How to Verify Employment Contract in Qatar (ADLSA) + Ministry of Labour Services

If you searched for the ADLSA contract check, the service you want now belongs to Qatar's Ministry of Labour (MoL). ADLSA, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, was restructured in October 2021. Some official web addresses, including the contract-printing portal, still carry the old "adlsa" name. Private-sector workers can view and download their authenticated employment contract online using a QID or visa number and an SMS code sent to their mobile.

This guide explains the two jobs people often confuse: a worker checking a contract that already exists, and an employer authenticating a new one. It also covers approving or rejecting a contract, what to compare against your job offer, OTP and "no contract found" problems, fees, and the main Ministry of Labour services.

Employment contract Qatar at a glance

Detail	Current position (checked 4 October 2026)
Current authority	Ministry of Labour (MoL)
Former name	ADLSA (Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs), restructured in October 2021
Worker service	View, download and print your authenticated employment contract
Who can check	Private-sector workers whose contract has been authenticated; the employer can also print it
Identifier	QID (personal) number or visa number
Verification	A code sent by SMS to a mobile number registered in your name
Worker fee to view or print	No fee announced by the Ministry for this service
Employer authentication fee	Paid online by the employer at the payment stage. QAR 20 has been reported for specialised contracts; we could not confirm a current official figure for standard contracts
Can the contract be downloaded?	Yes. The Ministry says authenticated copies stay available to both the worker and the employer
Worker print portal	empcont.adlsa.gov.qa (official, still using the legacy name)
If something is wrong	Ask HR to correct it; if that fails, use the Ministry of Labour complaint process

Checking a contract vs authenticating one

Workers check and print contracts; employers create and authenticate them. A worker cannot authenticate their own contract, and the print portal will not show a contract the employer has not finished. Most confusion about missing contracts comes from mixing up these two workflows.

What do you want to do?	Who does it	Route	Login	Fee	Result
Check, view or download an existing contract	Worker (or employer)	Contract-printing portal, empcont.adlsa.gov.qa	QID or visa number + mobile + SMS code	None announced	A copy of the authenticated contract
Approve or reject a pending contract	Worker	Ministry of Labour Individuals (Workers) Portal	National Authentication System (NAS)	None announced	Contract moves forward, or goes back to the employer
Authenticate a new contract	Employer or authorised representative	Establishments Portal	NAS with smart card	Employer pays online	Ministry-authenticated contract
Print an authenticated contract	Worker or employer	Print portal or the relevant MoL portal	As above	None announced for printing	Downloadable copy
Correct a contract	Employer, with the worker's approval	Establishments Portal	NAS	Depends on the transaction	Revised contract
Handle a contract dispute	Worker	MoL complaints platform	See the Ministry of Labour complaint process	Free to file	Ministry intervention

Portal names come from the Ministry's own announcements, which refer to an "employers' portal" or Establishments Portal and an "individuals and workers portal". Screen layouts change, so follow the labels you see rather than any screenshot, including older ones on other websites.

Is ADLSA still the Ministry of Labour?

No. ADLSA no longer exists as a ministry. Its labour functions sit with the Ministry of Labour, created in the cabinet reshuffle of 19 October 2021, when separate Ministers of Labour and of Social Development and Family were appointed (The Peninsula report of the Amiri Order).

The old name survives in a few places, mainly older web subdomains such as the contract-printing site. An adlsa.gov.qa address is not a scam just because it uses the former ministry's name. What matters is that the domain ends in .gov.qa and that you reached it from an official source rather than a link someone sent you.

How to check your employment contract online in Qatar

Open the Ministry's contract-printing service, enter your QID or visa number and your mobile number, then enter the SMS code to view and download your authenticated contract. The service was launched in February 2018 for private-sector workers, and the Ministry described it as requiring the personal or visa number plus a mobile number registered in the worker's name (The Peninsula, 17 February 2018).

1. Go to empcont.adlsa.gov.qa. Hukoomi also lists a request e-copy of employment contract service that leads to the Ministry's route.
2. Choose English or Arabic.
3. Enter your QID number or, if you do not have one yet, your visa number.
4. Enter your mobile number. It needs to be a Qatar number registered in your own name.
5. Request the code and enter the confirmation code you receive by SMS.
6. Your authenticated contract or contracts appear. Open the one you want to view it.
7. Download it as a file or print it, and keep a copy.

A note on testing: the Ministry's sites did not load from outside Qatar when we reviewed this guide, which is common for Qatar government systems. The steps above follow the Ministry's own description of the service. If a button label differs, go by what the live page shows.

The Ministry has said that once a contract is authenticated, the platform keeps it available for both the establishment and the worker to print at any time (QNA, 16 October 2023). You do not need to ask your employer for permission to download your own copy.

What do you need to check your labour contract?

• QID number, if you are a resident, or your work visa number if your QID has not been issued.
• A Qatar mobile number in your own name. The Ministry asks for employer and worker phone numbers to be linked to their personal ID numbers through the telecom providers, as a way of verifying identity (Gulf Times, October 2023).
• A contract that has already been authenticated. If your employer has not finished, there is nothing to show yet.

You do not need the Metrash app. Some older guides say the OTP only works if your number is registered in "Metrash2". Metrash2 was discontinued on 1 March 2025 (see our guide to the current Metrash app), and Metrash is a Ministry of Interior app, not part of the contract service.

QID vs visa number: which should you use?

Use your visa number if your first contract was authenticated before your QID was issued; use your QID once you are a resident. The Ministry has said a worker's details on a contract are recorded by visa number when the contract is authenticated for the first time, or by personal (QID) number otherwise (QNA).

Your situation	Identifier to try first	Note
New employee, QID not yet issued	Visa number	Your first contract is recorded against the visa number
Resident with a QID	QID number	If nothing appears, try the visa number your first contract was issued under
New contract after changing employer	QID number	The new contract is recorded once both you and the new employer approve it
Recruited abroad through a Qatar Visa Center	Visa number	Your contract may still be at a pre-arrival stage; see the QVC section below

How to check whether a contract is authenticated

The reliable test is whether the contract appears when you log in to the official portal yourself. If it appears there, the Ministry holds it as an authenticated contract. A PDF, photo or printout someone hands you proves much less, because logos, stamps and layouts can be copied.

• Download your copy directly from the official portal rather than accepting one forwarded by a recruiter.
• Check that your name, QID or visa number and the employer's name match your own records.
• Expect the contract in Arabic alongside your language. The Ministry says contracts are printed in Arabic and the worker's language, and has reported support for 11 languages (QNA, October 2023).
• Under Article 9 of the Labour Law, if the Arabic text and a translation conflict, the Arabic text prevails (Al Meezan). If you cannot read Arabic, ask someone you trust to check the key figures.

What details should you verify in your employment contract?

Compare every figure and name on the authenticated contract with your job offer before you approve it. Fields vary by contract type, so your contract may not show every item below.

Check	What to look for
Your name and ID	Spelling matches your passport; correct QID or visa number
Employer	The legal company name you actually work for, not a recruiter or a related company
Job title and profession	Matches the role you were offered
Start date and duration	Correct start date; fixed term or indefinite
Probation	No more than six months under Article 39 of the Labour Law
Basic salary	The fixed basic wage, shown separately
Allowances	Housing, transport, food or other allowances, or a statement that the employer provides these in kind
Total salary	Basic plus allowances equals what you were offered
Place of work, hours and leave	Where stated, consistent with what you agreed
Tickets, notice and end of service	Return-ticket terms, notice provisions and end-of-service terms, where included
Additional conditions	Any clause you did not agree to, including a non-compete clause

If you are still weighing an offer, compare it with typical pay for the role in our average salary in Qatar guide.

Basic salary vs total salary: why the difference matters

Your basic wage and your total package are different figures, and some rights are calculated on the basic wage alone. End-of-service gratuity is the clearest example: the statutory minimum is based on the basic wage, not housing or transport allowances.

An offer of QAR 6,000 a month could be QAR 5,000 basic plus QAR 1,000 allowances, or QAR 3,000 basic plus QAR 3,000 allowances. The monthly pay is the same, but the second split produces a much smaller gratuity. Check that the basic figure in the authenticated contract matches what you were promised, then see how to calculate end-of-service gratuity in Qatar.

How employees approve or reject an employment contract

Yes, a worker can reject a contract. The Ministry says its digital platform lets private-sector employees check the contract terms and then approve or reject them (QNA, 16 October 2023).

What the official sources confirm:

• Workers use the Individuals (Workers) Portal, logging in through the National Authentication System.
• For employer changes, the Ministry says the new contract must be approved by both the worker and the new employer before it is authenticated (The Peninsula, March 2026).
• Deloitte reported in May 2024 that existing residence-permit holders can confirm contracts with an NAS digital signature instead of signing on paper, while new employees without a residence permit still sign physically and the employer uploads the signed copy (Deloitte). Treat this as professional reporting rather than a published rule.

The Ministry has not published a screen-by-screen guide to rejection or to what happens next. In practice, a rejected contract is not authenticated, so the employer has to revise and resubmit it. Before you reject, tell HR in writing which terms are wrong and keep that message.

How employers authenticate employment contracts

This section is for employers and HR staff. Authentication is done through the Establishments Portal by an authorised representative who logs in through NAS with a smart card. Based on the Ministry's announcements (May 2022, October 2023), the process runs:

1. Log in to the Establishments Portal through NAS, using the representative's smart card.
2. Choose the contract category, such as a standard private-sector, specialised or domestic-worker contract.
3. Enter the contract details, identifying the worker by visa number for a first contract or by QID otherwise.
4. Get the worker's approval: an NAS digital confirmation for existing residents, or a physically signed contract in Arabic and the worker's language, uploaded with any attachments the system asks for.
5. Submit for Ministry review. Since 2022 most contracts are checked automatically; specialised professions needing certificate checks are reviewed separately.
6. When the contract is approved, pay the fee online through the Hukoomi payment gateway with a bank card.
7. Download the digitally certified contract. The worker can access it as well.

Both phone numbers, the employer representative's and the worker's, need to be linked to their ID numbers with the telecom provider. The Ministry reported 156,641 contract-authentication applications in the second quarter of 2025 alone (Gulf Times), so expect the system to be busy.

What is Tawtheeq and why is it used?

Tawtheeq is Qatar's National Authentication System (NAS), a single government login. The Ministry of Labour uses it for both the Establishments Portal and the Individuals Portal. Employer representatives typically log in with a smart card; workers log in with their own NAS account linked to their QID. If you do not have an account yet, our guide explains how to register for Tawtheeq and fix common login problems.

Tawtheeq and Metrash are different systems. Tawtheeq is the government sign-in used by many portals, while Metrash is the Ministry of Interior's mobile app. The simple contract-printing portal uses an SMS code rather than a Tawtheeq login.

How much does employment contract authentication cost?

Viewing or printing your own contract has no announced fee. Authentication is paid by the employer online. The Peninsula reported in April 2026 that the specialised contract authentication service carries a QAR 20 fee (The Peninsula).

Transaction	Who pays	Fee
Worker views, downloads or prints a contract	Nobody	No fee announced
Standard private-sector contract authentication	Employer	Shown at the payment stage; we could not confirm a current official figure
Specialised contract authentication	Employer	QAR 20, as reported in April 2026

Some websites quote QAR 60 for standard authentication, but we could not trace that to a Ministry or Hukoomi source. Authentication is an employer transaction, so be wary of anyone who asks a worker to pay to have a contract "verified".

What if your employment contract does not appear?

The usual reason is that authentication is not finished yet, or you entered a different identifier from the one the contract is recorded under. A blank result does not by itself mean your employer has done anything wrong.

Possible cause	What to check
Employer has not submitted, or it is still in review	Ask HR whether authentication is complete and for any transaction reference
Your approval is still pending	Log in to the Individuals Portal and look for a pending contract
Wrong identifier	Try the visa number your first contract was issued under, then your QID
Wrong mobile number	Use the number registered in your own name with your telecom provider
Still at the pre-arrival or QVC stage	Your contract may sit in a different workflow until you arrive
Contract amended or replaced	The current version may be under a new transaction
Portal temporarily unavailable	Try again later, from a different browser or device

1. Check the QID or visa number you entered.
2. Check that the mobile number is registered in your name.
3. Ask HR whether authentication is complete, and for a reference number.
4. Try again through the official portal.
5. If it is still missing, contact the Ministry of Labour.

Why is the employment contract OTP not arriving?

Most OTP failures come from a mobile number that is not registered in your own name or is not the number the system holds. The Ministry has not published how long codes stay valid or how many resends are allowed, so be wary of any guide that quotes exact figures.

Problem	Possible reason	What to do
No SMS at all	Number registered to someone else, such as an employer or relative	Transfer the line into your own name at your telecom provider, or use one already in your name
Number changed recently	Old number still linked to your ID	Update the ID link with your telecom provider, then try again later
Error after entering details	QID/mobile mismatch or a typing error	Re-enter both carefully, then try the visa number
Code rejected	Expired, or an older code used	Request one new code and use only the latest
Code arrives late	Network delay or roaming	Wait a few minutes before requesting again; avoid repeated requests
Page resets or freezes	Browser session problem	Use a private window or another browser
Message blocked	SMS filtering or a full inbox	Check blocked or spam messages

What if your contract details are wrong?

Do not approve or sign it. Ask the employer to correct it, and keep evidence of what was agreed.

1. If approval is still pending, hold back or reject it.
2. Save your offer letter, emails, messages, any draft contract and screenshots of the portal.
3. Write to HR, naming exactly which fields are wrong, such as the salary, job title, employer name, start date or allowances.
4. Give HR a reasonable chance to submit a corrected contract.
5. If the problem continues, file a labour complaint in Qatar through the Ministry's platform.

What if your contract salary is different from your job offer?

Raise it before you approve, because the authenticated contract is the record the Ministry relies on. A job offer does not automatically override the authenticated contract. Article 38 of the Labour Law requires contracts to be written and authenticated by the Ministry, and to set out the agreed wage (Al Meezan).

If you have already approved a lower figure, or the employer pays less than the contract says, keep the offer letter and your payslips or bank statements. For serious disagreements, contact the Ministry of Labour or a qualified lawyer. This guide is not legal advice.

Can you verify a Qatar job offer through the Ministry of Labour?

Partly. An authenticated contract on the official portal is strong evidence, but a pre-arrival candidate may not have one yet. Before arrival, your contract may still be at the visa or Qatar Visa Center stage.

Qatar Visa Center employment contracts

Workers recruited from countries with a Qatar Visa Center sign their employment contract as part of the QVC process, before travelling. The Ministry receives contracts from several channels, and QVC is one of them. The resident print portal may not show a contract that is still at this stage. See our Qatar Visa Center guide for the appointment and work-visa process.

Filipino workers: Ministry of Labour authentication is not the same as Philippine contract verification by the Migrant Workers Office in Doha. MWO verification may require an already authenticated Qatar contract. See our MWO Qatar contract verification requirements.

Domestic worker employment contracts

Domestic workers are covered mainly by Law No. 15 of 2017 on Domestic Workers, not by the ordinary private-sector framework of the Labour Law (Gulf Times). Their contracts must also be authenticated by the Ministry, and the Ministry announced an e-service in 2023 so household employers can do this online without visiting a service centre (QNA).

	Private-sector employee	Domestic worker
Main law	Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, as amended	Law No. 15 of 2017
Who authenticates	The employing establishment	The household employer
Digital service	Standard or specialised contract authentication	Domestic-worker contract authentication

Specialised employment contracts

Since December 2023, the Ministry has offered a service for specialised employment contracts with additional custom clauses, citing professions such as medicine and engineering (QNA). The worker's profession must be on the approved list of specialised occupations and the worker must be licensed under the establishment applying. After approval and payment, both sides can print the contract immediately (The Peninsula, April 2026). Not every doctor or engineer is on a specialised contract; it is the employer's choice to use one.

Fixed-term vs indefinite contracts

Under Article 40 of the Labour Law, a fixed-term contract may not exceed five years and can be renewed. If both sides keep working after it expires without a new agreement, it continues as an indefinite contract on the same terms. Probation is limited to six months under Article 39 (Al Meezan).

Law No. 9 of 2026 amended the Labour Law from July 2026, covering areas such as non-compete clauses, professional licensing, conciliation and enforcement (QNA, Clyde & Co). Published summaries do not list changes to Articles 38 to 40, but check the current text on Al Meezan before relying on any specific provision.

Qatar Ministry of Labour online services

Most Ministry of Labour services require an NAS (Tawtheeq) login; the contract-printing portal is the main exception. Work permits issued by the Ministry of Labour are separate from residence permits, which the Ministry of Interior handles.

Service	For	What it does	Login	Related guide
Contract printing	Workers, employers	View and download authenticated contracts	QID or visa number + SMS code	This guide
Contract authentication	Employers	Submit and authenticate standard contracts	NAS + smart card	This guide
Specialised contract authentication	Employers	Contracts with custom clauses for approved professions	NAS + smart card	This guide
Domestic-worker contract authentication	Household employers	Authenticate domestic-worker contracts online	NAS	This guide
Contract approval	Workers	Approve or reject a contract	NAS	This guide
Change of employer	Workers, new employers	Request to move to a new employer	NAS	Change employer in Qatar
Contract termination notice	Workers	Notify the employer of resignation through the Ministry	NAS	Employer-change process
Work permits	Employers	Issue, renew or cancel work permits where applicable	Establishments Portal	None
Labour complaints	Workers	Report wage, contract and other disputes	See guide	Labour complaint guide

When you change jobs, the new contract is recorded and must be approved by both you and the new employer before authentication, and the legal notice period still applies. Our guide to how you can change sponsorship without an NOC covers the process. Changing a profession can mean updating the work permit and the QID record as well as the contract. Ask HR which records need to change, because these are separate records and the terms are not interchangeable.

How to file a contract-related labour complaint

If your employer pays less than the authenticated contract, refuses to honour its terms or changes it without your agreement, you can complain to the Ministry of Labour. Keep your downloaded contract, offer letter, payslips and messages as evidence. Our step-by-step guide explains how to report a contract dispute to the Ministry of Labour and track the complaint.

Official Ministry of Labour resources

• Ministry of Labour website (mol.gov.qa): e-services, forms and current contact details.
• Employment contract printing portal: view and download authenticated contracts.
• Hukoomi: request e-copy of employment contract: the government portal's service listing.
• Al Meezan: Labour Law, employment contracts chapter: the official legal text.

We have not listed a phone number. Older guides publish 16008 as the Ministry's labour hotline, but we could not confirm it on a current official page. Check the contact page on mol.gov.qa before calling. The Ministry also runs service offices, including in Al Wakrah, Al Khor, Al Shahaniya and the Industrial Area.

Summary

• ADLSA is the old name; the Ministry of Labour runs contract services now, partly on legacy "adlsa" web addresses.
• Workers check and download contracts with a QID or visa number and an SMS code. Employers authenticate contracts through NAS.
• Compare the basic salary, allowances, job title and employer name with your offer before approving.
• No contract usually means authentication is unfinished or you used the wrong identifier.
• For wrong terms, ask HR first, then use the Ministry's complaint process.

About this guide

Last reviewed: 4 October 2026. We checked Ministry of Labour announcements published by QNA, Gulf Times and The Peninsula, the Labour Law text on Al Meezan, and professional reporting by Deloitte and Clyde & Co. The Ministry's portals did not load from outside Qatar during our review, so we describe the steps from the Ministry's published descriptions. We have not tested a contract login ourselves.

Featured image: migrant workers in West Bay, Doha. Photo by Alex Sergeev (www.asergeev.com), via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Corrections: Ministry systems change often. If something here no longer matches the live service, tell us and we will check it against official sources and update the page, with a new review date.

Independent website: QatarVia is independent and is not affiliated with the Ministry of Labour or any Qatar government body. Where this guide and an official source disagree, the official source is correct. Nothing here is legal advice.