The Free Zones

Our free zones are the world’s gateway to the Middle East, connected through award winning air and seaports, to some of the most exciting business opportunities on the planet .

The Authority

The Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ) is an independent authority created in 2018 to oversee and regulate the world-class free zones in Qatar, offering outstanding opportunities and benefits for businesses seeking to expand their global operations.

Investor Portal

The QFZ team are dedicated to enabling our investors’ growth and help facilitate everything from establishment to customs to permitting. The Investor Portal allows our investors to access, request and monitor their service requests.

Logistics & Trading

Located in the heart of the Middle East, Qatar is perfectly positioned to reach established and growing markets in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Over two billion people live within 3,000km of Qatar, all within easy reach from our award-winning air and seaports that sit directly adjacent to our free zones.

Inside of a warehousing and storage facility, boxes stacked to the ceiling, with equipment to move the boxes

Global trade

QFZ has focused on developing a strong logistics sector to seamlessly connect our investors to global markets.

Fleet of UPS dark brown delivery vans
Packaged air cargo secured with ropes, sitting next to airplane wing on a runway

That is why our zones are strategically located next to acclaimed Hamad International Airport and Hamad Port, Ras Bufontas and Umm Alhoul free zones, giving unparalleled access to world-leading ports and carriers giving our logistics investors a strong competitive edge.

Ras Bufontas, the airport free zone, complements high value and time-sensitive products, while Umm Alhoul, the seaport free zone, provides international freight forwarders access to the chemical, oil and gas, and heavy machinery industries.

Infrastructure and global connectivity

Qatar is located at the heart of the Gulf at the intersection of three continents, and with access to 60% of the world’s population within eight hours fly time. The freight and logistics market in Qatar has been growing steadily and with the continued expansion of our air and sea ports, the nation is positioning itself to be a regional connectivity leader. Currently, the market is estimated to be valued at more than $7.5 billion and is forecasted to register a CAGR of more than 7% from 2019 to 2024.

The trade, logistics and export clusters in our free zones are focused on warehousing & 3PL, e-commerce solutions, high-value items storage, fulfillment & distribution centres, an automotive zone, and export-processing and re-export.

Competitive Advantages

Market reach

Located in the heart of the Middle East, Qatar is perfectly positioned to reach a substantial market share. Within a 3,000km radius exists 2 billion people and 6 trillion USD in combined GDP, including Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, India, and many countries in the Eastern Africa region.

View of Earth from space, digitized to show nodes of global interconnectivity

Accessibility and connectivity

Ras Bufontas Free Zone has an airport within 6km, and Umm Alhoul Free Zone is directly connected to a port. The ease of accessibility means improved accessibility and reduced customs clearance times.

Award winning infrastructure

Hamad International Airport was the first airport in the MENA region to be awarded an ISO certification and is ranked internationally as the 5th best airport in the world. Attributing to its success is advanced scanning technology and quick ramp transfer, leading to an accelerated shipping process.

Hamad Port is the world’s biggest greenfield port project, and was recently celebrated as a finalist for the Innovation Award at the prestigious Lloyd’s List Awards for Maritime Intelligence. Contributing factors include environmentally friendly building methodology and inventive inspection practices.

Exterior of Ras Bufontas Office Building, Hexagonal shape with white lattice covering
Hamad Port cargo loading, large yellow container cranes placing containers on cargo ships

Capacity

Hamad Port offers more than 15 direct shipping lines, and connects to 40 different ports across 3 continents. The port has a capacity of seven million tonnes per year, the multi-use terminal is one million tonnes per year of grain and 500,000 cars. Hamad Port attracts the largest international shipping companies due to its modern fleet and advanced systems providing high-quality marine services.

The port has entered the Guinness World Records title as the deepest artificial basin ever made on Earth.

Hamad International Airport completes over 220,000 flights a year, transporting 35 million passengers and 2 million tonnes of cargo. In total there are 54 shipping destinations worldwide.

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