Once your domestic worker has arrived and her residence permit (QID) is sorted, three practical things set her up properly in Qatar: her health card, paying her salary the right way, and her medical cover.
This guide is for an employer setting up a newly arrived worker, and for anyone whose health card is due for renewal. It walks through each step, with the health card first, since it is the one families ask about most, including exactly how to apply for it, how to renew it, and how to check it online.
The PHCC health card: how to get it and renew it
The health card, issued by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), gives your worker subsidised access to public healthcare and government pharmacies. It is cheap and required in practice. The fees are set by PHCC:
| Action | Fee (QAR) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New health card (domestic worker) | 50 | Vs QAR 100 for a standard expat resident |
| Replace a valid card | 100 | If lost or damaged while still valid |
| Replace an expired card | 200 | Renew before it lapses to avoid this |
To apply, take the following to your nearest PHCC health centre (cards are issued in the mornings, and payment is by card, not cash):
- The worker’s valid QID.
- A recent passport-size photo (4cm x 3cm).
- Your QID as the sponsor.
- A utility bill as proof of residence.
Renew it every year, keeping it aligned with her QID. You can renew and check the card’s status through the Nar’aakom app or the PHCC hotline on 107, which is also how you check the expiry date online rather than making a trip to the centre.
The health card is not the same as the medical fitness test. The card gives access to healthcare; the fitness test (below) is a one-off medical screening for residency. Families constantly confuse the two, and their fees are separate.
The medical fitness test
Separately, a new domestic worker completes a medical fitness examination for her residency, a standard screening (including tests such as TB and blood-borne diseases) carried out through the PHCC Medical Commission at selected centres. The fee varies by category and is set by the health authorities, so confirm the current amount with PHCC or the Ministry of Public Health rather than relying on a single quoted number. This is usually handled as part of the arrival and QID process.
Paying her salary the right way
Qatari law requires you to pay the agreed wage monthly in Qatari riyals, by the third day of the following month at the latest, and to be able to prove it, either by a bank deposit or a signed receipt. The cleanest way to meet that is to open a bank account in the worker’s name and pay by transfer, so there is an automatic record. Qatar has been progressively extending wage protection, but you should confirm current requirements with the Ministry of Labour and your bank rather than assume a blanket rule applies to domestic workers.
Whatever the mechanism, keep proof of every payment; it protects you if a wage question ever arises. For the wider first-month picture, see our first 30 days onboarding guide.
Medical cover and insurance
Under the domestic workers law you must pay for your worker’s medical care and medicine; she must not bear that cost. In day-to-day terms, the QAR 50 health card is what gives her subsidised access to public healthcare. Qatar’s mandatory health-insurance scheme (Law No. 22 of 2021) is being introduced in phases; the visitor phase is live, but the leg covering resident workers has not been confirmed in force with a set price, so there is no official mandatory premium to budget for yet. Treat it as “phasing in,” keep the health card current, and never pass any insurance cost to the worker.
For the full legal picture of what you owe, see our guide to the Qatar domestic workers law, and when the QID comes up for renewal, our QID renewal guide walks through it.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing the health card with the medical fitness test; they are separate processes with separate fees.
- Letting the health card expire, which turns a QAR 100 replacement into a QAR 200 one.
- Budgeting for a “mandatory insurance premium” that is not yet set for resident domestic workers.
- Passing any medical, fitness-test or insurance cost to the worker, which is not allowed.
- Paying salary in cash with no record; use a bank transfer so you can prove payment.
The bottom line
Three tasks: register the QAR 50 PHCC health card (and renew it yearly, checking the expiry via Nar’aakom or 107), pay her salary monthly in QAR with proof, and make sure her medical care is covered, which the health card handles for now. Get a compliant agreement in place with our contract generator, and if you are still hiring, browse verified caregivers.
