Two Metrash residency services you can complete without visiting a centre

Qatar's Ministry of Interior (MoI) has highlighted two key residency services available through the Metrash application, letting users grant a sponsor's approval for changing employers or request an exemption from the legal period for staying outside the country — without a trip to the General Directorate of Passports or a Unified Services Centre. In a video shared on its official social media channels, the ministry said the digital options are part of continuing efforts to simplify procedures, improve access and raise awareness of the widening range of services on the app.

Granting sponsor approval to change employers

To issue a sponsor's approval transferring a resident to a new employer, the ministry outlined the following steps in Metrash:

1.  Open the Residency section.

2.  Select Change Employer.

3.  Under the service type, choose Issue Sponsor Approval.

4.  Enter the resident's Qatar ID number.

5.  Under Type of NOC, select Change to New Employer.

Requesting an exemption for time spent outside Qatar

The process for requesting an exemption from the legal period spent outside the country is almost identical — with one change at the final step:

1.  Open the Residency section and select Change Employer.

2.  Choose Issue Sponsor Approval and enter the resident's Qatar ID number.

3.  Under Type of NOC, select Legal Period Outside Country.

In both cases, once the entered details are reviewed and the request confirmed, the No Objection Certificate (NOC) is generated within the application.

Part of a wider digital push

The awareness campaign is the latest in the ministry's broader drive to expand digital government services through Metrash. In recent weeks it has also promoted options allowing users to submit confidential information to the Criminal Investigation Department, track official documents sent via Qatar Post, approve and update expatriate employment contracts before arrival in Qatar, and pay Qatar Visa Centre fees and book medical examination appointments online — all aimed at cutting the need for in-person visits.