- Qatar's Council of Ministers outlined the conditions non-Qataris must meet through real estate ownership to access permanent residency benefits
- The privileges available to qualifying foreigners cover healthcare, education and investment in Qatar
- A minimum property value threshold determines whether a foreigner qualifies for a residency permit or for the full permanent residency card privileges
Qatar has set two clear conditions that non-Qatari real estate owners or users must satisfy to access the privileges attached to permanent residency in the country.
The conditions are contained in Decision of the Council of Ministers No. (28) of 2020, which governs the areas where foreigners may own or use real estate in Qatar, along with the benefits and procedures connected to such ownership.
Source: UGC
The 2 Conditions Qatar Requires
Under Article 7 of the decision, a residency permit linked to real estate ownership or use is granted only when two specific requirements are met simultaneously.
The first condition concerns physical presence: the foreigner must spend no fewer than 90 days per year inside Qatar, whether those days are consecutive or spread across the year.
The second condition relates to the monetary value of the property. The real estate owned, or the usufruct held, must be worth at least 730,000 Qatari Riyals.
However, simply meeting this minimum value only qualifies the individual for a standard residency permit.
To unlock the full privileges of a permanent residency card holder, covering healthcare, education and investment, the value of the real estate or its usufruct must reach 3,650,000 Qatari Riyals or more. Property values for this purpose are assessed based on the market value recognised by the Department of Real Estate Registration at the Ministry of Justice.
Where Foreigners Can Own Property in Qatar
The decision specifies two categories of areas where non-Qataris are permitted to engage with real estate.
Nine designated areas fall under full ownership rights, including West Bay, The Pearl, Lusail and Al Khor Resort. A separate list of 16 areas, which includes Msheireb, Al Sadd and Al Mansoura, is open for usufruct use only, with a maximum term of 99 years, renewable thereafter.
Foreigners who own vacant land in the permitted zones are required to complete construction within four years of registering the property in their name.
The Committee for Regulation of Non-Qatari Ownership and Use of Real Estate holds the authority to dispose of undeveloped land after that period, with compensation paid to the owner at the prevailing market price.
Qatar releases list of types of visas
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Qatari government has published the four categories of advance visas that foreign nationals can get before entering the country.
It is noteworthy that each visa type comes with its own conditions, including specific validity periods and eligibility requirements.
Source: Legit.ng