Selling online in Qatar without a licence is no longer a grey area — it is a compliance breach. Ministerial Decision No. 25 of 2026, issued by Qatar's Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 4 March 2026 and in force since 16 March, establishes mandatory e-commerce licensing for every business operating through websites, mobile apps, or social media. This guide covers exactly what has changed, what the licensing process requires, and what non-compliance now costs you.

Why Decision No. 25 of 2026 Is the Most Consequential E-Commerce Licensing Change Qatar Has Made

Until this decision, the framework for the licensing of Qatar's online businesses had one essential flaw – there was no licensing category specifically for online businesses. Social media traders, online marketplaces, and e-commerce businesses were in a gray zone where regular trade licenses and commercial registrations did not apply. With Decision No. 25 of 2026, all these gaps have been filled by Qatar. A separate e-commerce licensing category has been established, the scope of who has to abide by the new laws has been set, operational requirements have been outlined, and the mandatory location requirement has been removed. Thus, if you have any online business operations in Qatar, you need to comply with the decision. The framework is currently live and has been operative since March 2026.

What Decision No. 25 of 2026 Changes for Online Businesses in Qatar

Mandatory E-Commerce Licensing Across All Digital Channels The Decision requires an obligatory license for all individuals and businesses that are performing commercial operations by using electronic websites without the need to have a fixed establishment. The definition of "electronic website" is wide and covers websites, mobile applications, social media accounts for sales, and online marketplaces' shops. Such a wide definition was purposefully chosen to make sure that the idea of the fact that the use of Instagram or WhatsApp Business cannot be licensed due to their being not considered websites is dismissed. It does not matter what type of electronic website is used, the commercial operations require a license regardless. Expanded Scope That Captures Social Commerce Sellers Many businesses in Qatar practiced social commerce through the sale of their products on social media sites in the lack of a physical business presence, considering the lack of a physical site means the need for an e-commerce license is minimized. However, Decision No. 25 of 2026 changed all that. As mentioned above, the requirement of having an e-commerce license refers to those kinds of businesses which do not necessarily need to have a physical presence, and therefore, social commerce, influencer commerce, and other platforms-based resellers fall under the category. Additionally, businesses which operate in more than one electronic website must have a license for each of them.

Commercial Registration Stays Central — But the Framework Is Unified

The license for e-commerce, pursuant to Decision No. 25, will come along with the existing requirement for commercial registration, rather than replacing them. It should be understood that the applicant needs to have the valid commercial registration; have his or her business activity defined properly and obtain the required regulatory approvals for his or her industry before applying for the license for e-commerce. As per the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, this process of obtaining the license for e-commerce has been integrated into a digital structure of commercial registration.

E-Commerce Licensing Requirements — Before and After Decision No. 25 of 2026

The table below maps the key changes Decision No. 25 of 2026 introduces across the dimensions that matter most for online business setup in Qatar.

Requirement	Before Decision No. 25	After Decision No. 25 of 2026
Physical premises	Required for most trade licences	Not required — digital-only operations permitted
Online trading licence	No dedicated e-commerce category	Mandatory standalone e-commerce licence
Social media sellers	Regulatory grey area	Fully regulated — licence required
Multiple platforms	Single licence assumed to cover all	Separate licence required per website/platform
Consumer disclosure	No standardised requirement	Mandatory: CR no., licence no., contact, returns policy
Personal online sales	Unregulated	Excluded — only commercial volumes regulated

The consumer disclosure requirements deserve particular attention. Businesses must display their commercial registration number, their e-commerce licence number, contact details including customer service channels, detailed product and service information, and exchange and return policies directly on their platform. Failure to display these elements is a compliance breach in its own right, independent of whether the underlying licence has been obtained.

How the E-Commerce Licensing Process Works Under the New Framework

•  Business Activity Classification : Prior to making any application, it is imperative for the business to make the right classification of its digital commerce activities under the commercial activity classification framework in Qatar. The correct classification of its digital commerce activities determines what kinds of approvals are necessary and who in the Ministry has to approve it. Any incorrect classification will result in downstream approvals being rejected, and these problems are very hard to overcome without starting afresh. There are some industries like food, pharmaceuticals, and finance where special approval is required.

• Application Submission Through the Ministry's Portal : Application has to be made using the online registration process through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The application should indicate the electronic website or platform from where the business would conduct its operations and also state that the regulatory licenses for the particular activity have been obtained by the business. As one license has to be applied for one platform, multichannel businesses will have to apply for different websites/channels.

• Document Review and Verification : The competent authority within the Ministry checks whether the application contains complete information and is accurate in its determination of the type of business activities, ownership, and meets the licensing requirements for e-commerce. The most frequent reasons for the application being rejected are incomplete documents, inconsistency between the commercial register and the application, and lack of sectoral approvals. Businesses must gather all the documents prior to submitting the application.

• Licence Issuance and Operational Compliance : After being approved, the licence for e-commerce will be issued on the specific platform and activity. Thereafter, the enterprise should make sure that it maintains all the required consumer disclosures on the platform, adheres to consumer protection responsibilities, and handles data according to Qatar’s requirements. The process of renewing the licence and adding more platforms shall follow the same structure.

Why E-Commerce Licence Applications Get Rejected — and How to Avoid It

Given that the framework has been live since March 2026, rejection patterns are already emerging. The most common failure points are consistent across advisory firms tracking MoCI decisions. Incorrect business activity classification is the leading cause of rejection. Choosing an activity code that does not accurately describe the digital commerce being conducted creates an immediate mismatch that the reviewing authority flags. Classification must reflect what the business actually sells or does, not a generic code chosen for convenience. Incomplete or inconsistent documentation is the second major cause. Ownership details in the commercial registration that do not match the licence application, missing sector approvals for regulated activities, or absent platform specification all result in rejection. Every document submitted must be consistent with every other document in the application set. Non-compliant platform descriptions — either too vague to identify the specific website or platform, or listing platforms the business does not actually use — create verification failures. The application must name the exact electronic website or platform for which the licence is sought. MBG Corporate Services works with businesses across Qatar to structure their commercial registration, classify activities correctly, and prepare e-commerce licence applications that meet the MoCI's requirements from the first submission — reducing the risk of rejection and the timeline delays that follow it.