Living in Doha Qatar

• Cost of Living in Doha Qatar

  The cost of living in Qatar, or in any place for that matter, largely depends on your lifestyle and where you come from. Qatar is not a very expensive place to live in, and the government does not charge a lot on several things including electricity, water, and home phone lines. Qatar hardly imposes taxes.

• Salary and Employment Benefits in Doha Qatar

  Salaries in Qatar are more or less similar to that in western nations. But, given the lack of personal taxation, net income is usually higher, and this is one of the major attractions of working in Qatar.

• Employment Contract Validity and Changing Jobs

  Before accepting a job offer in Qatar, ensure that you get a copy of the employment contract, as you are bound to meet the terms on the written contract. On the other hand, it is also possible that you may not receive what you expect in case it is not included in the contract. Therefore, you will have to study every detail mentioned in the contract and negotiate the details.

• Retirement age in Qatar

  Qatari nationals employed by the government are eligible to receive a state pension at the age of 60. But, the pension amount will be dependent on the last drawn salary of the employee at the time of retirement. The social allowance benefits are given based on their social needs.

• Emergency Phone Numbers

  Police, Fire, Ambulance – 999

  Telephone Directory - 180

  Kahramaa – 991

• Annual Public Holidays in Qatar

  There are two major religious celebrations in Qatar – Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha, and these are also the major public holidays.

• Working Time and Business Hours in Qatar

  The working week in Qatar is generally from Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday being off. However, few businesses are closed on Friday, with just half-a-day on Thursday.

• Driving License in Doha Qatar

  You have to pay a nominal fee and register for the test. The test has four parts - an oral round for the road and traffic signs, the L-Parking, the pocket parking and the actual road test. Each of these tests is a pre-requisite to enter the next one. But, if you have passed one, you need not repeat it. The tests are done on manual transmission cars, with nearly four people in the car, taking turns to drive.

• Newspapers in Doha Qatar

  English and Arabic Newspapers in Qatar

• Television Channels in Doha Qatar

  English and Arabic TV Channels in Qatar

• Cinemas and Movie Theatres in Qatar

  Qatar has a good selection of cinemas, majority of which, show films in English (with subtitles in Arabic), apart from Arabic. There are also Hindi and Tamil films being screened, and majority of the Indian films are shown in Gulf Cinema.

• Night Life in Doha Qatar

  Nightlife in Qatar may not appear very fascinating as in the western world as far as tourists are concerned. There are restrictions and regulations during night in Qatar too, just as in other Arabian nations.