Doha, June 12 (QNA) - The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has launched the service of issuing a commercial permit "under construction" in collaboration with the Ministries of Interior and Labor, for all commercial activities except for commercial permits classified as "administrative office," including contracting, limousine, cleaning, and others.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said that this initiative comes within the framework of national efforts devoted to supporting the private sector and facilitating the procedures for carrying out business activities in the State of Qatar, reiterating the importance of complying with the following requirements when issuing a commercial permit (under construction), provided that the duration of the permit under construction shall be one year only.
The permit shall not be renewed without obtaining the competent department's consent, and the permit under construction shall be issued without obtaining any external approvals, provided that approvals shall be provided when the final commercial permit is issued. The commercial permit (under construction) shall not be deemed as a permit to carry out the activity but is essentially a deadline dedicated to expediting the establishment of work sites and obtaining the approvals of the external authorities which are related to the issuance of the final permit pertaining to the practice of commercial activity (establishment registration number, labor approvals, entry of imported primary materials to the commercial project site, bank procedures).
Additionally, a comment shall be placed in the address description (Under construction permit for one year from the date of commercial permit issuance, and it is strictly prohibited to carry out the activity pending completion of the shortcomings).
MoCI has clarified the stages of issuing under construction permit, which include: The first stage through which certain requirements are provided "Permit application form "Under construction permit", commercial relationship declaration form, construction completion certificate, construction permit or a contract signed with the state, as well as a copy of ID.
Pertaining to the second stage, MoCI indicated that after the commercial permit (Under construction) validity is expired, which is actually one year only, all documents shall be submitted to issue a final permit, which includes a civil defense certificate and construction completion certificate (If has not been brought in the first stage).
The Ministry stressed the importance of complying with the law No. 5 of 2015 regarding similar commercial and industrial shopping centers and street vendors, in which law No. 7 stipulates that the concerned authority shall hold the responsibility of deciding on the permit application, and inform the applicant about its decision on the same day of submission, as long as the application has complied with the requirements included in the documents and data requested by the concerned department.
The permit applicant shall commit to complying with all general and special requirements as per permitted activity, and no activity shall be carried out unless all approvals are secured from the concerned authorities as required by law, and the applicant shall commit to submitting these approvals upon renewal of the permit.
The Ministry also underlined the importance of complying with the article No. 19 of the same law, which stipulates the permit revocation as per the decision of the concerned authority in the following cases: If the licensee conducts an adjustment or any alteration onsite without securing the consent of the concerned authority, or if he otherwise carries out any activity that contravenes the permit items, when the commercial site remain inoperable or not complying with the requirements set forth in the permit, as well as the necessary adherence to the article No. 20 of the above-stated law, which stipulates the revocation of the permit in cases not mentioned in the previous article when it deems necessary.
The Ministry also confirmed that it will take further legal action once law No. 5 of 2015 is violated concerning commercial and industrial centers, and similar public centers, including street vendors pursuant to the article No. 26 of the law, which is punishable by imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, and a fine not exceeding QR 50,000, or one of these two penalties for whoever violates any of the provisions of Articles (3-first paragraph), (7-second paragraph) of this law.
The Director of the Commercial Registration and Licenses Department at MoCI Ayed Al Qahtani said that the launch of commercial permit service "under construction" comes in the framework of the national efforts dedicated to supporting the private sector and promoting the business environment in the state of Qatar. He pointed out that the service will shorten the time for the much-prolonged procedures and subsequently grants the investor adequate time to proceed with the procedure and establish his business activities for one year, non-renewable unless the consent of the concerned authority is primarily secured.
In a press conference held at MoCI premises, Ayed Al Qahtani added that today this permit is considered a fruit of the joint persistent communication and coordination between the Ministries of Interior and Labor to expedite and shorten the investor's transactions in the state of Qatar. He noted that the joint initiative contributes to developing the business environment in accordance with a clear strategy to build an evolved national economy that primarily achieves Qatar National Vision 2030 and consolidates Qatar's status as a regional and global hub for investment.
For his part, Director of Recruitment Department at the Ministry of Labor Nasser Abdullah Al Mannai confirmed that the Ministry of Labor is expediting the procedures for the employers of the commercial permit "under construction" via fast track operation from the recruitment department based on the enforced measures, indicating that if any queries arise about the nature of these services, the Ministry stands ready to lend assistance and further clarifications.
Lieutenant Colonel Tariq Issa Al Aqidi, Officer of the Public Relations and Information Office at the General Directorate of Passports, confirmed that the Ministry of Interior is fully committed to expediting the entire procedures for the best interest of the public with the swift accomplishment of their procedures through the electronic services in cooperation with the relevant government authorities to achieve the key objectives pursued by the Ministry in the framework of the set goals of Qatar National Vision 20230.
He pointed out the importance of streamlining the procedures for the entrepreneurs in a way that contributes to developing investment movement, explaining that the issuance of temporary establishment registration numbers for some commercial activities of companies under construction essentially helps those companies to accomplish their projects very easily and swiftly without any potential hurdles or obstacles.
The Director of the Prevention Department at the General Directorate of Civil Defense, Captain Ahmad Khalid Al Ghanim clarified that the General Directorate of Civil Defense represented in the prevention department is set to approve the issuance of an "under construction" permit pending completion of the procedures related to an opening bank account or recruiting employees by the commercial activity owner. He indicated that such approval shall not be considered final, but requires the obtainment of a final permit from the civil defense by the activity owner to initiate his activity after completing the entire required procedures. (QNA)