10 days to leave Qatar after getting travel permit during ‘Grace Period’: Ministry

MoI Qatar

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has called upon the violators of the provisions of Law No (21) for the year 2015, regulating the entry and exit of expatriates and their residence to utilise the grace period – which ends on March 31- for correcting their status.

The officials affirmed that the deportation of minors under the age of 18 during the grace period will be without a ban on return to Qatar, in all cases regardless of their violation of the provisions of the law, and they are exempted from any legal consequences.

The amnesty beneficiaries can approach the Search and Follow Up Department with their passport and open travel ticket from Sunday to Thursday from 1 pm to 6 pm and when the travel permit is issued they should travel within 10 days.

This information was shared by the MoI during a webinar organised by the Public Relations Department in association with the General Directorate of Passports of the Ministry. More than 100 people from different communities and companies attended the webinar.

Captain Kamal Tahir Al Tairi from the Search and Follow Up Department and Captain Muhammed Ali Al Rashid from the Unified Services Department spoke at the webinar.

Earlier, the MoI had extended the grace period until March 31, 2022, in the interests of company owners and expatriate workers to benefit from the 50 percent reduction in the violation settlement amount.

The ministry has provided all facilities for the violators to correct their legal status while they are inside the country by transferring their visa from one employer to another or by leaving the country in their own interest by exempting them from all consequences of legal responsibility.

Captain Kamal said, “In all cases, the deportation of the minors under the age of 18 will be without a ban on return to Qatar, regardless of their violation of the provisions of the law, and they are exempted from any legal consequences.”

According to Captain Kamal, the Search and Follow Up Department targets the expatriates who came to Qatar for work and stay in the country violating the residency law by not obtaining or not renewing the residence permit within the prescribed period and who have exceeded a period of 90 days from the validity date, and their employers haven’t filed an absconding complaint against them; and the expatriates who came to Qatar for work and stay in the country violating the law and an absconding complaint (leaving the work – violation of the purpose) has been filed against them by the employers, but 30 days have not completed from the date of filing the complaint.

He said for these two cases the department will ensure the departure of the violators after exempting them from all consequences of legal responsibility and they can return to Qatar on another visa.

According to Captain Kamal, the Search and Follow Up Department also targets the family residence permit holders and visitors who have violated the period of stay; expatriates who have violated the law and an absconding complaint (leaving the work – violation of the purpose) has been filed against them and more than 30 days have passed from the date of complaint filing; and the expatriates whose residence permits have been cancelled and have passed 90 days from the date of cancellation.

Captain Kamal said that in these three cases, the Search and Follow Up Department will ensure the departure of the violators, while they can return to Qatar if they leave the country after accepting the legally recommended reconciliation.

The violating expatriate or violating employer must submit a request for reconciliation within the specified period to the Search and Follow up Department or to any of the service centers including Umm Salal Services Center, Umm Sunaim Services Center, Musaimeer Services Center, Al Wakra Services Center and Al Rayyan Services Center, or any of the following service centers that accept reconciliation applications and the issuance and renewal of the Residence Permit (RP) by the same employer (Al Shamal, Al Khor, Al Daayen, Umm Salal, Al Lulu, Unaizah, Souq Waqif, Al Rayyan, Umm Sanim, Al Sheehaniya, Mesaimeer, Al Wakra, and Dukhan).

“No application will be accepted from the violator or the person against whom a ‘Leaving Work’ complaint has been filed after announcing the grace period starting from 10/10/2021,” said Captain Rashid.Deportation of minors under the age of 18 will be without a ban to return to Qatar: MoI