Document legalisation
Documents to be legalised/authenticated must be translated into Arabic or English. The translations must be authenticated by a notary/lawyer and with the apostille of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities, before being submitted to the Embassy for evaluation (verify instructions for educational and commercial documents).
Following this process, documents can be submitted for evaluation and relevant fees will be indicated, as well as the bank account number for payment. The only accepted payment method is a deposit at the bank's branch.
After depositing the amount at the branch’s account indicated, documents must be submitted to the Consular Department, as well as two simple black and white photocopies of each document and the original deposit receipt.
The authentication process will take two working days and any person can submit and collect the documents, upon presentation of the receipt issued by the Embassy at the time of document’s submission.
Sending documents by mail or courier service is not accepted. The Embassy does not do translations, nor does it recommend any particular company.
Education
For document legalisation concerning Education and Higher Education - Higher Education Degree, Post-Graduate Degree, Master’s Degree, PhD, MBA –, according to the competent authorities of the State of Qatar, all qualifications must be attested by three elements:
- Diploma;
- Qualifications Certificate with an academic record that lists subjects studied each year, grades achieved and its respective ECTs;
- Declaration or Letter issued by the Educational Institution attesting all of the following information:
- Student personal information and name of the educational institution;
- Name of the course;
- Mode of studies, full-time or part-time;
- Format of studies, distance learning or face to face;
- Start and end dates of studies;
- Location of studies and location of examinations (address);
- Final grade achieved;
- Title achieved by the student (ex. Diploma Degree, Master, PhD, etc);
- Mention if the educational institution is public or private and the Decree-Law to which is accredited.
It will not be considered the document “Diploma Supplement” for the elements set out in number 3. Any education document submitted separately cannot be accepted for legalisation. Documents to be legalised or authenticated must be translated into Arabic and English. Translations must be certified by a Notary/lawyer with the apostille of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities, before submitted to the Embassy.
Commercial
For legalising commercial documents, the procedure should include the following documents:
- Certificate of Origin
- Packing List/List of Shipping
- Invoice
For food products it is also necessary a Health Certificate. For exporting meat, it is also necessary a Halal Certificate.
All commercial documents must be translated into Arabic or English, with a stamp from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities, before submitted to the Embassy for evaluation.
Visa Information
Under the instructions of the Ministry of Public Health, entry to the State of Qatar for all foreign nationals are temporarily suspended. Hence our visa services will remain suspended till further instructions.
If you live in the State of Qatar and are currently in Portugal, you can apply for Entry Permit to Return to Qatar through the Qatar Portal (https://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/qsports/home).
If your Qatari residency has expired (or about to) while you are in Portugal or you have been outside Qatar for more than 6 months, you will need to get in touch with your sponsor to arrange for a return visa/permission through the Qatari Ministry of Interior.
For more information visit the following websites: Ministry of Public Health (https://covid19.moph.gov.qa/EN/Pages/default.aspx) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (https://mofa.gov.qa/en).
In order to obtain a Work Residence Permit, the company dealing with the process should inform about the necessary documents. It is the company who handles all paperwork with the Ministry of Interior of the State of Qatar.
Certificate of Good Conduct
1.In order to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct from Qatar you must provide a finger and palm print certificate, obtained by the competent authorities of the Portuguese Republic, “Polícia Judiciária”, the criminal police. To collect these, Portuguese authorities will demand a Letter issued by the Embassy requesting the certificate.
To obtain the Letter, a form provided by the Consular Department must be completed and the following documents must be submitted:
- New and old passport, in case the old passport contains visas from the State of Qatar, with stamped pages regarding the permanence in the country.
- Residency card of the State of Qatar
Documents will be verified and it will be indicated relevant fees for issuing the Letter. It must be paid directly in the bank in the account number indicated. The original bank deposit receipt must be submitted and afterwards the document will be issued within 2 (two) working days.
After collecting the Letter, you must go to the headquarters of Polícia Judiciária at Rua Gomes Freire, 1169-007 Lisbon.
2. The Fingerprint Certificate will be sent to the Embassy afterwards.
After receiving it, you will be contacted to submit the following documents:
- 4 personal photos on a white background (4x6 cm)
- Letter in Arabic or English stating the reasons for requesting the Certificate of Good Conduct (residency permit, obtaining nationality, work reasons, etc.). It should mention the period of stay in the State of Qatar, date of first arrival and departure, as well as personal information (name, nationality, passport number, residency card number in Qatar, current address, contact and email)
- Copy of passaport and all visas/stamps regarding the permanence in Qatar (old and new, if the old passport contains the information required).
- Copy of the Residency Card in the State of Qatar.
Documents will be verified and it will be indicated relevant fees for the legalization of the Fingerprint Certificate. It must be paid directly at the bank account number provided.
The bank deposit receipt must be submitted, along with documents above mentioned, as well as a cash amount, in order to be sent to the State of Qatar to be issued the Certificate of Good Conduct.
3. After receiving the Certificate of Good Conduct, it must be legalised by the Consular Department of this Embassy. The legalisation payment should be made to the bank account number provided. The original bank receipt should be submitted and the document will be ready to be collected within 2 (two) working days.
The process may take at least three months after being submitted.
Driving License in Qatar – Declaration of Authenticity
In order to request a Declaration of Authenticity for the Driving License of the State of Qatar, it is necessary to fill a form provided by the Consular Department, as well as submitting the following documents:
- Valid Driving License from the State of Qatar;
- New and old passport, if the old contains all visas from Qatar with stamped pages.
- Residency card from the State of Qatar.
- Residency permit in Portugal or ID card.
Após a confirmação da Autenticidade da Carta de Condução, será ser indicado o valor a pagar pela emissão da Declaração e o número de conta para o efeito, a única forma de pagamento aceite é depósito ao balcão do banco. Depois de ser efectuado o depósito do valor no número de conta e banco indicado, deverá ser entregue o comprovativo de depósito original e o documento será emitido em 2 (dois) dias úteis.
After confirming the Authenticity of the Driving License, the fees for issuing the Declaration will be indicated, as well as the bank account number. The only accepted form of payment is a deposit at the branch. After depositing the amount in the account and bank number indicated, the original deposit receipt must be submitted and the document will be issued in 2 (two) working days.
The process may take at least one month, after being submitted.
Travelling to Qatar
Travelling with medicines
Travellers who need to travel to the State of Qatar with medicines such as analgesics, antibiotics or sedative-containing medicines must hold their original prescription before departure.
It is recommended that prescriptions are legalized by the Embassy in the Consular Department (check document legalization process). This is a standard requirement and it will help you enter the country.
Medicines must be carried in their original packaging so that the customs authorities can easily identify them.
Travelling with pets
For information regarding pet travel, you can contact your airline and the website of the Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary following the link:
http://www.dgv.min-agricultura.pt/portal/page/portal/DGV/genericos?generico=240142&cboui=240142