Travellers Updated As Qatar Sets Out Strict Requirements for Foreigners Seeking Citizenship

• Qatar's government published official guidelines on how foreign residents can apply for citizenship under Law No. 38 of 2005
• A foreigner must live in Qatar for at least 25 consecutive years before filing a citizenship application
• Qatar does not permit dual citizenship, meaning successful applicants must give up their original nationality

Qatar has outlined the exact conditions under which a foreigner can become a citizen, and the requirements leave very little room for error.

The Qatari government published detailed guidelines on its official Hukoomi portal, setting out how non-Qatari residents may pursue citizenship under Law No. 38 of 2005 on the Acquisition of Qatari Nationality, which replaced the earlier Law No. 2 of 1961.

One fundamental point runs through the entire process: citizenship is never automatic.

It can only be granted through an Amiri Decree, meaning the final decision rests entirely with Qatar's leadership.

The 25-year Qatar residency requirement

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The residency condition is the most demanding hurdle any applicant will face.

A foreign national must have lived lawfully in Qatar for no fewer than 25 consecutive years before they can even file an application.

Time spent outside the country during that period is permitted, but only within strict limits.

Residents may not be absent from Qatar for more than two months in any given year, and any time beyond that threshold is simply not counted towards the required years.

The rules become even more exacting after an application is submitted.

If an applicant leaves Qatar and remains abroad for more than six months during the processing period, the Minister of Interior has the authority to cancel their entire accumulated residency record, forcing them to start again.

Alongside the residency requirement, applicants must prove they have a legitimate and sufficient income to support themselves.

They must also have a clean record, with no final criminal conviction for offences involving dishonour or breach of trust, whether committed inside or outside Qatar.

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A working knowledge of Arabic is equally required.

Children and the dual-nationality rule

The law makes specific provisions for children connected to Qatari nationals.

Sons and daughters of Qatari women are given priority when nationality applications are reviewed, and children of naturalised Qatari fathers are automatically treated as naturalised Qatari citizens themselves, regardless of where they were born.

Perhaps the most consequential condition for any successful applicant is Qatar's position on dual nationality. The country does not permit it.

Anyone granted Qatari citizenship must renounce every other nationality they hold, meaning obtaining a Qatari passport requires permanently severing formal ties with their country of origin.

Source: YEN.com.gh