FILE PHOTO. An evening view of West Bay towers from Doha Corniche. April 2, 2019. Salim Matramkot © The Peninsula
Expatriates have started buying properties following the decision by the Cabinet to allow foreigners to buy properties in designated areas in Qatar. The Cabinet recently issued a Decision No. 28 of 2020 which determined the 25 areas in which non-Qataris may own and benefit from real estate.
A beneficiary, Basil Majeed Bahot sharing his experience with Qatar TV said that the registration process is very easy and fast. “First, I applied online through the electronic page for ‘Non-Qatari ownership and use of the real estate’ on the website of the Ministry of Justice, uploading the required documents like ownership paper of the property and passport copy,” said Bahot. Bahot said that within few seconds after submitting the application he received a text message on mobile and e-mail for registration. “However, the message for approval came within one hour. Afterward, I went to the Office of Non-Qatari Real Estate Ownership and Use located in The Pearl where the remaining process was completed within 15 minutes and I received the permanent residency permit (PRP),” said Bahot.
Speaking in the same program of Qatar TV, Secretary of the Committee for Regulation of Non-Qatari Ownership and Use of the Real Estate, Amir Saed Al Ghafiri said that following the State Cabinet decision, the centre opened which offers services to register the properties of Non-Qataries under one roof in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior. “The centre receives the application for non-Qatari ownership to complete the procedures as per the procedures of the real estate registration department at the Ministry of Justice. He said that the applicants are required to first apply online through an electronic page for non-Qatari ownership and use of the real estate at the Ministry of Justice which enables the Property Registration Department to receive the application and process for registering the ownership. A prominent Qatar lawyer, Yusuf Al Zaman said that the decision of the State Cabinet 28 of 2020 issued to explain the Law No. 16 of 2018 for regulating the ownership and usufruct of property for Non-Qataris.
He said that this decision explains all issues related to the areas allowed to freehold and usufruct providing many opportunities to investors. “The decision of State Cabinet allowed companies to buy the land for usufruct which is not available in most of the countries,” said Al Zaman. State Cabinet Decision No. 28 of 2020 which issued recently determined the areas in which non-Qataris may own and benefit from real estate, and the terms, conditions, benefits and procedures for their ownership and use of them. The Cabinet decision also allows non-Qatari companies to own properties in the 25 areas mentioned. Procedures for offering residency to owners of property that is worth no less than QR730,000 ($200,000). Owners of the property are granted residency for themselves and their families for the duration of their ownership.
The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice also worked on implementing a new system that allows nonQataris to obtain their residency as soon as they complete the purchase. Owners of property worth no less than QR3.65m ($1m) will get the same benefits as permanent residents in terms of healthcare, education, and some commercial activities. The Ministry of Justice will be the one-stop shop for all the related transactions regarding non-Qatari ownership of real estate
