Moving to Qatar from Spain: documents, tax, social security and driving

Current travel advice

Spain’s travel recommendations for Qatar were last updated on 10 June 2026. They say the region is affected by a regional conflict, and they advise postponing travel to Qatar unless it is necessary. Qatar’s airspace has reopened after it closed in March 2026, and flights are increasing. Flights can still change without notice.

• The Spanish Embassy is at Villa 9, Saha Street 93, Wadi Umm Sarma (Street 563, Zone 66), Doha. Call +974 4429 0555 or email emb.doha@maec.es.
• The consular emergency line for Spanish citizens is +974 5586 2411.
• For emergency services in Qatar, dial 999.
• The land border with Saudi Arabia is open.

Register at the embassy

Once you live in Qatar, register as a resident in the Registro de Matrícula Consular at the embassy in Doha. Visitors register as transeúntes instead.

• Registering as a resident is how you get on the CERA, the electoral roll of Spaniards living abroad.
• The embassy posts updates on X at @EmbEspCatar.

Legalise your documents before you fly

Qatar is not in the Apostille Convention, so Spanish public documents for Qatar need legalisation. There are three steps. First the document goes through its own prior route. Then the Foreign Ministry’s Legalisation Service legalises it, free of charge. Finally the Qatar Embassy in Madrid legalises it.

• Civil Registry certificates and court documents go first to the High Court of Justice of your region, then to the Ministry of Justice.
• Notarial documents go to the Colegio Notarial, then to the Ministry of Justice.
• Official university degrees go to the Ministry of Universities, or to the Education inspectorate at the Government Delegation.
• Only originals with a handwritten signature are legalised. Electronic signatures are not accepted.
• The Qatar Embassy is at Paseo de la Castellana 15, Madrid. Call +34 913 10 69 26.
• In Qatar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finishes attestation. It charges QAR 100 for an academic certificate and QAR 100 for a marriage contract.

Spanish tax when you move abroad

You are tax resident in Spain if you spend more than 183 days there in a calendar year. Sporadic absences count as time in Spain unless you prove tax residence in another country.

You are also tax resident if the main centre or base of your business or economic interests is in Spain. If your spouse and your dependent children under 18 live in Spain, you are presumed resident unless you prove otherwise.

Spain and Qatar have a tax convention. It was signed in Madrid on 10 September 2015 and came into force on 6 February 2018.

Health and pension cover

Spain’s bilateral social security agreements do not include Qatar. Generally only Qatari citizens can claim a state pension in Qatar. Your employer may owe you an end of service gratuity instead.

If you work abroad and want to keep paying into Spain’s system, the Seguridad Social offers a convenio especial for Spanish emigrants who work abroad. Convenios especiales cover the retirement pension, the permanent disability pension for illness or accidents outside work, and death and survivor pensions.

• Qatar applies its rules on bringing in medicines strictly. Your medical documents must be translated and legalised through diplomatic channels.
• In Qatar your cover also 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.
• Qatar does not recognise registered partnerships (parejas de hecho) made in Spain. To sponsor a partner you must be married.
• 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.

Driving

• You can drive with a Spanish licence for your first 7 days, and with an international licence for 6 months.
• After that, once you have your residence permit, apply to the Traffic Department for a temporary or permanent Qatari licence. You must take a test at a driving school.
• Car hire firms rent you a car for as long as your visa is valid.
• Unpaid traffic fines can stop you leaving Qatar. Check the fines on your vehicle on the Ministry of Interior website.
• Any alcohol in your blood at the wheel is an offence. It brings arrest and heavy fines, and you cannot leave Qatar until the trial ends.
• After an accident, stay at the scene. If someone is hurt, do not move the car and wait for the police. Insurers need the police report.

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.

Voting from Qatar

• Since 2022 you no longer have to request your vote. If you are on the CERA, Spain sends your voting papers for general, regional and European elections. You can also download the ballot papers.
• Vote by post to the consulate, by certified post where you can, or in person at the consulate from the eighth to the third day before election day.
• To get on the CERA, register at the embassy as a resident.