How to Set up a Company in Qatar

Requirements for establishing a company in Qatar

The investor must determine the type of company, and the company must not violate the legal forms of the country. The company contract must be written in Arabic (except for joint stock companies).

Types of companies in Qatar

Partnerships

Consists of two or more partners, and all partners are responsible for the company’s obligations and debts. The company must be registered with the commercial registry upon incorporation.

The partnership contract must include the following:

• Company name, purpose and headquarters.
• Names of all partners, their professions, their surnames, their nationalities, date of birth and home address.
• The company’s registered capital.
• The date of establishment of the company and the duration of the company.
• Information about how the company will be managed.
• The beginning and the end of the fiscal year.
• The distribution of the profits and the losses of the company.

Documents required for the establishment of the partnerships:

• Unanimous agreement by the partners.
• A copy of the applicant’s ID card.

Limited Partnership Firms

It has two types of partners:

• Joint Partners: who manage this company are responsible for its debts.

• Limited Partners: they are not responsible for company’s management duties, but participate with their capital, and are obligated to pay a percentage of the debts of the company, depending on their share. The limited partner may not interfere in the management of the company.

The limited partnership firm is subject to the same rules prescribed for partnerships.

Joint Venture Company

It is a company that does not have a legal personality, and thus, does not have a name, address, or nationality. it is just a contract between the partners. It consists of at least two partners. One of them conducts the business under his name.

Joint Stock Company

Its capital is divided into shares of equal value, and each shareholder is responsible according to the amount of his contribution to its capital. The capital must not be less than ten million Qatari riyals. The company’s memorandum of association and the duration of the company must be included in the contract. The number of founders must not be less than five.

Partnership Limited by Shares

It consists of two types of partners, both of which must have at least one partner. The first type is responsible for the obligations and debts of the company, while the second type is responsible only to the extent of their share in the company’s capital. Its capital must not be less than one million Qatari riyals. The company’s memorandum of association indicates the names of the partners, their domicile, their nationalities, and the names of those appointed as director of the company.

Limited Liability Company

It consists of at least one person, and the number of partners must not exceed fifty partners. Each partner therein shall be liable according to the value of his share in the capital of the company.

The company’s memorandum of association includes the following information:

• The type of company, its name, its purpose and its headquarters.
• The partners’ names, nationalities, domiciles and addresses.
• The amount of the capital and the share value of each partner.
• Names and nationalities of company directors.
• The duration of the partnership.
• The distribution of profits and losses.
• The requirements for the renunciation of shares.

Holding Company

A company that owns shares or shares in joint stock or limited liability companies. It manages these companies and provides the necessary support to them. The holding company may not own stakes in partnerships or limited partnerships. Its capital must not be less than ten million Qatari riyals. The phrase (Holding Company) must be added to all documents issued by the company.