The Ministry of the Interior (MoI) has announced that the National Address Law (Law No. 24 of 2017) would be introduced soon as the procedural and operational steps required to implement the law have been completed.

This is part of the strategic development of e-government, the completion of the legislative structure for government electronic transactions, and the transition from descriptive address to the digital address system.

Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Abdullah Zayed Al Sahli, Head of the National Address Section at the Public Security, said that the MoI was working to complete the infrastructure to implement the National Address Law to begin the process of registering the data of the national address for citizens and residents through Metrash2 app or any of the MoI’s service centres. An office will be allocated to receive citizens and residents to facilitate the process of registering their national address. The National Address Section will be based in Onaizah Service Centre, he added.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Sahli pointed out that the registration procedures are easy and simple either through Metrash2 or through the MoI service centres. Every natural or legal person, whether a citizen or an expatriate or his legal representative has to register his data in a simple form, including the address of residence, fixed telephone number, mobile number, email, employer address for government and private sector employees, and permanent address abroad, if any.

He pointed out that the guardian of minor children has to register their data and be responsible for the legal responsibility for the validity of these data.

He stressed that if any person, whether a citizen or a resident, fails to register his/her data within six months from the date of the commencement of the official registration process, he/she will be punishable under article 6 of the National Address Act.

There will also be a fine, not exceeding QR10,000, for anyone who violates any of the provisions of articles (3) and (4) of this Act, or knowingly informs the competent authority of incorrect data about its national address.
In the event of a change in the national address data of any person, such data should be modified through Metrash2 or any of the services centres of the Ministry of Interior.

Article 4 of the Act stipulates that the competent authority shall be notified of any amendment or change to the data of one’s national address and shall be updated in the manner and on the dates issued by the Minister.
If the assigned person does not notify the competent authority of the change in the data of his/her national address or update it during the scheduled dates, his/her declaration or notification of the national address to the competent authority shall be deemed to be valid and productive for all its legal effects.

The judicial declarations and official notifications made at the national address will be valid and productive for all their legal effects, as provided for in article 5 of the Act.

Lt. Col. Al-Sahli stressed that the aim of the national address is to ensure access to the persons concerned in issues related to personal interests and the public interest of the State and to serve all citizens and residents in their dealings with various governmental and non-governmental bodies without the need for traditional paper correspondence.

He pointed out that this law is a qualitative leap in the conduct of judicial procedures, where each person in the State of Qatar, a citizen or natural or legal resident would have a national address.

He urged all Qatari and non-Qatari individuals, institutions and companies to register their national address data as soon as the Ministry of Interior announced the opening of registration of the national address as a mandatory procedure by law where failure to register would result in specific consequences and penalties under the law.