Qatari nationality law is based mostly on ''

jus sanguinis ( or , ), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of thei ...

''. Qatari citizens enjoy

freedom of movement Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights'' ...

between other

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...

member states.

By birth

Children born in

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

are not granted Qatari citizenship by virtue of their place of birth.

By descent

*Any person who can demonstrate Qatari descent may apply to be a citizen of Qatar, depending on certain conditions. *Any person born to a Qatari father irrespective of their place of birth are Qatari citizens by descent.

By naturalization

Foreigners may be granted citizenship if they fulfil the following conditions *Lawful residence in the State of Qatar for no less than 25 consecutive years before applying for citizenship. *Availability of legitimate means to earn one's living and meet one's needs. *Good conduct and behavior, in addition to absence of previous conviction by final ruling in a crime of dishonor or mistrust, whether inside or outside Qatar.

By marriage

The wife of a naturalized person may be, by an Emiri decision, granted Qatari nationality by virtue of her husband, provided that her stay with him in Qatar extends for a period of at least five years from the date her husband acquired Qatari nationality. The wife will not lose her citizenship in the event that the marriage contract is broken.

Dual citizenship

Qatar does not recognize

dual citizenship Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...

. Holding another citizenship that's not allowed may lead to the revoking of Qatari citizenship.

Loss of Qatari citizenship

The person may lose Qatari citizenship in the following cases: * the person joins the military service of a foreign country. * the person works for a foreign government that is in war with Qatar. * the person takes up a foreign nationality. Citizens are allowed to voluntarily give up Qatari citizenship.

Travel freedom

In 2025, Qatari citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 111 countries and territories, ranking the Qatari passport 48th in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index.

References

{{Nationality laws Nationality law

Nationality law Nationality law is the law of a sovereign state, and of each of its jurisdictions, that defines the legal manner in which a national identity is acquired and how it may be lost. In international law, the legal means to acquire nationality and for ...