Buying a home in Qatar: the cash you need on the day
Updated
Buying a QAR 2,000,000 home in Qatar as a Qatari citizen, with home finance and 20% down, costs about QAR 5,600 in official fees — 0.28% on top of the price: the 0.25% sale registration (QAR 5,000) if you pay it, QAR 100 for the title deed and QAR 500 to register the mortgage. The down payment is the big number: QAR 400,000, so QAR 405,600 in cash on the day before any broker or bank fee — neither has an official rate, so enter what you are quoted. A non-Qatari resident needs at least 25% down (QAR 505,575 cash); a non-resident buying to invest at least 40% (QAR 805,500).
Qatari, resident or non-resident
| Buyer | Min. down | Down payment | Total cash |
|---|
What you pay every month after you buy
| QAR | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|
- Only the home finance instalment follows exactly from your finance, as long as the rate stays the same (rate changes and the salary limit: home finance calculator). Insurance and service charges have no official number — they are your estimates and count only if you enter them.
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 costs on the day
- Sale registration at the Ministry of Justice: 0.25% of the property's value (the Ministry's service page; some cases are fee-exempt under Minister of Justice Decision 5 of 2026). The Ministry's page states no minimum or maximum and does not say who pays — buyer and seller agree it in the sale contract.
- Title deed: QAR 100 for printing the title deed and site plan after the sale.
- Mortgage registration, if you buy with home finance: 0.025% of the secured debt plus QAR 100 for the deed. Releasing the mortgage once it is paid off costs QAR 200 later.
- Valuation: the Ministry of Justice's property valuation service is free.
- Down payment: QCB's 2023 home-finance limits — a Qatari may finance up to 80% of a home worth up to QAR 6,000,000 (75% above), a non-Qatari resident up to 75% (70% above), a non-resident buying a ready property to invest up to 60%. The rest is your down payment.
- No VAT line: the General Tax Authority's list of taxes has no VAT, so the calculator adds none.
What has no official number
A broker's commission has no fixed official rate: Law 22 of 2017 requires a written brokerage contract that states the fee, and if none was agreed the Ministry of Justice's brokers committee sets it — at most 1% of the price for a sale. There is no official schedule of bank fees for home finance. QCB's fee table (an administrative fee of up to 1%) and its later rule that a bank may charge nothing besides the interest are both written for loans against salary; neither page names home finance. So the calculator starts both fields empty, ignores them while they are empty and says so in the result and the PDF — enter what your broker and bank quote you. Insurance, service charges and utility connections are your estimates too and count only if you enter them.
Who may buy where
- Qatari citizens may buy anywhere.
- Non-Qataris — freehold: in the areas named by Cabinet Resolution 28 of 2020: West Bay, The Pearl, Al Khor resort, Al Dafna (areas 60, 61), Onaiza, Lusail, Al Kharaej, Jabal Thuaileb. A further set of areas is open for 99-year usufruct.
- Non-Qataris — anywhere else: units in residential complexes, and offices or shops in commercial complexes and malls.
- No limit on how many properties a non-Qatari may own in the freehold areas.
- Residency through property: a home worth at least QAR 730,000 lets a non-Qatari get a residence permit without a sponsor; at least QAR 3,650,000 adds the healthcare, education and investment benefits of permanent residents. Both need at least 90 days a year in Qatar.
The Ministry of Justice publishes the area list as an image and newspapers have reported later additions we could not find on an official page — check the plot with the Ministry before you pay a deposit. Details: can foreigners buy property in Qatar?
Questions people ask
How much is the property registration fee in Qatar?
Qatar's Ministry of Justice charges 0.25% of the property's value to register a sale, plus QAR 100 to print the title deed. Its page does not say who pays and states no minimum or maximum, so agree it in the sale contract.
What does it cost to register a mortgage in Qatar?
In Qatar, 0.025% of the secured debt plus QAR 100 for the deed. Releasing the mortgage later costs QAR 200.
Is there VAT when buying property in Qatar?
The General Tax Authority's list of taxes has no VAT, so the calculator adds none, in Qatar.
How much down payment do I need in Qatar?
Under QCB's 2023 limits a Qatari citizen may finance up to 80% of a home worth up to QAR 6,000,000 (75% above), so 20% down. A non-Qatari resident may finance 75% (70% above), a non-resident buying a ready property to invest 60%.
Does buying property in Qatar give residency?
A non-Qatari who buys property worth at least QAR 730,000 can get a residence permit without a sponsor; at least QAR 3,650,000 adds the healthcare, education and investment benefits of permanent residents. Both need at least 90 days a year in Qatar.
What does a broker charge in Qatar?
In Qatar, there is no fixed official rate. The law requires a written brokerage contract stating the fee; if none was agreed, the Ministry of Justice's committee sets it, at most 1% of the price (Law 22 of 2017). The calculator leaves the broker's commission empty. Enter what you are quoted; while it is empty it is ignored, and the result says so.