Legal Company Structure

Simple Partnership Company

Consists of two or more natural persons, who are jointly responsible in their properties for the liabilities of the company.

The name of the partnership company consists of the names of all partners. However, the name can be abbreviated with the name of one or more partners adding the word “and partners”.

Joint Partnership Company consists of two categories of the partners:

Joint Partners who manage the company and will be responsible jointly for its liabilities in their private properties. All the Joint Partners should be the natural citizens of the State.

Silent Partners who share in the capital of the company without being responsible for the liabilities of the company except in the extent of the money they submitted to the Company or they undertook to pay for the Company. The Silent Partner is not allowed to interfere in the administration of the Company yet allowed to demand the copy of the balance sheet and loss and profit accounts and to verify the contents thereof.

Joint Venture Company

• Consists of two or more persons.

• It is a concealed company not affecting the right of others not does it enjoy the legal identity.

• It also does not need to any procedures of declaration.

• The existence of the Joint Venture Company can be substantiated by all means of substantiation including the evidence and presumptions.

Public Shareholding Company

• Public Shareholding Company is a company in which the capital will be distributed to negotiable shares having equal value. The shareholder will not be asked except to the extent of his share in the capital. The name of the company should be followed by “Qatari Shareholding Company” The minimum capital of the shareholding company is (10) Ten Million Riyals. The establishment of the shareholding company will be issued under a decision from the Minister. The number of establishers or shareholders cannot be less than (5) five persons.

• Private Shareholding Company is a company where Founders should not be less than (5) five. The shares of which shall not be floated for public underwriting and they shall underwrite the whole shares. The minimum capital of the company is (2) Two Million Riyals.

A Limited Share Partnership Company is a company consisting of two teams.

• Joint Partners consist one or more joint partners who are jointly responsible for the debts of the company in all their assets.

• Silent Partners consist of minimum 4 shareholders. They will not be responsible for the debts of the company except to the extent of their shares in the capital.

Foreign Owned Companies

• The minimum company capital is (1) one million riyal fully paid at the time of incorporation.

• Foreign Owned Businesses and Companies is taxable in Qatar by flat 10% while 35% for companies involved in oil & gas operations

• No tax levied on exports

The Limited Liability Company means:

• Custom duties start from 5%

• No income tax levied on employee wages.

• The company in which the number of partners will not be more than (50) fifty and nor they be less than (2) two.

• None of them will be asked except for his share in the capital. The shares of the partners therein will not be representing transferable Cheques.

Qatari and GCC Nationals

• The name of the company should be added with “Company with Limited Liability”.

• The minimum capital of the Company is (200,000) two hundred thousand Riyals distributed on equal value shares, the value of each share will not be less than (10) ten Riyals.

• Qatari & GCC Nationals are exempt from tax on businesses they own

• The limited liability company may not engage in the business of banks or insurance or investment of monies for others in own name or as agent.

Companies on Free Zone

• The company must allot each year (10%) from the net profit to form the legal reserve.

• Companies registered on Free Zone are free from any tax or custom duties

• This allotment can be suspended if the reserve attains a value equivalent to 50 % of the company capital.

• The legal reserve can be used to cover the losses of the company or to increase the capital of the company with a decision by the General Assembly.

A One Person Company means:

• A company in which every economic activity and its full share capital is held by one natural or corporate person.

• The company should have an Article of Association stating its rules, data, and procedures of its entry and registration. Such a company shall not have a corporate personality before its registration.

• The name of the company shall be linked with the name of the holder of his share capital followed by the words “One Person Company (O.P.C)”.

• The company must have a minimum capital of QR 200,000/- (Two Hundred Thousand Qatari Riyals), paid in full. Such share capital may include shares in kind, whose value is estimated by professional experts.

• The company shall be managed by the holder of its share capital, who may appoint one or more managers to represent the company in its transactions. The company’s owner shall be responsible from his own assets for company obligations, unless he separates his personal interests from that of the company. The company shall be dissolved upon the death of the holder of its share capital, unless the shares of the heirs is held by one person, or the heirs select to continue the company in another legal form.

The Holding Company means:

• A share holding company or a limited liability company which has financial and administrative control on one or more other companies operating under it, owning minimum 51% of the shares or equities of that company or companies, whether these companies are shareholding companies or limited liability companies.

• The minimum capital of the holding company is (10) ten million riyals.

TAXATION STRUCTURE