Before you start

A residence permit / QID in progress
An employer (legally required to enrol you)

Step-by-step

1
Confirm your employer's mandatory insurance
Under Law No. 22 of 2021, your employer must enrol you (and dependants) in a basic plan with an MOPH-registered insurer. It's a prerequisite for issuing/renewing your residence permit.
Via employerWho: Your employerAt onboardingEmployer-paid — mandatory resident policies start around QAR 1,200/yr
2
Get your Hamad Health Card
Apply via PHCC / the Nar'aakom app or a health centre for the card that gives subsidised access to public clinics (PHCC) and Hamad hospitals.
Mobile appWho: YouSame day to a few daysQAR 100 (non-GCC expats)
3
Register at your primary health centre
Your health card ties you to a local PHCC primary health centre for GP visits, vaccinations, and referrals.
In personWho: You—Subsidised per visit

Documents you’ll need

QID
Passport
Health-card application (PHCC / Nar'aakom app)
Debit/credit card (no cash for the fee)

Things most newcomers don’t know

No health insurance, no visa — it's a hard gate now.

Since Law 22/2021, basic health insurance is a prerequisite for issuing or renewing any residence permit/visa. If onboarding stalls, check your insurance enrolment.

Source: MOPH / Law 22 of 2021

Don't confuse the visitor policy with your resident cover.

The QAR-50-a-month, QAR-150,000-limit policy people quote is the visitor product — accidents and emergencies only, bought with a visit visa. The resident package your employer must buy is a full annual policy covering inpatient and outpatient care, and the cheap end of it still starts around QAR 1,200/yr. Read your actual certificate rather than assuming either.

Source: MOPH scheme + insurer pricing

Since April 2026 there is no physical health card.

MOPH stopped printing them; you present your QID at HMC, PHCC and other facilities instead. The digital card still expires, still renews annually, and the fee still has to be paid — people assume the card being gone means the renewal is too.

Source: MOPH Circular No. 10 of 2026

Health card ≠ insurance — you want both.

The health card gets you subsidised public care; the insurance satisfies the legal mandate and covers private/emergency. Newcomers conflate them.

Source: provider consensus

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming the QAR-50 visitor policy is what your employer's resident cover looks like
Trying to pay the health-card fee in cash (card only)
Conflating the health card with the insurance mandate

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.