Embassy of the state of Qatar to Canada urges all visiting Qatari citizens to abide by the laws in order to give the right impression about the state of Qatar and its people, and to avoid legal actions such as interrogation, imprisonment or expulsion, the Canadian authorities do not entertain acts of breaking the law.  

Tips on living in the country – for citizens:

• Those who are willing to visit Canada must make sure that their passport is valid for a period not less than six months, and to make sure to obtain a Canadian visa.

• Before landing at the Canadian airports, passengers will be given an authorization form to fill their personal details, make sure to fill all the details identical to the ones written on your passport, any person with wrong information on their passport is advised to correct the mistake prior to travelling.

• Visitors are required by law to declare any amounts ( cash or cheques ) more than 10,000 $, as well as to declare other materials such as jewelry, food, tobacco and alcohol, therefore, a detailed information about the baggage should be given to the customs staff, please note that some countries have rules about carries belongings on flights, we advise our citizens to view and be fully aware of such rules, and we don’t advise to carry big amounts of cash, you may use your credit card instead . 

• You must abide by the traffic laws, especially having a valid driver’s license, Parking and speed limits, Canadian laws are strict in dealing with traffic law violations which may lead to consequences starting with fines and up to imprisonment.  

• In case of any legal issue “god forbids”, we advise the citizens to remain silent during questioning or interrogation and demand to be represented by an official lawyer, and in case of receiving a court order to attend to court, he/she must do so on the time required with the representing lawyer to avoid being Sentenced in absentia.

• Cultural differences must be carefully noted, there are several behaviours which are deemed unacceptable or at least unfamiliar and might lead to legal actions, kissing, hugging or talking to foreign children is considered as an unacceptable behaviour and illegal, talking to teenagers on social network or inviting them alone to your residence is illegal, therefore avoid complimenting anyone you don’t know as it may be considered as a sexual harassment   

• Avoid being tough on your children in public or at home as it is considered illegal, and it give the right to the authorities to arrest you and file charges of child abuse which may lead to losing custody of your children.

• Any family dispute must be solved and remain within the family members, incase if this dispute reaches to the public authorities, it will fall under public rights, therefore the charges will not be dropped even if the accusing party withdrawn his/her accusation.

• In case if you were accompanied by your housekeeper or nanny, you must note that by the law they should have their legal documentations with them, limited working hours, brake time, they are allowed to go out, and the Canadian law sets the minimum salary rates, any violation to these laws will put you in legal liabilities to civil and criminal charges.