Change Employer in Qatar: Online Application and Documents

Ministry of Labour offers many online services to local and foreign workers living in Qatar. In case you want to change employer in Qatar, you must know the labour law rules and learn about the employer change process to avoid unwanted problems later.

In order to change your employer in Qatar, you must find a new employer who is ready to give you a job. If you are a foreign worker, your employer is your sponsor in Qatar. It means that changing your job/employer will change your sponsor automatically.

Update- NOC Not Required to Change Employer in Qatar

As per the announcement by Ministry of Labour, the workers/employers do not need to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC)to change employer in Qatar.

Earlier, the NOC was a mandatory document in the Employer Change Procedure but the labour law rules are amended. Now, the worker does not need to obtain NOC from the current employer. The worker can change employer without NOC with a simple online process that I will share here.

How Can I Change Employer in Qatar?

You can change your employer in Qatar by submitting a request to change employer to the Ministry of Labour (MOL), Government of Qatar. There are two ways to submit an application to change employer in Qatar as follows;

1. Employer Change Application by the Worker/Employee
2. Employer Change Application by the New Employer

The Ministry of Labour accepts online application for changing employer/job to make the process easier, faster and transparent for all three parties i.e. current employer, new employer and worker/employee.

#1. Employer Change Application by Employee

The foreign workers in Qatar can submit an online application to change employerwith help of their Qatar ID Number and registered mobile number.

Here I am going to share a comprehensive guide on how to apply online to change employer in Qatar as under;

Step 1: Download & Print Change Employer Form

The official Change Employer Form is available to download at the Administrative Department, Ministry of Labour website. You can download & print Change Employer Form PDF directly from the given link.

Step 2: Fill up and Sign the Change Employer Form

You should fill up the Change Employer Form with all personal & professional details. Once the form is completely filled up, you should sign the form and get it signed with a company stamp by the new employer as well.

Take a clear picture of the completed filled & signed Employer Change Form. If the picture is blur or inappropriate, you should scan the form to get its picture in high resolution.

Step 3: Login to MOL’s electronic notification system

You should go to Ministry of Labour (MOL)’s electronic notification system website @e-notice.adlsa.gov.qa/Login.aspx. In order to login, you need to provide your Qatar ID Number and mobile number that is linked to your Qatar ID Card.

Step 4: Upload Completed Change Employer Form

After login to MOL’s electronic notification system, select Change Employer option and upload the filled & signed Change Employer Form. Then submit your application.

Step 5: Note down Employer Change (EC) Number

As you submit your application to change employer online, the system will generate a unique Employer Change Number (EC No.) for you. Note down the EC Number or take a picture/screenshot.

The EC Number is very important because you can check your Change Employer Application Status with help of your QID Number and EC Number.

Step 6: Wait for an SMS from the Ministry about Approval

After application submission, you need to wait for a few days. You will receive an SMS when your request to change employer is approved by the Ministry of Labour.

The Ministry will also send an SMS to your current employer as well as your new employer to inform them about your job switch schedule.

Step 7: Serve the Notice Period with Current Employer

As you check the SMS message sent by the Ministry, it indicates the notice period that you have to serve with your current employer. The notice period can be one month or two months as stated in the employment contract or as per Qatar Labour Law Rules.

• If you have worked for less than two years with your current employer, you need to serve a notice period of 1 month.
• If you have worked for longer than two years with your current employer, you need to serve a notice period of 2 months.

You can join the work with your new employer immediately after you complete serving the notice period with the current employer.

Step 8: New Employer Submit the Employment Contract

As the notice period ends, the new employer is required to prepared and submit your employment contract via MOL’s Digital Authentication System for a Multi-lingual Employment Contract. The new employer has three months to submit the employment contract.

Based on the employment contract submitted, the system will generate your New Employment Contract that you and the new employment have to sign.

After the New Employment Contract is signed by both of you, the New Employer must upload it on MOL’s digital platform to get authentication from the Ministry.

The New Employer must download/print the authenticated copies of the New Employment Contract and give a copy to you (the employee). The employee/you can also download a copy of your New Employment Contract anytime from the MOL’s website.

Step 9: New Employer Request a New QID for You (Employee)

After receiving the authenticated employment contract, the New Employer should request a New Qatar ID for you/employee. For this, the New Employer has to login to the Ministry of Interior (MOI)’s Metrash services webpage.

#2. Employer Change Application by the New Employer

Under this method, the Employer Change Procedure is conducted in three stages in which the New Employer, the Employee and the Current Employer are required to take action one-by-one.

Stage 1: Change Employer Request Submitted by New Employer

In order to initiate the change employer procedure, the New Employer has to submit an online request via Ministry of Labour portal.

1. The New Employer visits MOL Employer Change Service Page.
2. Click on Apply and login with your username and password. If you are a new user, register as a company/employer and then login.
3. Check the list of services and choose Change employer for a labor – Employer service. then click on Apply button.
4. Select Current Employer and New Employer as Private Establishment, then click on Go to Service.
5. Enter Employee details, New Employment Contract details and all other details requested on in the form.
6. After filling up all required information, click on Save/Send Request to finish.

Stage 2: Change Employer Request Approved by Worker/Employee

After the Employer Change request is sent by the New Employer, the Ministry of Labour will review and process it further. The concerned employee will receive an SMS to notify them to check the request and approve it to accept it to move the employer change process further.

1. The worker/employee should login to MOL Employer Change Service Page.
2. After login, click on My Requests and search it by date or service type.
3. Click on Take Action for Change Employer request initiated by the New Employer.
4. Read all the information carefully, add notes if needed and then click on Approve Request to continue.
5. One the worker approves the request, the MOL system will take it to the next stage i.e. Current Employer.

Stage 3: Change Employer Request Approved by Current Employer

After the Change Employer Request is approved by the worker/employee, the Ministry will notify the current employer by an SMS. the Current Employer need to check the preview of Employer Change Request Form and approve it if the request details are correct.

1. The Current Employer needs to login to MOL Employer Change Service Page (Establishment Login).
2. After login, select My Requests and search by date or service type or any other way.
3. Click on Take Action for Change Employer request.
4. Read the request form details, update notice period days or waive it if request by the worker and add notes, if any.
5. Click on Submit/Modify Notice Period to approve it and send the request to the Ministry for further process.

On completion of all three stages, the Ministry of Labour will process the Change Employer request in a few days.

Once the request is processed, the New Employer, the Worker and the Current Employer will receive an SMS showing Employer Change Approval and Notice Period dates for the worker to serve with the current employer before joining the new employer in Qatar.

As per Ministry of Labour (MOL)’s instructions, the worker has to serve the notice period of 1-2 months with the current employer. In case the current employer has waived off the notice period on worker’s request and it’s approved by the Ministry, the worker can contact the new employer to submit employment contract to MOL and apply for New QID for the worker via MOI Metrash.

The worker should inform the New Employer to request a New QID for them from the Ministry of Interior (MOI). Thereafter the worker can join the New Employer and start working there.

How Do I Get NOC from My Employer?

You can request through Metrash2 mobile app to get NOC from your employer. The NOC (No Objection Certificate) is needed for many legal services but it is Not required to change employer in Qatar.

As per Amended Labour Law Rules, the worker does not need to obtain an NOC from the employer/sponsor to change employer in Qatar. This new rule allows the workers to switch their jobs more easily and conveniently.

Can I Change Employer without NOC in Qatar?

Yes, you can change employer without NOC in Qatar because the Ministry of Labour has removed NOC requirement for the Change Employer Procedure to allow the foreign citizens expat workers to switch their jobs without any interruption or interference.

Can I Change Employer During Probation Period?

Yes, you can change employer during your probation period but you have to submit your application to change employer minimum one month before you quit the job.

The Qatar Labour Law allows the employer to keep the expat worker on a probation period up to maximum six months. The employer usually does this to determine the worker’s discipline and ability to work with the company/establishment.

If you (worker) wish to change employer during your probation period, you can follow the five simple steps given below;

Step 1: Employer Change Request by the Worker

Submit an online application to Change Employer at MOL’s electronic notification system. You need to login with your QID Number and Registered Mobile Number.

Step 2: New Employer Compensate Current Employer

Your New Employer must pay a portion of worker’s recruitment fees plus a part of worker’s one-way air ticket cost. The New Employer and the Current Employer can discuss the compensation amount that both of them agree to settle.

Kindly note that the total compensation amount must not exceed two months basic wage of the worker/employee.

Step 3: Employer Change Request Approved by MOL

The worker, the New Employer and the Current Employer will receive an SMS when the Change Employer request is approved by the Ministry of Labour. The notice period is mentioned in that SMS with starting & ending dates.

Step 4: Worker Serve the Notice Period

As per MOL’s order, you have to work with your Current Employer till the end of notice period. Thereafter you can leave the job and join your New Employer.

Step 5: New Employer Submit Employment Contract and Obtain New QID for Worker

Your New Employer must submit the Employment Contract to get it approved by the Ministry of Labour. Then you (worker) and New Employer must sign the New Employment Contract and get it authenticated by the Ministry. Finally, the New Employer should request for a New QID for you with help of MOI Metrash Service.

In this way, you can apply to change employer during your probation period in Qatar.

Change Employer Status Check Online

After submitting a request to change employer online to the Ministry of Labour, it takes several days to get processed. If you want to check your change employer status, you can do it online at MOL’s digital platform.

1. Go to MOL’s digital platform portal ADLSA.
2. Enter your Qatar ID (QID) Number and Employer Change (EC) Number. The EC Number is generated by the MOL System when you submitted application to change employer.
3. After entering your QID and EC Number, click on Submit.
4. Your Employer Change Status will show up on screen.

Can I Change Employer without Serving Notice Period?

Yes, you can change employer in Qatar without serving your notice period under two circumstances mentioned below;

• You can change employer without serving a notice period if you and your current employer mutually agree to waive off the notice period without any compensation.
• OR
• You can change employer without serving a notice period if you agree to pay the compensation amount (your basic wage) to your current employer for the entire/remaining notice period as stated in your employment contract.

What If My Employer Reject My Request to Change Employer?

If your employer has rejected your request to change employer without a valid reason, you can register a complaint against your employer at MOL’s Unified Platform for Complaints.

As per Qatar Labour Law, the Current Employer can reject the request to change employer for a valid reason only. If your employer rejects your request, you should discuss with them to know the reason for rejection.

In case your Current Employer has rejected your request to change employer without any specific reason, you must file a complaint against them.

Can I Get End of Service Benefits If I Change Employer?

Yes, you can get end of service benefits if you change employer after working for minimum one year with your current employer. When you change the job, the current employer must pay your basic wage plus all allowances and the end of service benefits including gratuity as per rules.

Bottom Line

The Change Employer procedure has become easier for foreign workers in Qatar. The Ministry of Labour has simplified the Change Employer Process by making it online and eliminating the need of NOC for the workers/employees.

I have explained the complete procedure to change employer online application in Qatar. If you still have a doubt, you can ask it in the comment section given below.

FAQs