Qatar Cabinet Approves Draft Law on Foreigners Owning Property in Qatar

Qatar has approved a draft law allowing regulation of ownership and usage of properties by non-Qataris in the Gulf nation, Qatar News Agency reported on April 19.

Foreigners can own and use properties in Qatar in accordance with conditions specified by a decision of the Cabinet and based on suggestions of the commission for regulating non-Qatari ownership and use of real estate, as per the report.

In all cases, the “right of usufruct granted to a non-Qatari shall not expire with his death and shall be transferred to the heirs unless both parties agree otherwise”, according to the draft legislation, QNA report said.

The decision was approved by the Cabinet chaired by Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani and has been referred to the Advisory Council.

The provisions of the draft law applies to land space, buildings and residential units, as well as detachment units in residential complexes, the report stated. The policy change be beneficial to the robust Indian diaspora living in Qatar.

The Cabinet also approved a joint work mechanism for the Ministry of Finance and the Qatar Fund for Development to determine what kind of scholarships are to be offered to non-Qatari students through the adoption of the Qatar Scholarship Program.

Qatar has a robust Indian diaspora with almost seven lakh Indians. It is also the largest foreign worker community in the country. “We are the largest expatriate community in Qatar with the number of Indians reaching 691,000 as of now. The Indian community would like to express our gratitude to the leadership of Qatar for the great patronage given to the country,” Indian ambassador P Kumaran said on the occasion of ‘Bharat Utsav – A Journey through Festive Celebrations of India’ on April 13.

Qatar also announced in 2017 that Indians and people of 79 other countries can live in the Gulf nation visa-free for up to 60 days to boost tourism.

“Nationals of 47 countries (including India) will not require prior visa arrangements and can obtain a visa waiver upon arrival in Qatar. The waiver will be valid for 30 days from the date of issuance and entitle its holder to spend up to 30 days in Qatar, during either a single trip or on multiple trips. This waiver may be extended for a further 30-day period,” Qatar Airways had said, echoing the government’s policy change, in 2017, according to Times of India.

The changes can be seen as a bid to rejuvenate the economy in Qatar, after multiple Gulf nations boycotted it over alleged support to terrorism. The boycott has affected the Indian migrants in the country as well