Holiday Home License Qatar Steps, Documents and Rules

What Is a Holiday Home License in Qatar?

A holiday home license in Qatar is issued by Qatar Tourism. According to Qatar Tourism Circular No. 1 of 2021, holiday homes are considered hotel establishments in light of the provisions of Tourism Law No. 20 of 2018.

Holiday homes refer to apartments or villas that are fully furnished and equipped to host guests for a fee. They can be rented out on a daily, weekly or any other temporary basis not exceeding 30 consecutive days. Listing a property on short-term rental or accommodation booking websites without a holiday home license is against Qatar Tourism rules.

Owners and investors who plan short-term rentals should therefore know the licensing requirements. This article goes through them step by step in line with the official publications of Qatar Tourism. For renting out a property on a long-term basis, Arady has a guide to tenant rights and the rental law in Qatar.

Who Can Apply and Which Properties Qualify?

Under Article 1 of the circular, standalone villas are eligible wherever they are located in Qatar, but apartments must be in tourist areas, listed in Minister of Economy and Trade Decision No. 106 of 2017, to be licensed. It is therefore worth checking with the licensing department of Qatar Tourism before furnishing an apartment.

Article 2 of the circular then stipulates a number of conditions for applicants.

• Applicants must be individuals, either owners or operators with a legal right to use the unit, aged 21 or above with full civil capacity
• Applicants must be of good repute with no criminal record and must not be prohibited from undertaking tourism activities
• Operators must be Qatari or GCC nationals or hold a valid Qatar residence permit

Still undecided on a property? Arady lists apartments for sale in Qatar and villas for sale.

Which Documents Does the Application Need?

The following is the list of documents required on the Qatar Tourism service page.

• Copy of a valid QID card
• Completed application form
• Copy of the lease contract or property deed
• Signed self-assessment classification checklist
• Authorization letter signed by the owner, only if the applicant is a tenant without authorization from the owner beforehand
• Pictures of the holiday home showing the living room with TV, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, first aid kit, safe box and fire extinguishers

All these documents have to be uploaded on the portal, so it is best to have scanned copies ready. In addition, Article 3 of the circular includes a commitment by the applicant in a written declaration to abide by the technical specifications and conditions for holiday homes. The same article stipulates that the applicant needs to obtain any approvals the licensing department determines from the concerned authorities in the country.

What Are the Holiday Home Classification Requirements?

Qatar Tourism assesses apartments and villas separately, and at present all licensed units are classified as Standard under the Holiday Homes Classification Manual. Both the main and sub criteria are minimum requirements, so a unit should fulfil all of them. The table below shows a selection of these criteria as stipulated in the manual, grouped by room.

Some other aspects, such as smart locks and water filters, are mentioned in the manual as optional sustainability features and are not minimum requirements.

Is the Unit Ready for the Application?

Holiday home owners can use the following checklist to do a quick check before logging in to the portal. It draws on the circular and the official self-assessment form, which has more than 80 items under nine sections.

How to Apply on the Qatar Tourism Portal

Owners apply online at the e-Services portal of Qatar Tourism (eservices.visitqatar.qa), and a desktop browser is recommended. The user guide prepared by Qatar Tourism shows 16 screens, which fall into the following steps.

1. Log in using a National Authentication System (NAS) account, where the QID number is the username.
2. Select My Profile from the menu.
3. In the Services list, click on the plus sign and select Issue Holiday Home License, then accept the terms and conditions.
4. Complete the screens for location information, facility data and other facilities.
5. Specify the rack rate by selecting the rack rate year, inserting prices and defining seasons by start and end dates.
6. Upload the required documents, accept the disclaimer and submit the application.

According to Article 4 of the circular, the department issues its decision within one week of submission. The absence of any response within that period is deemed an implied rejection. Once the department is informed in writing that the unit is ready, it checks the unit within 15 days of that notification.

What Happens During the Inspection?

Qatar Tourism gives owners at least one week of advance notice of the inspection. There must not be any guests staying in the unit on the day of the visit. The team then inspects the unit against the standards for its category.

Within two working days of the inspection, the team issues a classification report detailing any deficiencies. The owner then has one week to rectify them before a re-inspection. A final report follows within two working days of the re-inspection. Where the unit meets all requirements, it receives a classification certificate valid for five years or for the validity of the tourism license.

However, units that do not meet the requirements have their license application rejected. A new application is possible only after three months from the date of rejection. Following licensing, inspectors may also undertake spot checks without notice.

How to Keep the License After Approval

The license is issued for a period of five years and is renewable for the same period. According to the Qatar Tourism service page, no fee applies to the service. Under Article 7 of the circular, licensees must submit the renewal application at least one month before the license expires.

Article 10 of the circular sets the following obligations for licensees.

• Handing over the unit to guests on the agreed date and in a usable state
• Not charging guests any costs other than those agreed in the contract
• Providing guests with a written copy of the house rules
• Making emergency and guest service numbers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Displaying the complaints policy inside the unit and recording all guest complaints
• Displaying the tourism license and classification certificate inside the unit

Article 13 also provides that visitors may not stay in licensed units from midnight until 8 a.m., and guests should respect the family nature of residential compounds. Owners in managed developments should also know the local rules, such as the Pearl Island community rules.

Finally, Qatar Tourism measures performance through the Guest Experience Index, a weighted average of guest reviews posted online. The minimum score is 75%. A unit that underperforms for three consecutive months has one month to correct the problem, failing which it loses the tourism license.

What Is the Penalty for Renting Without a License?

According to Article 1 of the circular, holiday home activity requires a license from Qatar Tourism. Renting out a unit to holidaymakers without one could bring a fine of QAR 200,000, a prison sentence of up to two years, or both, according to a Qatar Tourism press release. Inspection visits may also result in a warning letter or a fine for serious violations.

The license therefore comes before the listing. Investors thinking of short stays can check asking prices around the country on the Arady property prices page and find out where foreigners can buy property in Qatar.

Sources

• Qatar Tourism, Holiday Homes service page
• Qatar Tourism, Circular No. 1 of 2021 on Holiday Homes
• Qatar Tourism, Holiday Homes Classification Manual
• Qatar Tourism, Holiday Homes Portal User Guide
• Qatar Tourism, Holiday Homes Self-Assessment Checklist
• Qatar Tourism, press release on the Holiday Homes license