Life on the Spot » FAQ

Answering Some Questions about Qatar

xtian001 — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:41:36 +0000

We got an email today from one of our readers asking life and about practice of religion in Qatar. Lets me share with you some of our answers.

1. Exit Permit scenario is it true that employer supposed to hold the passport and you need permission from employer everytime you want to travel or leave Qatar.
You get to hold on to your passport (unlike Saudi). However, government procedures impose that you need to get an EXIT VISA if your planning to go out of the country. That means, you need a written permission from your company that they’re allowing you to leave the country plus approval from Immigration once you submit the requirements. This is applicable for anyone holding a WORK VISA. Families of the employee can leave Qatar anytime they want without the need for an EXIT PERMIT.

You can ask your company to give you a MULTIPLE EXIT PERMIT so you don’t have to apply for an EXIT PERMIT nor get their approval everytime you leave. However, not a lot of companies give this to their employees.

2. Work Visa is it easy to get?
Before the company brings you to Qatar, the company already has a number of allotted WORK VISAS that they can apply for. Which means that when they hire you from your country, they know that they can apply for your WORK VISA when you arrive if they’re bring you on a BUSINESS VISIT VISA.

If you’re coming here with just a VISIT/TOURIST VISA without any real sponsor or company hiring you, your WORK VISA would be dependent on the company who would eventually hire you and if he’s willing to sponsor you. You can not get a WORK VISA by yourself.

3. Resident visa it easy ok?
If you already have work and is being sponsored by your company, it is fairly easy to get a RESIDENCE VISA for your family provided that you meet the salary quota imposed to those getting a FAMILY RESIDENCE VISA.

4. Housing scene in Qatar
Still crazy even with the law imposing that building owners are not allowed to increase rents till 2010. Some do adhere to this and a lot don’t. A new 2 bedroom apartment (unfurnished) would cost you QR 7500/monthly (minimum). A 3 bedroom apartment about 9000-12,500QR/month. A 3 bedroom villa about 15,000QR per month.So unless your company provides good housing, better ask them for a big housing allowance especially if you’re bringing your family with you.

5. Qatar education scene.
With almost a million expats in Qatar, it is quite difficult to get a place for your kids at good schools. Please see my upcoming posts regarding Schools and their Fees for 2008-2009. But to give you an idea, International Schools usually charge between 25,000 QR to 54,000QR per year. The Philippine School charges 4,000-5,000QR per year and other schools (Indian schools) also charge much, much less than International Schools do.

Some companies pay for your kids matriculation.

6. Do Muslims women/children need to be in Black attire?
Muslim are not imposed to wear the Abaya ("black attire") nor non-Muslims. This is true in Saudi but not in Qatar. You can wear anything decent when going outside.

7. Can we get San Miguel there?
Yes. Qatar Distribution Company is allowed by the government to sell liquor and spirits provided that you have approval from your company to get a Liquor License. To get a permit, you need a letter from your sponsor stating your basic salary (excluding your housing allowance or other benefits) and a copy of your ID. You will also need to pay a returnable deposit of QR 1,000.

Keep in mind that you are allowed to purchase alcohol at the airport when leaving the country, but you may not bring it into Qatar.

8. Medical Cost
Your company would help you get you your Health card (QR100) so you could go to the public hospitals. Medicines are subsidized, if prescribed by your doctor, so don’t worry about the cost. Of course, as anywhere in the world, Private Clinic charges are much higher. For kids, we usually go to the Children’s Emergency clinic in Al Saad and usually pay 5-10QR even for our kid being admitted for a night.

9. How much it will cost for medium standard decent living.
This depends on your standard of living. You already have an idea on Housing and Education cost. If renting a car, a small car can be rented for 2500QR++. Bank usually offer loans for expats. You can buy a small car for 35,000-50,000QR. For food, depends on what you buy but food is quite expensive in Qatar. If a bachellor, you can probably get aways with 800QR a month. But if your buying alchohol, you’d be spending the same amount for the alchohol alone.

10. Is religious patrolling in place to make sure Muslims pray five times a day and fast during Ramadan?
Again, nothing would be imposed on you as it is your religion and it’s up to you to practice what you believe in. If your a Christian, you can attend church. Or you can gather to celebrate your religion and faith provided that you don’t try spreading your faith in the streets. Just make sure you respect their religion like prohibiting yourself from eating and drinking in a public area in Ramadan.

If you’re a Muslim, it’s up to you to practice your faith to pray five times a day and fast.

FAQ: Driving in Doha

mavisrueda — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:26:21 +0000

Hi, could u tell me how much are driving lessons? How many theory test do I need to take? I found myself a job in Doha and moving there before end of year. I need to learn how to drive. Been told that public transport there is almost non-existent and I cant rely too much on the taxis. I have some driving lessons here in Singapore but did not pass the test (extremely tough to pass here!) Have not been behind the wheels for a few years now.

Since you don’t have a license yet, you will have to enroll in a full driving course which costs QR1800 (25 hours) with 25 training days. The half course costs QR690 which gives you 12 hours of practice lessons. I am not aware though as to how many training days one should have finished before he could take the test. i think the master (instructor) will decide whether you’re ready to take it. You have to pay QR50 to register for the test. The test has 4 parts, an oral test for the road and traffic signs, then the L-parking, pocket parking, and the actual road test. Take note that each test part is a pre-requisite for the next, that is why you need to pass the first before you could proceed to the next. But after having passed one part, you’re not made to do it again.

Blue-Collared Jobs in Qatar

xtian001 — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:20:22 +0000

There is a stigma of working in the Middle East among middle/higher class in the Philippines that if you are not a construction worker, truck driver, engineer or domestic helper, one would not go there to work. Is this a misconception?

Yes it is a misconception that people who work in the Middle East either hold blue-collared jobs or on the other side of the spectrum, engineers. You’ll meet a lot Filipinos working in different industries holding different positions and not just limited to what is stated above. From the IT industry alone, you’ll find Filipinos who are technicians, system administrators, programmers, developers, web designers, systems analysts. If you go to hotels, you’ll find Filipinos working as managers, chefs, chambermaids, bellboys. Even in the airline industry in Qatar, there are Filipino managers, secretaries, human resource specialists, and are ground and flight crew.

If you actually do a research, I’m sure that more than 50% of what you consider middle class in the Philippines are those whose dads/moms work in the Middle East. An IT technician’s salary from a good company is equivalent, if not more than, to what a manager in the Philippines gets.

Comparing Philipines vis-a-vis Qatar Salary

xtian001 — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:12:21 +0000

Are salaries for same position in Philippines so much more than how they are paid here?

This depends on a lot of factors. You have to be specific as to what job one is applying for. For blue collared jobs, it’s not like in the US where they get paid more and what they actually deserve. They also get paid by the hour. Here, the situation is very different. They do get more than what they might get in the Philippines but not that much. At least here, their incomes are stable and they get paid every month. In terms of working in food chains, shops and hotels, they probably get twice the salary they’d be expecting while in the Philippines. However, not every company is the same and benefits maybe different. Say example, a lady cashier in Lulu Hypermarket earns QR1200/month, she has to consider her food and other necessities which might leave her with QR500 or QR800 the most. I’m not even sure if the company pays for her housing. Though not a big as we deem it to be, it might be better than staying in the Philippines and not getting a job.

For Engineers and those in IT, the company you work for dictates how much you’re getting. If you belong to the "Q" companies, i.e. QP, QAFAC. QAPCO etc…, more often than not, you’ll at least get 3x the salary in comparison to Philippine standards.

Are there Chinese in Qatar?

xtian001 — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:11:00 +0000

Are there Chinese in Qatar?
I’m actually surprised that I see more Chinese people here than in Saudi and Bahrain but I’m sure that they don’t number more than the Filipinos. Most of them work for Qatar Airways as Ground crew or Cabin crew. I haven’t noticed a group with a family though.