Qatar Financial Centre (QFC)
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QFC company formation
An onshore platform for setting up a services, consulting or holding company in Qatar.
The Qatar Financial Centre is a business and financial centre in Doha with its own legal, regulatory and tax framework. Registering a company in the QFC places it under English common law, with its own court, the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre. It is not a free zone. QFC companies operate onshore and can serve clients in Qatar and abroad.
The framework
Ownership and tax
100 percent foreign ownership. Corporation tax of 10 percent on locally sourced profit. Profit from services provided for use outside Qatar can fall outside the local source definition, subject to conditions. No withholding tax on payments out of Qatar. Access to Qatar’s double tax treaty network. Holding companies, special purpose companies and investment structures benefit from specific exemptions.
What it is built for
QFC company setup suits professional services, consulting, IT consultancy and software development, legal and accounting, marketing and design, architecture and engineering design, regional headquarters, treasury operations and single family offices. Regulated financial services such as banking, insurance and asset management require separate authorisation from the QFC Regulatory Authority.
Holding structures
The QFC is the main jurisdiction in Qatar for setting up a holding company. Two forms are relevant.
A passive holding owns shares and assets and receives the income from them. It has no operating business and usually no staff. Its income from dividends and qualifying disposals is exempt from QFC tax, subject to conditions.
An active holding owns its subsidiaries and also manages them. It sets group strategy and provides central services such as finance, management or treasury, and may invoice those services to its own group companies. The scope must be covered by the licence.
In both forms, a QFC holding company may not trade with third parties outside its own group.
What it is not built for
Construction. The import, manufacture or sale of physical goods. Retail. The QFC’s own activity list excludes trading or selling hardware or software under an IT licence.
Is this the right route?
Who fits
- A consultancy serving corporate clients.
- A software firm building and maintaining systems.
- A family holding its investments through a Qatar structure.
- An international group opening a regional base.
Who does not
- A trading company.
- A contractor working on site.
- A restaurant or shop.
- An online store selling to consumers in Qatar.
Speak to the adviser who will handle your mandate.
From the first assessment to the annual return, one person and one point of contact.