What to do if you lose your Qatar ID while traveling
As the new Residence Permit Card is as a proof identity of the expatriate resident and his valid residency in the country it shall be carried by the expatriate resident all the time and should be produced at the concerned authorities as and when demanded, especially while leaving the country and coming back to the country.
If someone miss it while coming back to Qatar from abroad or do not carry it while entering the country, In that case, the following procedures will be followed.
1. If the resident returning from abroad to Qatar, didn’t exceed permitted limit of six months to stay outside the country, he will be allowed to enter the country with a return visa issued directly at the port of entry without resorting to employer. His Residence Card will be marked as lost in the immigration system.
2. If the resident has exceeded six months stay outside the country, he will be required to get a return visa processed by his employer/sponsor to enter the country and the resident shall sign an undertaking not to repeat it. His Residence Card will be marked as lost in the immigration system. In this case, if the resident it not getting a return visa processed by his sponsor/employer, he will referred to concerned authorities for violating Residence Law No. 4/2009, and accordingly legal measures will be taken.
At any case, he should have a valid passport and validity of his residence permit shouldn’t have expired. We remind all residents on the importance of keeping your Residence Card and Passport especially while entering and exiting the country.
IMPORTANT: Expats must carry RP card at all times.
In an attempt to crack down on people staying in Qatar illegally the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has advised expats to keep their Residency Permit (RP) cards on them at all times in addition to their valid passports. The RP card is the only document acceptable as proof of a person’s legality of residence in Qatar. Expats must particularly be careful to carry the RP cards with them when they are entering or leaving the country.
The new RP card replaced the old visa stickers affixed on a person’s passport earlier this year. These new cards contain detailed information on residents, helping authorities to keep illegal residents under check.
Following the announcement of the MoI that the new RP card would be treated as the ‘sole proof of identity and valid residency’ for expats, many voiced concerns about lost RP cards. In such instances the Ministry announced that any expat who has been away for less than 6 months from Qatar and has lost his/her RP card would be allowed to enter Qatar and a visa would be issued at the airport of entry. The lost RP card would be flagged as such in the immigration system.
However, if an expat has been away for more than 6 months and has also lost his/her RP card, in such cases the person must get a return visa processed by his/her sponsor or employer, failing to do so the authorities would book the concerned person for violating Residence Law No. 4/2009 and legal action would be taken against the violator.
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