Public Prosecution.
• A new traffic law is on its way. The Shura Council approved the bill in July 2026 and sent it to the government. These fines may change when it is issued.

Swapping your licence, the test and the fees: our driving licence guide

After an accident

• If no one is hurt, take photos of both cars, move them out of the traffic, then register the accident in the Metrash app under Traffic, Traffic Accident, Accident Registration. Blocking the road after a minor accident can bring a QAR 1,000 fine.
• The UK says it is illegal to leave the scene without reporting the accident in Metrash.
• If anyone is hurt, call 999 and wait for the police.
• Do not post photos or videos of an accident online. You may record it only to report it to the authorities. Taking pictures of a traffic accident can bring up to 2 years in prison, a fine of up to QAR 10,000, or both.

The summer heat

In June the average daily temperature is 34.7°C, and the June record is 49.1°C, set in 2010. In July 2026 the forecast highs were 45°C to 47°C. Gulf News reported 50.4°C in July 2010, the highest in over 40 years, recorded at Doha International Airport.

• Drink water through the day, even when you do not feel thirsty, and stay out of the sun at midday.
• Hamad Medical Corporation lists the signs of heat stress as tiredness, dizziness, headache and nausea. Sunstroke brings a high body temperature, a fast heartbeat, confusion and loss of consciousness. Call 999 for heat stroke.
• Never leave a child in a parked car. Hamad Medical Corporation warns that the temperature inside can climb far above the air outside.
• If someone shows signs of heat illness, move them somewhere cooler and call 999.
• Outdoor work is banned from 10am to 3:30pm between 1 June and 15 September. Plan errands, sport and children’s play for the early morning or evening.

Every month’s temperatures, humidity, rain and dust: our weather guide

The sea and the desert

• Jellyfish are most common from May to October. Sidra Medicine says not to wash a sting with alcohol, urine, fresh water or vinegar, as these can make it worse. For advice, call the Poison Centre on 4003 1111. For severe symptoms, go to an emergency department or call 999.
• The Peninsula reports that about 25 people drown in Qatar each year, and 30% of them are children. Hamad Medical Corporation advises staying away from strong currents and rip currents, and watching children in the water at all times.
• Foreign governments warn that desert trips can be dangerous. Canada says never go alone. Australia says some tour operators, including desert four wheel drive trips, do not follow safety standards.
• The Ministry of Interior says to wear a helmet on a quad bike and not to let children drive one.
• Dust storms cut visibility, especially in open areas. The Qatar Meteorology Department posts warnings on qweather.gov.qa and on X as @qatarweather. The Ministry of Interior also sends emergency alerts to phones, in Arabic and English.

Scam texts, calls and messages

Scammers in Qatar pose as the Ministry of Interior, banks and other official bodies. In 2025 the Ministry broke up a gang that sent texts with fake links posing as banks and government entities. In March 2026 it warned about calls and messages claiming to come from government agencies.

• Fake texts about unpaid traffic fines have circulated. Check fines only in Metrash or on Hukoomi. Real Qatari government websites end in .gov.qa.
• Never share passwords, bank card details or one time codes, whoever asks.
• If a message claims to come from an organisation, contact it yourself using the details on its official website.
• Turn on two step verification in WhatsApp, and never send anyone the six digit code WhatsApp texts you.
• Report suspected fraud to the Ministry of Interior’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department through Metrash, under Security, Security Complaint. The Ministry also takes reports on 999 and at cccc@moi.gov.qa.
• If someone blackmails you, report it straight away and keep all the evidence: numbers, accounts, email addresses and messages.

Rental and job scams

• The Ministry of Interior warns of fake listings for homes at unrealistically low prices. Report them through Metrash.
• Never pay a deposit or rent before you have stood inside the home and signed a contract. A licensed agent can show a commercial registration and a brokerage licence.
• Your landlord should register the lease with the Lease Registration Office. Since August 2026 the fee is QAR 250 for each unit.
• You should never pay a recruitment fee. The Labour Law bars recruiters from charging workers any recruitment fees or costs.
• Before you deal with a recruitment agency, check that it is on the Ministry of Labour’s list of registered agencies. In September 2026 the list had 221 names.
• Once your employer files your contract, you can check its terms and accept or reject it in the Ministry of Labour’s e contract service.

Debts and cheques

• Unpaid loans or other financial commitments can stop you leaving Qatar. Canada says you must be free of loans and debts with a Qatari institution to leave.
• A bounced cheque is a crime, and so is a bounced post dated or security cheque. The UK lists penalties that include prison, fines and the seizure of end of service benefits.
• Under the Penal Code a bounced cheque can bring 3 months to 3 years in prison, a fine of QAR 3,000 to 10,000, or both. A 2024 law allows partial payment of a cheque, but it did not end the criminal liability.
• Never sign a blank cheque. A Qatari court has treated a signed blank cheque as giving the holder the right to fill in any amount.
• You can check whether a travel ban applies to you in the Metrash app.

What you post online

• Qatar’s cybercrime law, Law No. 14 of 2014, makes it a crime to publish news, pictures or recordings about someone’s private or family life online, even if they are true. The penalty is up to 3 years in prison and a fine of up to QAR 100,000.
• Since 2025, sharing photos or videos of people in public places without their consent can bring up to a year in prison and a fine of up to QAR 100,000.
• Forwarding unverified news or rumours breaks the cybercrime law, the Ministry of Interior warned in March 2026.
• The UK says posts that insult people or seem culturally insensitive may be treated as a crime. Australia advises against commenting online on Qatari culture, government policy, services or businesses, including hotel and restaurant reviews.

Relationships and the law

• The UK says it is illegal for unmarried couples to live together, and that sex outside marriage is illegal for both same sex and opposite sex couples. Penalties can include a fine, prison and deportation.
• If someone becomes pregnant outside marriage, both partners can face prison or deportation. A Qatari birth certificate needs a marriage certificate, and doctors ask for proof of marriage at antenatal checks.
• Same sex sexual activity is illegal. Canada advises LGBTQI people to consider the risks carefully before travelling to Qatar.
• Any intimacy in public, between any couple, can lead to arrest.

Emergency numbers and where to get help

• 999 for police, fire and ambulance. From a mobile, 112 also works. Deaf callers can use 992.
• Kahramaa electricity and water emergencies: 991, 24 hours a day, or WhatsApp 3030 3991.
• Poison Centre: 4003 1111.
• National Mental Health Helpline: call 16000 and choose option 4, from 8am to 6pm, Saturday to Thursday.
• Aman hotline for women, children and victims of domestic violence: 919, 24 hours.
• National Human Rights Committee: 4404 8844.
• Emergency departments include Hamad General Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital, the Cuban Hospital, Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital and Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiyah Hospital. Children under 14 go to a paediatric emergency centre. For problems that are not life threatening, Hamad Medical Corporation asks you to use an urgent care centre.
• You can pass information to the police in confidence through Metrash, under Security, Security Complaint, Criminal Investigation Department.