Qatar Government Services 2026: What Changed

Many government services that once meant a trip to a service centre in Qatar can now be started and often completed online.

For residents in 2026, three of the most useful digital channels are Metrash, the Ministry of Interior online portal, and Hukoomi, Qatar's national e-government portal.

But they don't all do the same thing.

Metrash is primarily for Ministry of Interior services such as residency, visas and traffic. Hukoomi brings together services and information from government entities across Qatar, including services such as health-card renewal. The MOI website provides online inquiries and selected transactions from a browser.

Here's how they work and which one to use.

What actually changed in 2026?

First, one important clarification:

Metrash did not replace Metrash2 in 2026.

The redesigned Metrash app launched in December 2024, and the old Metrash2 app was officially discontinued on 1 March 2025.

The current Metrash app provides more than 400 Ministry of Interior services, covering areas such as:

• Residency
• Visas
• Traffic
• Security
• Official documents
• Inquiries
• Services for citizens
• Services for residents and sponsored persons

The app is free to download and use; individual government transactions can still have their own fees.

What is new in 2026 are additional digital services being added to the platform.

These include:

• Financial Claims Payment, introduced in April 2026
• Expanded Qatar Visa Center (QVC) services allowing employers to approve or update incoming workers' employment-contract information, pay applicable QVC fees and book medical appointments before the worker travels to Qatar

So the better way to describe 2026 is:

Qatar's existing digital-government system continues to expand, with more procedures moving into Metrash.

Metrash: the main MOI app

For most residents, Metrash is the main mobile gateway to Ministry of Interior services.

Depending on your eligibility and sponsorship status, available services can include:

Residency

• Residence-permit services
• RP renewals
• Status and expiry inquiries
• Sponsored-person services
• Passport-detail updates
• Residence-related certificates

Visas

• Visa applications and follow-up
• Visa extensions and related transactions
• QVC services
• Visa-status inquiries

Traffic

• View and pay traffic violations
• Vehicle-related services
• Driving-licence services
• Vehicle-registration services
• Traffic inquiries

Traffic services alone had expanded to 85 services by May 2026, according to the Ministry of Interior.

Security and inquiries

Users can also access services and inquiries involving areas such as:

• Travel restrictions
• Police and security services
• Certificates
• Financial claims
• Sponsored persons
• Travel history

Exit- and entry-permit services also remain available where legally applicable, but don't confuse this with the old blanket exit-permit system: most migrant workers no longer require employer permission simply to leave Qatar.

How to activate Metrash

The exact interface can change with app updates, but activation generally requires:

1. Download the official Metrash app published by the Ministry of Interior – Qatar.
2. Register or activate using your QID details.
3. Use a Qatar mobile number registered to you where required.
4. Complete the SMS or verification process shown by the app.
5. Create your login credentials and complete activation.

The most important practical point is your mobile number.

MOI's Metrash subscription system requires the relevant number to be registered correctly, and confirmation codes are sent to the registered number.

If your number has changed, MOI also provides facilities for changing your Metrash subscription details.

The new Metrash additionally supports family authorisation, allowing eligible users to help a spouse or child activate the app even where that relative does not have their own Qatar mobile number.

Hukoomi: Qatar's wider government-services portal

Metrash is an MOI app.

Hukoomi is broader.

Hukoomi is Qatar's official e-government portal and brings together information and services from multiple ministries and government entities.

Residents can use it to find services involving areas such as:

• Health
• Residency and work
• Driving
• Utilities
• Education
• Business
• Social services
• Visas
• Government directories

Some services can be completed directly online, while others link you to the responsible ministry or agency.

Hukoomi itself does not charge a general platform fee. Individual government services may still have their own fees.

Importantly, Hukoomi itself states that not every government service can be completed entirely electronically, so don't promise readers that every routine transaction is now 100% online.

MOI online services

If you prefer using a computer rather than an app, the Ministry of Interior website also provides a range of online inquiries and services.

These include:

• Visa inquiries
• Residence-permit inquiries
• RP renewal tracking
• Traffic inquiries
• Exit and entry permit inquiries where applicable
• Police-clearance inquiries
• Qatar Post delivery tracking
• Metrash subscription services

For example, MOI's RP inquiry system currently lets you:

• Track a new residence-permit application
• Track an RP renewal
• Check permanent-residency eligibility
• Print entry permits
• Follow up a change-employer application

So there is significant overlap between Metrash and the MOI website, but I would not describe them as exact copies of each other.

Renewing a residence permit online

Straightforward residence-permit renewals can generally be handled electronically through Metrash or the relevant MOI service.

The available process and renewal period depend on:

• Sponsorship category
• Residence status
• Passport and document validity
• Employer or sponsor records
• What options the MOI system displays for that case

What about three-year renewal?

MOI confirms that when an eligible residence permit is renewed for three years, a 20% reduction in the relevant renewal fee applies.

However, don't assume every resident can automatically choose a three-year period.

Use the validity options presented in Metrash for your specific case.

Receiving the new card

Qatar Post supports delivery and tracking for a range of MOI documents, including:

• Residence-permit renewals
• New residence permits
• Replacement residence cards
• Passport-detail updates
• Selected ID and traffic documents

Where postal delivery is offered during your transaction, follow the option presented by MOI.

New in 2026: paying financial claims online

In April 2026, the Ministry of Interior launched an electronic Financial Claims Payment service.

It is available through both:

• Metrash
• The MOI website

In Metrash:

1. Select Security.
2. Select Financial Claims.
3. Choose Personal or Establishment.
4. Review the outstanding records.
5. Select the fee, fine or ticket cost you need to pay.
6. Complete payment electronically.

The service can cover amounts such as:

• Fees
• Fines
• Travel-ticket costs associated with the relevant cases

This is one of the genuinely new digital additions for 2026.

QVC employment-contract services before arrival

Another expanded 2026 service relates to workers whose recruitment process goes through a Qatar Visa Center abroad.

This is primarily a service for the employer or sponsor, rather than something an incoming worker independently completes.

Through Metrash, the employer can:

1. Select Visa.
2. Select QVC.
3. Choose Add or Edit QVC Contract Details.
4. Select the employee's visa.
5. Enter or update the required employment information.
6. Sign or approve the contract as required.
7. Select Pay QVC Fees.
8. Select Book QVC Appointment.

The user is then directed to the Qatar Visa Center system to schedule the required medical examination appointment abroad before travel to Qatar.

This applies to workers and nationalities routed through Qatar's QVC system; it should not be presented as a universal procedure for every expatriate entering Qatar.

Health-card renewal online

Health-card renewal belongs under Hukoomi/PHCC, not Metrash.

Primary Health Care Corporation confirms that health cards can currently be renewed:

• Online through Hukoomi
• At PHCC health centres
• At HMC hospitals

Current published health-card fees include:

• Qatari adults and children: QAR 50
• GCC national adults and children resident in Qatar: QAR 50
• Non-Qatari adult residents: QAR 100
• Non-Qatari child residents: QAR 100
• Eligible domestic staff: QAR 50

The fee depends on the applicant category, so saying simply “health-card renewal costs QAR 100” would be incomplete.

What about QNB eCASH?

QNB's eCASH card still exists.

Current published terms include:

• Issuance fee: QAR 20
• Minimum initial balance: QAR 50
• Validity: Two years

It is available to Qatar residents and visitors and does not require a bank account.

However, QNB describes eCASH primarily as a prepaid option for government transactions at participating government departments and hospitals.

For a guide focused on digital services, I would treat this as an optional payment product, not something every resident needs for Metrash or Hukoomi.

Metrash itself supports electronic payment methods, including newer options such as Apple Pay.

Free inquiries you can do online

Many government inquiries do not carry a separate service fee.

Examples include checking:

• Residence-permit application status
• RP renewal status
• Visa status
• Traffic violations
• Official-document expiry dates
• Change-employer application status
• Selected travel or security information

A fee may apply only when you move from an inquiry to a paid transaction.

That makes checking the official system first a good habit before travelling to a service centre.

When might you still need to visit in person?

Digital does not mean every case is completely remote.

You may still need an appointment or physical visit for things such as:

• Biometrics or fingerprints
• Medical examinations
• Original-document checks
• Cases that cannot be approved electronically
• Certain first-time applications
• Corrections to records
• Transactions requiring physical identity verification
• Services where the authority specifically instructs you to attend

For QVC workers, the appointment itself takes place at the Qatar Visa Center abroad even though the contract, payment and booking steps can now be initiated electronically.

Always follow the instructions shown for your specific transaction.

A simple digital-services checklist for residents

Use Metrash for:

• Residence and visa services
• Traffic services
• MOI certificates and inquiries
• Financial claims
• Sponsored-person services
• QVC employer procedures

Use the MOI website for:

• MOI browser-based inquiries
• RP tracking
• Visa inquiries
• Traffic inquiries
• Metrash subscription management
• QPost transaction tracking

Use Hukoomi for:

• Cross-government service discovery
• Health-card renewal
• Government information
• Services operated by ministries and agencies outside MOI

FAQs

Is Metrash the same as Metrash2?

Metrash is the current Ministry of Interior app.

The redesigned Metrash launched in December 2024, and the old Metrash2 app was discontinued on 1 March 2025.

So by 2026, residents should only be using the current Metrash app.

How many services does Metrash offer?

The current official app listing says more than 400 services are available.

When the redesigned app originally launched, MOI reported more than 440 services, including 100 newly added services.

Is Metrash free?

Yes, the app itself is free.

You still pay the government fees attached to individual transactions such as residence permits, visas, licences or fines.

Is Hukoomi free?

Using the Hukoomi portal and accessing government information is free.

Individual services may have their own government charges.

Can I renew my residence permit online?

Many routine RP renewals can be completed electronically.

The available validity period and exact process depend on the person's sponsorship category and what MOI offers for that application.

Eligible three-year renewals receive a 20% reduction in the applicable renewal fee.

Can my QID be delivered?

MOI uses Qatar Post for delivery of various official documents, including residence-permit cards, where postal delivery is available for the transaction.

Can I pay financial claims through Metrash?

Yes.

Since April 2026, Metrash allows eligible users to go to:

Security → Financial Claims → Personal or Establishment

and pay applicable fees, fines or travel-ticket costs electronically.

Can an employer process an incoming worker's QVC contract through Metrash?

Yes.

In 2026, employers can use the QVC section of Metrash to add or amend contract information, complete the relevant contract procedures, pay QVC fees and proceed to appointment booking.

The actual QVC medical appointment still takes place at the Qatar Visa Center abroad.

Can I renew my health card through Metrash?

Not according to the current PHCC guidance.

Health cards can be renewed online through Hukoomi, or through PHCC/HMC facilities.

How much does health-card renewal cost?

Current published fees include:

• QAR 50 for Qataris
• QAR 50 for GCC residents
• QAR 100 for non-Qatari adult and child residents
• QAR 50 for eligible domestic staff

Confirm your category before paying.

Do all online services mean I never need a service centre?

No.

Many routine services are digital, but some cases still require medical exams, biometrics, document verification, appointments or in-person action.

Always follow the instructions shown by the relevant government service.

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