Qatar Law No. 22 of 2021: the mandatory healthcare scheme

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in Qatar enforces the Mandatory Health Insurance Scheme established pursuant to Law No. 22 of 2021 Regulating Healthcare Services in the State of Qatar.

The legislation mandates that every individual residing in or visiting Qatar—including expatriate employees, domestic workers, tourists, and family visitors—must hold valid health insurance throughout their entire stay.

Mandatory visitor insurance: the QAR 50 per month policy

For any international traveler visiting Qatar (on tourist visas, Hayya entry, family visit visas, or on-arrival permits):

1. Statutory Premium: The basic mandatory visitor health insurance policy is fixed at QAR 50 per month (30 days).

2. Coverage Scope: Covers emergency medical treatment, urgent trauma care up to QAR 150,000 per policy period, emergency ambulance transportation, and emergency medical repatriation.

3. Pre-Requisite for Visa: The policy must be purchased from a MOPH-registered insurance company prior to visa issuance or extension on the Metrash2 platform or official Ministry of Interior portal.

MOPH-accredited insurance providers in Qatar

Visitors and companies must obtain insurance strictly from insurance companies licensed and registered on the MOPH platform. Key accredited providers include:

- Qatar Insurance Company (QIC)

- QLM Life & Medical Insurance Company

- Al Koot Insurance and Reinsurance

- Doha Insurance Group

- General Takaful

- Beema (Daman Islamic Insurance)

International travel insurance policies are accepted only if issued by an approved global partner certified by MOPH and explicitly providing Qatar territorial medical emergency coverage.

Employer obligations for expatriate residents and QID renewals

For foreign workers residing in Qatar on employment residence permits (QID):

100% Employer Funded: Employers are legally prohibited from deducting health insurance costs from an employee's salary or basic wages.

Mandatory for QID Stamping: The Ministry of Interior's Metrash2 system automatically verifies active health insurance linkage before approving new residence permits or executing annual QID renewals.

Coverage Extent: The employer's policy covers primary outpatient clinical consultations, diagnostics, prescription medications, and inpatient surgical procedures across private and public Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) healthcare networks.

How to purchase visitor insurance and extend visit visas

When extending a family visit visa or tourist permit on Metrash2:

1. Open Metrash2, select 'Visa Services' and click 'Extend Visit Visa'.

2. The system prompts a direct link to MOPH insurance purchasing partners.

3. Select an insurance company, enter the visa and passport number, pay the QAR 50 monthly fee via credit/debit card, and the extension is instantly processed.