How much can I borrow in Qatar? Loan eligibility calculator by salary
Updated
A non-Qatari resident with a QAR 15,000 total monthly salary who already pays QAR 1,500 a month on other debts may pay up to QAR 6,000.00 a month on a new personal loan — about QAR 254,984 over 48 months at 6.10%, the highest rate QCB allows. The 50% salary rule is the limit that bites, not the QAR 400,000 cap. A Qatari citizen with the same QAR 15,000 as basic salary + social allowance may go up to 75%: about QAR 414,349 over the same 48 months.
The limits that apply
QCB's limits for loans against salary come from its Instructions to Banks (consolidated edition of September 2013); QCB's list of later circulars could not be opened, so a later change is possible — your bank's offer letter is what counts.
Instalments on this page follow the standard monthly formula on the reducing balance. Your bank counts interest or profit day by day between the actual payment dates and rounds each amount, so its own schedule can differ slightly. Only your signed offer is binding.
Not a valid document. Estimate for information only — not financial advice, not an offer of credit and not a bank document. Errors are possible. Only your bank's or finance company's official offer letter, contract and statements are binding.
The QCB limits in plain words
- Share of your salary (personal and car loans): all monthly debt payments at most 75% of basic salary + social allowance for Qatari citizens, 50% of total salary for residents. Loans, credit cards, overdrafts, other banks' loans and standing orders such as rent all count.
- Amount cap (principal and interest together): QAR 2,000,000 for Qatari citizens, QAR 400,000 for residents — up to QAR 1,000,000 only if the excess is covered by a government employee's post-retirement (end-of-service) benefits held by the bank, with a letter from the employer. Because interest counts too, the most you can actually receive is lower; the calculator works it out.
- Term: at most 6 years for Qatari citizens and 4 years for residents.
- Car loans follow the same limits. For residents the loan may be at most 80% of the car's cost, with the car pledged to the bank; no car-specific rule was found for Qatari citizens.
- Home finance (QCB, 2023): all debt payments at most 75% of total salary for Qatari citizens and 50% for residents. A bank may finance up to 80% of a home up to QAR 6,000,000 for Qatari citizens (75% above), 75% for residents (70% above), over at most 30 / 25 years. No official cap on home finance rates was found, so the 5.5% shown for home finance is only an example.
- Salary transfer: loans against salary need your salary paid into the lending bank.
Monthly cost of one offer: personal loan calculator. Paying a loan off early: early settlement calculator.
Questions people ask
How much of my salary can go to loan payments in Qatar?
For loans against salary: all monthly debt payments at most 75% of basic salary plus social allowance for Qatari citizens, 50% of total salary for residents. For home finance: 75% / 50% of total salary.
What is the maximum personal loan for a resident?
In Qatar, QAR 400,000 including interest, over at most 4 years — up to QAR 1,000,000 only if the excess is covered by a government employee's post-retirement (end-of-service) benefits held by the bank, with a letter from the employer.
Does rent count as a debt?
Yes — QCB counts standing orders such as rent alongside loans, credit cards and overdrafts.
Can a resident get a car loan with nothing down?
Not from a bank against your salary in Qatar: a car loan to a resident may be at most 80% of the car's cost.
How much can I borrow as a Qatari or as a resident?
Principal and interest together at most QAR 2,000,000 for Qatari citizens and QAR 400,000 for residents; a resident can go up to QAR 1,000,000 only if the excess is covered by a government employee's post-retirement (end-of-service) benefits held by the bank, with a letter from the employer.