All residents are required to carry their Residence Permit ID Cards or proof of residence with them and produce whenever asked by concerned authorities. If they fail to produce and violate the law, person will be fined up to to QR10,000.
Residence Permit Card is as a proof identity of the expatriate resident and his valid residency in the country. All expats irrespective of their identity and culture are required to abide by the rules of the county.
Police only request IDs from “suspects,” and not from ordinary residents going about their daily business but you have to be careful anytime you can be asked to produce your ID.
Many a times Qatar residents are required to produce their residency permits when entering residential compounds and clubs.
Every expatriate who is issued a Residence Permit is also given a Qatar ID Card as part of the application process. These are credit-card sized plastic cards containing a photo of the holder plus basic personal information. It is mandatory for residents and citizens to have one.
Should a person specifically refuse to present his or her ID to officials, that is when the punishment becomes valid.
However, if the individual is unable to instantly produce their ID or passport, they will be held back until they can produce identification.
“You are committing a crime only when you refuse to produce any identification document on the insistence of a law-enforcement official. Just not carrying your ID isn’t an offence punishable with a fine.”
But, if the individual did refuse to show identification, then they would be referred to to the court at the ministry’s Search and Follow-Up Department, and can be subject to the QR10,000 fine.
