Launching a nursing agency in Qatar is exciting, but the rules are strict. One wrong step can delay approvals or limit where your staff can work.
Our team will guide you on what an HSA is, the steps and requirements to register a nursing agency in Qatar, where your staff can legally work, and how to complete CR → HCFLD → DHP — all backed by official DHP/MoPH circulars
Our team, Meem Business Services, has years of experience in company formation and medical facility registration in Qatar. We typically complete registrations within ~1.5 months (most of the time), align every step with MoPH and DHP regulations, and build SOPs and HR policies that meet current standards.
What is a Healthcare Services Agency (HSA)?
In Qatar, a nursing agency is licensed as a Healthcare Services Agency (HSA). It isn’t a walk-in clinic; it assigns licensed professionals to approved sites:
- Patient homes
- Schools and nurseries
- Companies and construction sites
- Other licensed healthcare facilities
The agency itself is authorized by MoPH/HCFLD, and every professional you deploy must hold an appropriate DHP license for their scope.
There is also a separate Home Nurse pathway for nurses sponsored by the patient/family, allowing practice in the home only. DHP Circular 15/2023
We’ll cover scope-by-scope permissions in the next section on practice-setting limits, with the full table.
Approvals You Need to Start a Healthcare Agency in Qatar
In Qatar, nursing business approvals come from more than one authority. Your agency authorization and your clinicians’ licenses move on separate tracks, and both must stay aligned. Compliance is a shared responsibility between the agency and each practitioner.
| Area | What it Covers | Who Approves |
|---|---|---|
| Company setup | Trade name, Commercial Registration (CR), articles | Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MOCI) |
| Premises & trade license | Office lease, municipality trade license, signage | Municipality (Baladiya) |
| Agency/facility authorization | License for a Healthcare Services Agency (HSA) | MoPH – Healthcare Facilities Licensing Dept. (HCFLD) |
| Practitioner licensing | Evaluation and license by scope (nurses, physicians, AHPs) | MoPH – Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) |
Why this matters: You’ll register your company and office (MOCI/Baladiya) while, at the same time, filing your HSA application with HCFLD and licensing each clinician with DHP under the correct scope. If one part doesn’t match, you can face delays or limits on where staff can work.
Steps to Set Up Your Nursing/Healthcare Services Agency
Use this roadmap to move fast without rework. Keep each step aligned with MoPH/DHP rules to avoid delays.
1. Choose Your Business Model
Decide whether you’ll operate as a Healthcare Services Agency (HSA) that assigns licensed staff to approved settings, or also use the Home Nurse route (home‑only, family‑sponsored).
What to prepare: a short plan listing the scopes you’ll deploy, the settings you’ll cover, and key clients.
2. Incorporate Your Company
Reserve your trade name, obtain your Commercial Registration (CR), and draft articles.
What to prepare: owner IDs, articles, office address. Use the same legal name/address across all filings.
3. Secure Your Office & Municipal License
Lease a suitable office and get your municipality trade license and signage approval.
What to prepare: lease agreement, unit number, signage plan. Why it matters: HCFLD and DHP filings reference this address.
4. Obtain MoPH Agency Authorization
Apply for your Healthcare Services Agency license with MoPH/HCFLD and make sure your activities match what your staff can legally do.
What to prepare: org chart, staffing plan by scope, scope‑aligned job descriptions, governance overview, and a simple client contract template.
5. Build Clinical Governance & Documentation
Put in place clear SOPs so staff practice safely and within scope: patient safety, documentation & handover (SBAR), medication management, delegation/supervision, escalation, and incident reporting.
6. License Your Practitioners With DHP
Create DHP accounts, complete DataFlow/PSV, apply for evaluation, then licensing per scope. For Home Nurse, DHP may require the Qatar National Exam and generally two years of recent nursing experience.
Helpful Read: DataFlow Good Standing in Qatar (2025)
7. HR & Operations Readiness
Recruit per scope, keep verification files, map rosters to allowed settings, and train staff on documentation and escalation.
What to prepare: roster with scopes and allowed settings, shift templates, escalation contacts, and an audit checklist.
8. Launch, Monitor, and Renew
Track licenses, renewals, CME/CPD (as applicable), and DataFlow validity. Run quarterly internal audits against DHP rules and keep experience letters from facilities for renewals.
Planning Help: see DHP Processing Time Qatar
Practice-Setting Limits (What Each Scope Can Do)
In Qatar, DHP decides where each license can work. These limits are strict and they differ by scope. You must follow them when you assign staff.
Nursing
- Registered General Nurse (RGN): may work in homes, schools/nurseries, companies/construction sites, and other licensed facilities.
- Nurse Technician (NT): may work in homes and nurseries; not in company/construction clinics (and not general school clinics). Use the NT title (not “Assistant Nurse”).
- Nurse Trainee: not allowed under Healthcare Services Agencies (HSAs).
- Home Nurse is a separate license for care in the home only under patient/family sponsorship.
Physicians
- Family Medicine / General Practitioner / Community Medicine / Internal Medicine: homes, schools/nurseries, companies/construction sites, and facilities.
- Pediatrics: homes and schools/nurseries; not companies/construction sites.
- Occupational Medicine: companies/construction sites; not homes or schools/nurseries.
Key Compliance Table (Quick-Glance)
Use this to verify each practitioner’s scope before assignment.
| Role / Scope | Homes | Schools / Nurseries | Companies / Construction | Licensed Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered General Nurse (RGN) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nurse Technician (NT) | ✓ | ✓ (nurseries only) | ✗ | — |
| Nurse Trainee | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | — |
| Family Medicine (Physician) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pediatrics (Physician) | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Occupational Medicine (Physician) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Compliance References
- DHP Circular (13/2022): Guidelines for HSA‑licensed practitioners
- DHP Circular (DHP/2024/02): Physician specialties allowed in HSAs
- DHP Circular (15/2023): Home Nurse scope & licensing
FAQs
We Help You Start a Nursing Agency in Qatar
With years of proven experience, Meem simplifies MoPH & DHP licensing in Qatar. From company formation to healthcare facility registration, we combine speed and compliance so your nursing agency launches without delays.
- MoPH approvals & documentation support
- DHP licensing & e‑portal management
- SOPs & HR policies aligned with current regulations
- Employment contracts, HR files & onboarding tools
