Expat insurance and health insurance in Qatar

Qatar’s healthcare system rests on two strands regulated by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH): a state-funded public sector — the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC, 27 centres) for primary care, and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) for hospitals, emergencies and the ambulance service — and a dense private sector (international clinics and hospitals), widely used by expats.

Free or heavily subsidised public care remains in practice centred on Qatari citizens. A foreign resident can access HMC facilities by presenting their private insurance card, or obtain a Hamad Health Card giving access to reduced public rates; it does not replace the mandatory health insurance tied to residence status, but comes in addition to it for access to the public sector. Life-threatening emergencies are treated everywhere, and the HMC ambulance (number 999) is free for every emergency call.

A single legal basis applies across the country: Law No. 22 of 2021 on health services, published in the Official Gazette on 4 November 2021 and in force since 4 May 2022 (six months after publication). It replaces the former mandatory SEHA insurance scheme, introduced in 2013 and then dissolved at the end of 2015.

• Non-Qatari employees: the employer must register them, along with their spouse and up to three children under 18, with an MOPH-approved insurer, and fully fund the premium — the law expressly bans deducting it from salary. Proof of cover is a condition for issuing and renewing the residence permit.
• Self-employed people, freelancers, investor-visa holders: with no sponsoring employer to arrange cover, insurance must be taken out individually with an MOPH-approved insurer.
• Visitors subject to a prior visa: the visa is only issued after purchasing a visitor insurance policy (50 QAR/month), taken out online with an approved insurer and then presented with the application via the Ministry of Interior or the Metrash app.
• Visitors with a visa on arrival (including French nationals on a short stay): exempt from insurance for the first 30 days; beyond that, taking out cover becomes mandatory for any extension of stay.
• Exempt: transit passengers, travellers on temporary entry, diplomats and their spouse and children under 16, and nationals of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

An employer who passes the premium on to an employee, or who fails to insure their foreign staff, risks a fine of up to 30,000 QAR per person concerned; they also cannot obtain or renew their employees’ residence permits without proof of cover.

There is no bilateral social security agreement between France and Qatar: the country does not appear on the list of agreements in force published by CLEISS, as with the other Gulf monarchies.

• No coordination or totalisation of affiliation periods for retirement.
• No reimbursement of care by French Health Insurance, except through voluntary enrolment with the CFE.
• Qatar’s mandatory cover depends on residence status and the employer, not on French nationality.

• Before departure: take out insurance covering medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, described as "essential" by France Diplomatie.
• For a visa subject to prior approval: buy the MOPH-approved visitor insurance policy before applying for the visa, then submit the application via the Ministry of Interior or the Metrash app.
• For a visa on arrival and a stay of more than 30 days: take out visitor insurance before the exemption period ends.
• For an employee: check with the employer about registration with an MOPH-approved insurer as soon as you are hired, and the mandatory medical exam at the Medical Commission Department.
• On arrival: apply for a Hamad Health Card (≈100 QAR, 2 to 4 week processing time) for access to public rates.
• Within 6 months: register with the roll of French nationals living abroad (free, recommended).