Radiation Licence Types in Qatar: Personal and Institutional
September 18, 2026
8 min read
DITEC Experts, Radiation Protection Team, ALDuha Institute for Training and Environmental Consulting
Two types, and one of them has three stages
A radiation licence in Qatar comes in two types: a personal licence granted to an individual to practise radiation work, and an institutional licence granted to a legal person. The institutional licence is not one licence but three consecutive stages — site licence, then facility licence, then practice licence. A facility that believes it holds the licence while it is still at the first stage is still barred from operating.
Article 9 of the Executive Regulation gives the Council, in the field of radiation protection, the issuing of two licences: the personal licence, for individuals to practise work in the various radiation fields; and the institutional licence, covering the site, the facility and the practice. The same article adds that the Council sets the duration of each type of licence according to the practices, the nature of the radioactive sources used and the risks expected - the duration is set case by case and is not uniform.
The personal licence
Article 10 of the Regulation makes the personal licence available to natural persons, authorising them to practise radiation work for professional purposes such as medicine, engineering, pharmacy, industry and research, and other professions and fields of employment that involve radiation work, including the transport, storage and handling arising from commercial operations.
The practical point: transport, storage and trading arising from commercial operations are named in the text of the personal licence. A driver moving radioactive material is not outside the licensing system.
The institutional licence and its three stages
The article names explicit examples of what a practice licence covers, among them non-destructive testing services, the use of ionising radiation for industrial purposes, and the operation of accelerators, reactors, factories, mines and laboratories.
Health facilities are a coordinated route: licensing clinics and hospitals that use radioactive materials or sources is done in coordination with the Ministry of Health as regards the licensing requirements and conditions, and the same applies at site stage to places designated for diagnosis or therapy with radiation and to nuclear medicine facilities.
The three stages (Executive Regulation, Article 11)
| Stage | What it authorises | When it is needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Site licence | Authorising the place intended to be used for owning or manufacturing any radiation source, or for establishing any nuclear or radiation facility | Before purchase or construction |
| 2. Facility licence | Authorising nuclear or radiation facilities that are constructed or rented in order to carry out any type of radiation work in them | After the site licence, on construction or rental |
| 3. Practice licence | Authorising the operation or use of any nuclear or radiation facility, radioactive material or radiation device, or benefiting from them in any form | Before actual operation begins |
The most expensive mistake
Building an X-ray room or a source store before obtaining the site licence. Article 6 of the Law places the selection of any site, and the construction of any buildings for that practice, among the things that may not be done without a licence. Building first and applying afterwards means a building that may have to be modified - and the modification itself requires a licence under the fourth category.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a personal licence and an institutional licence together?
The two differ in who is addressed: the personal licence addresses the individual, the institutional licence addresses the legal person. A facility whose staff work in the radiation field deals with both routes.
I rented a ready-built premises — do I need a facility licence?
Yes. Article 11 covers facilities that are constructed or rented for any type of radiation work.
How long does a licence last?
There is no uniform duration. Article 9 provides that the Council sets the duration of each type according to the practices, the nature of the radioactive sources used and the risks expected.
My company provides non-destructive testing at client sites — which licence applies?
Article 11 names non-destructive testing services expressly as an example of what a practice licence authorises.
How the Institute can help
The next article covers a lighter route your facility may qualify for: registration instead of licensing for low or medium risk practices, its five conditions, and the statutory time limit the authority is bound by.
Related services: review of building drawings for rooms containing radioactive sources, shielding calculations, and preparation of the radiation protection programme.
Scope of what the Institute does: training and consulting. Field radiation surveys are carried out through specialist partners working in the field. The Institute does not carry out laboratory analysis, instrument calibration or equipment testing.
This explanation is published for awareness by the radiation protection team at ALDuha Institute for Training and Environmental Consulting. The English text is an explanation, not a certified translation: the Arabic text published in the Official Gazette governs in case of any difference, and this article does not replace the official text or advice from the competent authority. Last updated 18 September 2026.