Switching jobs in Qatar: how to resign and what you keep
- Give notice in writing: 1 month in your first 2 years of work, 2 months after that (Art. 49).
- Resigning does not cut your gratuity (Art. 54).
- Your employer pays everything by the end of the next working day after your contract ends (Art. 67).
Checked 22 October 2026
On this page
On this page
Fill in your resignation letter with the notice rule for Qatar already in it.
How to resign
Once probation is over, you or your employer can end the contract with no reason given. What the law asks for is written notice (Art. 49).
Fill in a Qatar resignation letter with your own names and dates.
Skip the notice and you owe your employer your basic wage for it. Leave Qatar without serving it, and you cannot get a work permit for 1 year (Art. 49).
Leaving without notice
Article 51 lets you leave at once and keep your full gratuity in listed cases. They include an employer breach, an assault, fraud when you were hired and serious danger.
A final decision of a Labour Dispute Settlement Committee in your favour is another case.
Left without the notice Article 49 asks for? Then your employer has up to 7 days from the day you left to pay (Art. 67).
How much notice you give
- Years 1 and 2 of work: 1 month in writing (Art. 49).
- After year 2: 2 months in writing (Art. 49).
- Probation: 1 month to move to another employer, or the agreed notice up to 2 months to leave Qatar (Art. 39).
Article 49, as amended, does not limit these periods to open-ended contracts.
A fixed-term contract lasts at most 5 years. Working on after it ends without a renewal turns it into an open-ended one (Art. 40).
- 7 Nov 2026You hand in your letter
- Earliest last day7 Dec 2026Notice served: 1 month
- Final pay: by the end of the next working dayWorking days vary by employer, so no date here
Example: a monthly-paid worker in years 1 and 2 who hands in notice on 7 Nov 2026 and serves the legal minimum.
Your gratuity after you resign
Resigning changes nothing. Article 54 has no cut for resigning.
- You need 1 full year of service.
- You get at least 3 weeks' last basic wage for each year.
- Part years count in proportion.
- Your employer may deduct money you owe it.
Only a summary dismissal on the grounds in Article 61 takes it away.
Resigning during probation
Probation lasts up to 6 months, and only once (Art. 39).
Moving to another employer? Give at least 1 month in writing. Your new employer repays your old one's ticket and recruitment costs, up to 2 months' basic wage (Art. 39).
Leaving Qatar? Give the notice agreed in your contract, up to 2 months (Art. 39).
Gratuity needs 1 full year, so leaving during probation pays none (Art. 54).
Your final pay
Your employer must pay your wages and everything you are owed by the end of the next working day after your contract ends (Art. 67).
Not paid? Ask the Ministry of Labour to settle it. Claims lapse 1 year after the contract ends, and filing pauses that clock (Arts. 10 and 115 bis).
Next: Was my final pay late?
Moving to a new employer
Before you resign, ask the Ministry of Labour and your new employer how the move works, and in what order.
Leaving Qatar instead? You must leave within 90 days of your residence permit ending or being cancelled (Law 21/2015, Art. 24).
Qatar's Social Insurance Law has no unemployment insurance.
Questions
- How much notice do I give in Qatar?
- 1 month in writing in your first 2 years of work, and 2 months after that (Art. 49).
- Do I lose my gratuity if I resign in Qatar?
- No. After 1 full year, resigning does not reduce it (Art. 54).
- Can I change employer during probation?
- Yes. Give at least 1 month in writing. Your new employer repays some of your old employer's costs (Art. 39).
- When is my final pay due after I resign?
- By the end of the working day after your contract ends (Art. 67).