Moving to Qatar from Bangladesh: emigration clearance, documents, tax and licences

Current safety advice

The Bangladesh Embassy in Doha has urged Bangladeshis in Qatar to remain vigilant during the regional tensions. For a picture of the current risk, other governments’ advice in October 2026 ranged from the UK, which did not advise against travel to Qatar, to Ireland, which advised against all but essential travel.

• Follow the Bangladesh Embassy in Doha for notices, and save its labour welfare contacts before you travel.
• For emergency services in Qatar, dial 999.

BMET emigration clearance

Anyone travelling abroad on a work visa needs an emigration clearance card from the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), whatever their profession.

• Register online on the BMET Online Clearance System with your NID and passport details. If that fails, register at your district Technical Training Centre.
• Give your biometrics in person at your district BMET office. This step cannot be done online.
• Complete the 3 day pre departure orientation at a district Technical Training Centre. Your passport is stamped afterwards.
• You need a machine readable passport in the same name as your work visa, your NID, a copy of the visa, your employment contract and recent photos.
• The clearance card has a QR code. Show it at immigration at Dhaka or Chittagong airport. The card has been free since December 2024.

Documents for Qatar

Bangladesh joined the Apostille Convention, which took effect for it on 30 March 2025. Since January 2025 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued e Apostilles online through the MyGov portal. The issuing authority, such as your university or board, verifies the document first, then the relevant ministry, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Qatar is not a member of the Apostille Convention. So ask your employer before you start whether Qatar will accept your documents with an e Apostille, or whether they also need attestation by the Qatar Embassy in Dhaka.

• In Qatar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finishes attestation. It charges QAR 100 for an academic certificate and QAR 100 for a marriage contract.

Tax residence and the treaty

You are resident in Bangladesh for a tax year if you spend 183 days or more there. You are also resident if you spend 90 days or more there in the year and 365 days or more over the previous four years. If you visit often, count your days.

Bangladesh and Qatar signed a double taxation agreement on 23 April 2024, and the National Board of Revenue lists it. Take advice on how income from Bangladesh, such as rent, is taxed while you live in Qatar.

Professional licences

Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare workers need a licence from the Department of Healthcare Professions at the Ministry of Public Health. Primary source verification of your education, training and experience is mandatory, and you must attach the report to your application.

• Approved verification providers include Dataflow, Quadrabay and Approved Verification Services.
• Verification can take time, so start as soon as you have an offer.
• Other professions, such as engineers, have their own registration. Ask your employer what yours needs.

Health cover

In Qatar your cover comes from your employer’s insurance and from public healthcare, which you register for once you have your Qatar ID. Our healthcare guide explains how.

• Carry a prescription and a medical report from the last 6 months. Controlled medicines need a Ministry of Public Health permit.

Family residence

Your employer sponsors you. You can then sponsor your family once your own residence permit is issued.

• Under Qatar’s 2023 rules, private sector staff need a technical or specialised job and a salary of at least QAR 10,000 a month, or QAR 6,000 when family housing is in the contract.
• Government and semi government staff need family housing from their employer, or a salary of at least QAR 10,000.
• You can sponsor a husband or wife, unmarried daughters of any age and sons aged 24 or younger.
• Children aged 6 to 18 must be enrolled in a licensed school in Qatar, or show they are enrolled elsewhere, before their residence permits are issued or renewed.
• You need your marriage certificate and your children’s birth certificates, prepared in the form Qatar accepts.

Driving

• Qatar exchanges licences without the full driving course only for countries on the Ministry of Interior’s approved list. Qatar Living says the list covers most GCC states, many European countries, the US, Canada and Australia.
• If your licence is not from an approved country, you go through a licensed driving school in Qatar. Depending on your experience, that may be a road test only, or a half or full course.
• Anyone with a residence permit needs a Qatari driving licence.
• Qatar has zero tolerance for drink driving.

Debts, contracts and travel bans

• Unpaid loans and debts with a Qatari institution can stop you leaving Qatar, and a pending legal case can bring a travel ban. Cases can take years.
• Fraud, bounced cheques and unpaid bills can lead to prison or a fine.
• In a contract or employment dispute, Qatari authorities go by the Arabic text of the contract. Have the Arabic version translated before you sign.