At the opening night of Web Summit Qatar 2026, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh M‌oham⁠me‍d bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, highlighted the value of innovators and leaders for Qatar’s future-focused economy. With that in mind, he announced two new long-term residency categories‌, one for senior executives and one for entrepreneurs. Both carry a permit of up t‌o ten years and require no sponsorship or annual renewals. Find out what you actually need to qualify — and what you can get with these visas.

New visas aren’t open to everyone — they are created specifically for entrepreneurs and executives. So, freelancers, retirees, and general professionals can’t apply for these types. 

There are specific eligibility requirements for both roles.

Eligibility requirements for entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are founders, partners, innovators — anyone looking to actively build or scale a business in Qatar. To be considered for the visa, they need to get an endorsement from one of the five recognized institutions:

• Qatar Development Bank (QDB)

• Qatar FinTech Hub (QFTH)

• Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC)

• Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP)

• Scale 7 (a global hub for empowering innovators, designers, and creative entrepreneurs)

The endorsement has to be written and provided with the visa application. There are also financial requirements. The first one is to provide bank statements with a minimum of QAR 36,500 for the previous three months. Additional proof of funds will likely be required as well, but at the moment, there are no specifics on the amount.

Eligibility requirements for executives

Eligible executive roles include chairmen, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CTOs, and executive directors. They should be employed in these roles for at least five years, regardless of whether the experience was gained in Qatar or abroad.

The employer matters too. Only four categories of companies qualify:

• Public shareholding companies listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange

• Banks and financial institutions licensed by the Qatar Central Bank

• Insurance companies regulated by the Qatar Central Bank or Qatar Financial Markets Authority

• Consulting firms delivering management, financial, legal, or accounting services to government or semi-government bodies

Salary thresholds are among the steepest in the Gulf: chairmen and C-‌suite officers need to⁠ earn at least QAR 50,000 a month. F⁠or o‍ther ex⁠ecuti‍ve director titles, the sum is QA⁠R 8​0,000.

Both visas run on a five-year permit with a renewal option — adding up to a decade of self-sponsored residency. That makes them different from the majority of existing arrangements, where your right to stay is tied directly to one employer.

Beyond the residency itself, holders get:

• The right to sponsor family members and domestic staff

• Asset ownership rights in Qatar

• Merchant discounts through a partner network, which helps cover some of the cost of living

• Priority access to business support programmes, incubators, and accelerators

• Structured onboarding support for licensing and work permits

At the moment, there's no confirmed launch date — the programme is still in rollout. When it’s live, the applications will go through the Jusour platform.

For residing entrepreneurs, the required documents will likely be:

Preliminary application process:

1. Entrepreneurs should be incubated by one of the approved institutions

2. The institution nominates the entrepreneur to Jusour and provides an endorsement letter

3. An entrepreneur receives a notification of nomination with an application link

4. They complete the forms and upload the required documents

5. The entrepreneur receives feedback; upon approval, support, and post-placement assistance, along with their QID, is provided

Overseas entrepreneurs will need:

Preliminary application process:

1. Entrepreneurs should be incubated by one of the approved institutions in Qatar

2. The institution nominates the entrepreneur to Jusour and provides an endorsement letter

3. An entrepreneur receives a notification of nomination with an application link

4. They complete the forms and upload the required documents

5. They receive application feedback; upon approval, the entry permit is issued

6. Upon landing in Qatar, the entrepreneur has to complete a medical test, fingerprinting, and get their QID

7. Support and post-placement assistance are provided

The application for this visa will also be conducted via Jusour. At the moment, the documents required for the application are:

Preliminary application process:

1. The employer nominates the executive through Jusour

2. The executive receives a notification and the application link

3. They upload the required documents and fill out the application

4. Upon arrival, they receive a QID and support throughout the placement

Note: This is a preliminary list of required documents and application processes for both entrepreneurs and executives. Official confirmation of the procedure will be available after the visas formally launch.

The new entrepreneurship and executive visas don’t come with permanent residency in Qatar. That's a different track entirely, and it's been around for a while.

The first permanent residency route is for those who have at least twenty years (or ten if born in Qatar) of legal residency in the country. They should have enough income to fend for themselves and their family, be on good behavior, and have solid knowledge of Arabic. 

The second most common permanent residency is through a real estate investment of at least QAR 3.65 million. There are various conditions to fulfill, including buying a property in designated zones such as West Bay, Lusail, and The Pearl. 

These types come with access to public healthcare and education. According to the latest available information, the new executive and entrepreneur visas don't include those benefits‍.