The Ministry has urged all expatriates to carry their Qatari ID all the time as it is the only proof to show that the holder is a legal resident of Qatar, after the ministry stopped putting RP stickers on their passports.

The Ministry has also asked expatriates to immediately report to the General Directorate of Passports at the Ministry in case they lose their IDs while in Qatar or abroad.

Brigadier Nasser Jabr Al Atiyyah, Assistant Director of the General Directorate of Passports, said that losing the Qatari ID outside of country makes it harder for the resident to return unless the authorities issue a Return Permit for the person.

He referred to Article No.15 of the law which states “In the event that his (resident) passport, travel document, or Residency Permit is lost or damaged, the foreign national shall inform the competent authorities immediately after he learns that it has been lost or damaged and obtain a copy of that which was lost or damaged.”

Brigadier Muhammed Saleh Al Kuwari, head of the Residence Division at General Directorate of Passports, said that if the RP is lost inside Qatar, the resident, his/her employer or the representative of the company must approach one of the services centres of the Ministry seeking a replacement.

QR200 fee for Return Permit 

The procedures include filling in a “lost ID form”, submitting the resident’s passport for verification, paying QR200 as fees for the “lost report card” as the requirement for issuing a new RP.

If the ID is lost outside of Qatar, the resident must file a report in the country where it was lost, and attest a report from the authorities concerned in that country and send a copy to the resident’s representative in Qatar for issuing a Return Permit, paying a fee of QR200 .

The Permit will then be sent to the resident abroad to allow him to enter the country.

Once he arrives in Qatar, the resident must approach the Expatriates Affairs Department to complete the formalities for issuing a new ID.

The Ministry said it has issued a circular to all the authorities concerned worldwide and airlines that the ID card is the only supporting document for expatriates after cancellation of the RP sticker on the passports.

The resident must show their Qatari ID card at all airports, platforms and airline desks to be allowed to travel to Qatar, where airline companies may check the validity and information in the cards through MOI’s website online.