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.

Maritime

Marsa is a new marine cluster located within Umm Alhoul.
Consisting of a marina with a draught of 7.5 meters and 3 kilometers of quay wall, Marsa is designed to be a fully integrated maritime industry and leisure ecosystem.
Aerial View of dock, with boats driving by

Umm Alhoul Maritime District

The brand-new port and marine cluster, called MARSA, sits at the heart of Umm Alhoul Free Zone. The new area, located right next to Hamad Port and just 20 minutes from downtown Doha, is has been designed as a fully integrated marine ecosystem able to support a wide range of marine business to ship-building and repair, internal design and fit-out, boat brokerage and maritime research.

MARSA has a 1.6 kilometer long, 500-meter wide draught and a total of 3 kilometers of quay wall, allowing it to service ships up to 70 meters long.

Competitive Advantages

Energy Costs

Operational inputs of industries within the technology sector are energy-intensive. Due to world-leading liquefied natural gas production, Qatar can offer stable and price-effective energy solutions, with QFZ providing access to some of the world’s cheapest energy at 3.5 USD cents per kW/h.

Man in hairnet and mask working on manufacturing equipment

Workforce

The Qatari labour pool consists of highly skilled individuals, sourcing both local and international talent. Internally, Qatar’s prominent universities provide intelligent and adept individuals to meet the skills for industry and while externally, international workforce attraction efforts are supported through enticing incentives for workers and companies alike. For example, no individual income tax on attractive salaries and implementing the lowest administrative costs of employing foreign workers in the GCC.

Our investor relations team iCARE will take care of the entire visa process for each one of your staff, so investors can focus on what they came here to do; grow their business.

Access to Award Winning Ports

Hamad International Airport was the first airport in the Mena region to be awarded 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.

Hamad Port cargo loading, large yellow container cranes placing containers on cargo ships
Large amount of air cargo, neatly packaged sitting on a runway, with airplane in background

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.

Manufacturing equipment in a factory

Industrial & consumer

Extremely competitive energy prices, access to feedstock and global connectivity gives manufacturers and chemical companies in our free zones a globally competitive edge.

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Gaussin logistics equipment, bright blue, white, and black in color, lined up in a row

Emerging technology

QFZ has put in the place the regulatory and digital infrastructure that has brought Google and Microsoft to our zones to take advantage of the growth opportunities in Qatar and the wider regional market.

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GWC logistics truck, driving on highway in Ras Bufontas

Trade & logistics

The world’s leading logistics companies are setting up regional hubs in our zones because of the unparalleled access we provide to Qatar’s award-winning air and sea-ports.

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