How we research and check our guides
Know Qatar is written and checked by people, not generated from a single pass over the internet. Here is exactly how that works.
Official sources only
Every fact, fee, step and requirement in a guide is traced to an official source: a government ministry or agency's own website, a published law, or (where no official page exists yet) a named official announcement. We link to those sources at the bottom of every guide, and cite them again inside guide pages' structured data for search engines.
Written in our own words
We do not copy official text. Guides are written in plain language to explain a process, with the official source always one click away as the final authority. If our summary and the official source ever disagree, the official source wins — tell us and we'll fix our page.
Confidence levels
Every guide carries a confidence level: "high" means the steps were directly confirmed on an official page we could load and read; "medium" means at least one detail relies on a source we could not fully verify (for example, an official site that would not load from outside Qatar, or a detail that conflicts between two official sources); "low" guides are not published at all until a reviewer resolves the open question. You can see exactly which open questions remain for each topic in our public review checklist.
"Checked" dates
Every guide and every government directory entry shows the date it was last checked against its official source. Rules, fees and procedures in Qatar change; a date tells you how fresh that information is, instead of implying it's permanently correct.
Corrections
If something is wrong, out of date, or you know a more current official source, tell us — every guide has a "Was this helpful?" / report-a-correction link, or email hello@thestateofqatar.com directly. We check it against the official source and update the page; we don't just take your word for it, and we don't just take ours either.
The numbers pages
Population, GDP, weather and exchange-rate figures on the "Qatar in Numbers" pages come from named public datasets (the World Bank, Open-Meteo, ExchangeRate-API), refreshed automatically. See the full citations on the data page.
What this is not
Know Qatar is not a government website, is not affiliated with any ministry or agency, and nothing here is legal or official advice. We're an independent attempt to explain Qatar clearly; the official channel is always the final word.
Updates and corrections log
When we correct a mistake or publish a guide after verifying it, we record it here. If you spot an error, use the feedback form and we will add it.
- New: New guides on drones, camping and desert trips, Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals, public health centres, ports, souqs and national service. Each says what we could not confirm. Flying a drone in Qatar Camping and desert trips in Qatar: permits, rules and safety Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals: which one and how to use them PHCC health centres: everyday care, appointments and the Nar'aakom app Seaports in Qatar: Hamad, Doha and Al Ruwais Qatar's traditional souqs National service in Qatar: who must serve, registration, deferral and exemption
- New: New guides on the courts, on finding laws on Al Meezan, and on emergencies and reporting a crime. The map now also shows police stations, civil defence stations and courts from OpenStreetMap (coverage is partial). Courts in Qatar: how they are organised and how to use them Finding and reading Qatar's laws on Al Meezan In an emergency, and how to report a crime or an accident
- New: New guides on how addresses work in Qatar and on the eight municipalities, built from the Ministry of Municipality, Ministry of Interior and Qatar Post pages. How addresses work in Qatar Municipal services: permits, complaints and who handles what
- New: New guides on working hours and public holidays, and on hotels and holiday homes. Both say plainly what we could not confirm. Working hours, rest days and public holidays in Qatar Hotels and short-term accommodation in Qatar
- Update: Published four guides with a visible note saying what we could not confirm (customs-code registration, pet-import rules for residents, metro and tram details, and Qatarization quota and penalty figures). Importing goods into Qatar as a business Bringing a pet to Qatar and keeping it here Choosing an area to live in Doha and nearby Qatarization: hiring Qatari nationals as a private employer
- Update: Published after confirming the fees and steps on the Single Window investor portal. Renewing a commercial registration (CR) in Qatar Closing a company in Qatar (mainland)
- New: New guides on finding embassies and on attesting degrees and documents, built from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' own pages. Finding your embassy in Qatar, and attesting documents Attesting degrees, certificates and other documents