.qa Domain Rules Are Changing: Qatar’s New Registration Requirements and Documents

From 22 October 2026, Qatar’s country-code domain .qa is no longer open to everyone. As the Qatar Domains Registry (QDR) moves to a new registry platform, new second-level .qa registrations will require a qualifying link to Qatar: a Qatar ID (QID) or residence permit, a Qatari commercial registration or trade licence, or a qualifying trademark. Existing .qa domain holders keep their names, and registrations continue to renew. However, when a change is requested (registrant, contact details or nameservers), eligibility must be verified before the change is processed. A registration that fails that check has to be deleted. This guide separates what is confirmed from what is still open, and explains what to do in your situation.

Check .qa domain availability and eligibility →

Why Are the .qa Registration Rules Changing?

The .qa ccTLD is run by the Qatar Domains Registry, a function of Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA). On 22 October 2026 QDR switches to a new registry platform and, with it, updates the rules for registration, transfers, renewals, expiry and ownership. The change covers not only .qa but also com.qa, net.qa, name.qa and the other subdomains, as well as the Arabic IDN قطر (xn--wgbl6a).

The registry has not published a separate public rationale for the change, so we won’t speculate. What we do know: accredited registrars were formally notified on 14 October 2026, and CRA sent them further clarification on 21 October. The new policy documents were announced for publication on CRA’s policy page on 21 October; when this article was prepared, the page still listed the previous versions.

That is why this guide keeps confirmed information (what CRA has communicated to accredited registrars) separate from points that are still unclear. We will update the article once the official texts are out.

Who Can Register a .qa Domain from 22 October 2026?

Under section 17.1 of the previous policy, second-level .qa names required no documents and no eligibility conditions, so anyone in the world could register one. Under the new rules, the applicant must fall into one of the approved categories that the registry has communicated to accredited registrars:

• Commercial entities: companies with a Qatari Commercial Registration (CR) or trade licence.
• Trademark holders: applicants holding relevant trademark rights.
• Individuals: holders of a Qatar ID (QID) or residence permit.
• Organisations: eligible sporting, charitable, public and religious organisations.
• Educational institutions: qualifying educational institutions and public or private schools.
• Government and military bodies: entities authorised under their official categories.

The door is not completely closed to applicants outside Qatar. According to the information shared with registrars, foreign applicants may qualify through categories such as trademark or commercial rights. What has not been clarified yet is which trademark registrations count, for example whether the mark has to be registered in Qatar. Until the official text is published, we can’t confirm whether a trademark registered in your home country will be enough.

Previous vs. new rules at a glance

Source: Previous rules: CRA’s Domain Name Registration, Expiry, Renewal and Deletion Policy (V2) and Domain Name Transfer Policy (V2). New rules: notices CRA sent to accredited registrars on 14 and 21 October 2026; we will link the relevant sections once the official text is published.

Which Documents Do You Need to Register a .qa Domain?

One important point first: nobody has to provide all of these documents. You only need one set of documents that matches the category you apply under.

Your documents must match the application exactly and be valid, current and legible. If the company name in the application differs from the one on the commercial registration, or the trademark is held by a different entity, verification will stall. There is no guidance yet on accepted languages or whether translations are required, so if your documents are not in English or Arabic, ask before sending them.

Because these documents contain personal data, don’t send them anywhere casually. Open a support ticket first to ask which channel to use.

Review .qa registration requirements and current status →

.qa vs .com.qa, .net.qa and Other Qatar Domain Extensions

Every extension in Qatar’s namespace now carries an eligibility requirement. The table shows who each one is for and how firm the information currently is.

A note on .com.qa: The previous policy explicitly required .com.qa names to be hosted in Qatar. According to the information shared with registrars, the new registration policy no longer repeats that clause. That doesn’t necessarily mean the obligation is gone, so it is safer to assume it still applies until the official text says otherwise. If you have a company in Qatar, check your name on the .com.qa search page.

How Do the New Rules Affect Existing .qa Domains?

This is the question existing .qa domain holders ask most often. The short answer is that your domain is not deleted on 22 October. CRA has confirmed that existing registrations continue under the new platform’s auto-renewal process. Living outside Qatar is not, on its own, a reason for cancellation.

It is not a permanent exemption, though. According to the clarification CRA sent to registrars on 21 October, eligibility must be verified before any change to an existing registration is processed. If the registrant cannot meet the requirements, the registrar must delete the domain. The deleted domain enters a 30-day redemption period, during which your website and email may stop working.

Actions that can trigger verification:

• Changing the registrant, for example moving a domain from an individual to a company
• Updating registered contact details
• Changing nameservers
• DNS updates that fall within CRA’s scope
• Other changes to registration data

One more detail worth noting: CRA has also advised registrars to review the eligibility of existing registrants, so that domains that would later have to be deleted are not renewed unnecessarily. That means your registrar may ask for documents even if you never request a change.

DNS and Nameserver Changes: What to Watch Out For

It helps to know that “changing DNS” can mean two different things:

• Nameserver change: you change which DNS servers the domain uses in the registry record. This is an EPP transaction at the registry and, under the new rules, triggers verification.
• Editing DNS records: your nameservers stay the same while you change A, MX, TXT or CNAME records at your DNS provider. This normally never reaches the registry.

Technically, the second is not a registry transaction. However, CRA’s guidance refers broadly to “DNS updates” and does not define every external DNS scenario. So it would be wrong to assume that editing records at your DNS provider puts you outside the rules. Using an external DNS provider does not remove your eligibility obligations.

Our practical advice:

• Point your nameservers to the DNS infrastructure you plan to keep long term, and avoid changing them often.
• If you are moving a website or mailbox, update records at your current DNS provider instead of switching nameservers where possible.
• Check and save your current settings with our DNS lookup tool; it will help if you ever need to migrate or troubleshoot.

.qa Domain Transfer and Renewal Rules

What changes for transfers?

The points below are based on what CRA has communicated to registrars and should be confirmed once the official policy is published. For comparison, the current Transfer Policy (V2) is still available on CRA’s website.

• Timing: the automatic approval window for inter-registrar transfers increases from 2 days to 5 calendar days (unless accepted earlier).
• 60-day rule: as a general rule, a domain cannot be transferred to another registrar within 60 days of its initial registration or last transfer.
• Mandatory renewal: every transfer now includes a mandatory 1-year renewal. A separate transfer fee is not allowed, but the renewal fee can be charged.
• Eligibility: inter-registrar transfers are also expected to trigger the new eligibility rules. The exact verification workflow and any exceptions have not been fully clarified.

If you have no link to Qatar and are unsure about your eligibility, we recommend holding off on transfers until things are clearer.

Registry auto-renewal does not mean automatic payment

On the new platform, an expiring domain is technically renewed for one year at registry level, and a 45-day grace period begins. During that period the registrar can delete the domain without paying the registry fee. In other words, registry auto-renewal is a billing mechanism between the registry and the registrar; it does not mean your renewal is free.

It also does not mean Atak Domain pays your renewal automatically on your behalf. Keep an eye on your expiry date in your member panel and pay your renewal before the domain expires. Under the new rules, losing a domain costs more than a restore fee: if you don’t meet the eligibility requirements, you may not be able to register it again.

What Happens When a .qa Domain Expires or Is Deleted?

According to the information CRA has shared with registrars, the lifecycle on the new platform works as follows. Under the previous rules, a domain stayed in “Expired Hold” for 30 days and was deleted one day later (policy V2, section 25).

1. Expiry: the domain is auto-renewed for one year at registry level and a 45-day grace period begins. If the renewal isn’t paid, the registrar can delete it within this period.
2. 30-day redemption period: a deleted domain can be restored by the sponsoring registrar, subject to the rules and fees. During this time the domain may be removed from DNS, so your website and email stop working.
3. 1-day pending delete: no way back from this point.
4. Final deletion: the name becomes available again, but any new registration is subject to the eligibility rules.

That last step matters for holders without a link to Qatar. In the past, you could often re-register a name you had let lapse; now, if you don’t qualify, that option is gone. Don’t leave renewals to the last day.

Can You Sell or Lease a .qa Domain?

No. According to the information shared with registrars, section 5.17.5 of the revised registration policy explicitly prohibits selling, renting or leasing second-level .qa names to another party. This mainly affects domain investors, brokers and anyone planning short-term leasing. In legitimate changes of registrant, such as a merger or restructuring, the new registrant must also meet the eligibility requirements.

A word of caution: registering a .qa name under a contact’s QID or a Qatari company’s name, while actually using it yourself, may look like a clever workaround. But that person or company becomes the legal registrant, and because of the leasing ban the arrangement itself may breach the rules. We don’t recommend it.

Registry Maintenance: What Works and What Doesn’t

The Qatar Domains Registry starts a full maintenance and migration window at 00:00 Qatar time on 22 October 2026. No end time has been announced.

What Is Still Unclear

Until the official policy texts are published and the registry reopens, these questions remain open:

• Whether a trademark registered outside Qatar will be accepted
• Whether local presence or trustee services will be allowed for applicants outside Qatar (the registry has not confirmed this)
• Which languages and formats documents are accepted in, and whether translations are needed
• Exactly which operations the term “DNS updates” covers
• How verification works for transfers and changes of registrant, and whether there are exceptions
• When the maintenance will end
• Whether the local-hosting requirement for .com.qa still applies

What Should You Do? A Checklist by Situation

You live outside Qatar and hold a .qa domain

1. Track your expiry date in the panel and pay the renewal before it expires.
2. Make sure your registration details are correct, but after the migration, ask our support team before requesting any change.
3. If you have a trademark or a commercial link to Qatar, prepare your documents now.
4. Keep your nameservers stable; where possible, make DNS changes through records at your DNS provider.

You have a company, branch or trade licence in Qatar

1. Check that your commercial registration or trade licence is current and valid.
2. Make sure the registrant name on the domain matches the name on your documents exactly.
3. Consider .com.qa alongside .qa; holding both strengthens your brand protection.

You are planning to enter the Qatari market

If you export to the Gulf or plan to grow there, you will first need a link to Qatar to register a .qa name: a local company, branch, licence or an accepted trademark registration. This takes time, so focus on building that link rather than rushing for the name. Meanwhile, you can monitor your name on the .qa domain search page and with our WHOIS lookup.

You are a reseller or agency

• Tell your clients about the .qa change; feel free to share this article.
• Don’t promise new .qa registrations while the maintenance is ongoing.
• Collect eligibility documents now from clients who want to register.
• If you take orders automatically via WHMCS or an API, review your workflow: “payment received” no longer means “domain confirmed”.

No Link to Qatar? Your Options

Not every business has, or needs, a legal entity in Qatar. There are several practical ways to reach customers in the Gulf:

• A strong global domain: offer Arabic and English content on your .com domain, with a Qatar-specific subfolder or subdomain.
• A trademark plan: a trademark registration in Qatar is the most frequently cited route into an eligibility category. It is worth considering once the accepted registration types are confirmed.
• A local presence: if you already plan to open a branch or company in Qatar, .qa and .com.qa become the natural choice.

Managing Your .qa Domain with Atak Domain

Under the registry policy, .qa domains are registered through registrars accredited by CRA. During this transition, as an Atak Domain customer you can:

• Ask your questions: for questions about eligibility, documents or your existing registration, open a support ticket.
• Protect your existing domains: track expiry dates in your panel, renew before they expire, and ask our support team before requesting any change.
• Stay up to date: we will update this article when the maintenance ends and the official policy texts are published.
• Complete your setup: once your domain is ready, you can run your Qatar presence with hosting and business email from one panel.
• Resellers: partners in our domain reseller programme can forward this article to their clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do the .qa domain rules change?

The new rules take effect on 22 October 2026, when the registry’s new platform goes live. The migration starts at 00:00 Qatar time (UTC+3).

Can I register a .qa domain from abroad after 22 October?

Not without restrictions anymore. You need to fit an approved category. Applicants outside Qatar may qualify through categories such as trademark or commercial rights, but the accepted documents have not been fully clarified.

Will my existing .qa domain be cancelled?

No. It is not cancelled automatically and continues to renew. However, when you request a change, eligibility is verified before the change is processed; if verification fails, the domain is deleted and enters a 30-day redemption period.

What happens if I change my nameservers?

A nameserver change is a registry transaction and triggers eligibility verification. If verification fails, the domain may be deleted. Ask our support team before making the change.

Does editing DNS records (A, MX) also trigger verification?

If your nameservers stay the same and you edit records at your DNS provider, normally nothing is sent to the registry. Because CRA’s wording is broad, however, we can’t say this is exempt in every case.

Which documents are required to register a .qa domain?

It depends on your category: a QID or residence permit for individuals, a commercial registration or trade licence for companies, a trademark certificate for brand owners. You only need the set that matches your category.

Is my registration final as soon as I pay?

Not always. The registry allows a 5-day verification window after registration. If the documents are insufficient, the domain can be deleted within that period; payment or initial activation is not final approval.

How have .qa domain transfers changed?

Automatic approval now takes up to 5 calendar days, transfers are generally not possible within 60 days of registration or the last transfer, and every transfer includes a mandatory 1-year renewal.

Will my website and email work during the maintenance?

Yes. The maintenance pauses registry transactions; as long as your DNS and hosting are running, your website and email are not affected.

Can I sell or lease a .qa domain?

No. The revised policy explicitly prohibits selling, renting or leasing second-level .qa names.

Have the .com.qa requirements changed?

.com.qa was already restricted and still requires a trade licence or trademark. Whether the local-hosting requirement still applies will be clear once the official text is published.

Sources

• Communications Regulatory Authority: Qatar Domains Registry Policies
• CRA: Domain Name Registration, Expiry, Renewal and Deletion Policy (V2) (previous rules)
• CRA: Domain Name Transfer Policy (V2) (previous rules)
• Notices and clarifications from the Qatar Domains Registry / CRA to accredited registrars (14 and 21 October 2026)

This article is for general information and is not legal advice. The official policies of the Qatar Domains Registry and CRA instructions always take precedence. We will update this content as the official texts are published.