Company tax in Qatar: corporate tax, salaries, VAT

Tax is one of the reasons people look at Qatar. It is simple, but it is not zero. Here are the rules in force in October 2026.

Corporate income tax: 10%

Corporate income tax is 10% of taxable profit. It applies to the share of profits that belongs to foreign owners. Companies wholly owned by Qatari or Gulf nationals resident in Qatar do not pay it. The petroleum sector has its own, much higher rate.

The Qatar Financial Centre also applies 10%. The free zones offer exemptions of up to 20 years. See our comparison of the three frameworks.

Salaries: no income tax

Salaries, wages and allowances paid to employees are not subject to income tax in Qatar. Social insurance contributions apply to Qatari employees only.

VAT: not yet

Qatar does not apply VAT to date. The country has committed, with its Gulf neighbours, to a VAT of at least 5%, but no official date has been announced. Customs duty is generally 5%.

Withholding tax: 5%

Interest, royalties, commissions and service fees paid to non-residents carry a 5% withholding tax. Dividends are not subject to it.

One obligation: the tax card

Every company registers with the General Tax Authority and receives a tax card. It then files a return each year. The tax card is included in our service.

Sending profits home

Law No. 1 of 2019 allows a foreign investor to transfer profits abroad, without delay and in the currency of their choice.

The point founders forget: their home country

Setting up a company in Qatar does not, by itself, change your personal tax position. For French residents, France and Qatar are bound by a tax treaty signed on 4 December 1990 and amended on 14 January 2008. Two things follow:

• If you remain a French tax resident, dividends paid to you by your Qatari company are taxable in France.
• You are a French tax resident as soon as one of these is true: your home or main place of stay is in France, your main professional activity is there, or the centre of your economic interests is there.

The 2008 amendment also added clauses against arrangements with no real economic substance. In other words, a company in Qatar is justified by real activity in Qatar. For your personal position, have it confirmed by a tax adviser before you decide.

One last point for very large groups: since 2025 a top-up tax applies to multinationals covered by the 15% global minimum rate. It does not affect small and medium businesses.

Talk to us about your project

Every situation is different. In a 30-minute introductory call you tell us about your project and we tell you whether we can help and what the next steps are. Book a call or see how we register companies in Qatar.