Qatar
New Law Concerning Persons with Disabilities
Impact date: 6 October 2025 Qatar has introduced Law No. 22 of 2025 Concerning Persons with Disabilities (the “Law”), which came into effect on 6 October 2025, marking a significant evolution in Qatar's approach to disability rights and workplace inclusion. This new legislation repeals the previous Law No. 2 of 2004 and introduces comprehensive obligations for businesses operating in Qatar to ensure inclusion, equality and accessibility for persons with disabilities across public and working life. The Law makes it unlawful to discriminate against persons with disabilities in connection with employment, and also places a positive obligation on employers to make reasonable accommodations.
Employer implications/action needed Employers should:
- Establish a person or team responsible for compliance, likely involving HR, facilities, legal and, potentially, occupational health
- Conduct comprehensive audits of employment practices and policies
- Develop or align existing policies in relation to reasonable accommodations, privacy and non-discrimination
- Begin and maintain continuous training programs for managers and staff
- Regularly review compliance with privacy and non-discrimination requirements, including making reasonable accommodations
- Consider inviting individuals to confirm if they require any reasonable accommodation/s to participate in a recruitment process
- Review and update, or prepare internal grievance procedures to ensure that individuals have a meaningful opportunity to address concerns before they escalate to formal external complaints
Employer risk Violating the new Law attracts significant penalties, including fines of up to 100,000 QAR and imprisonment of up to six months. Penalties can also apply to both individual managers and companies. In certain cases, such as those involving neglect, exploitation or abuse, imprisonment can be for up to five years and fines of up to QR 500,000 could be imposed.
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