Following an earlier news flash, the Ministry of Interior of Qatar has replaced passport stickers and existing ID cards with residence cards. All first time residence card applicants, including children, must now undergo a blood test, as the blood group is printed on the new residence cards.

For the first time, children under the age of 16 must have their own passports and must apply for the new residence cards, and are therefore also subject to the blood test.

Children who are renewing their residence permits must also undergo a blood test since that information has not been captured for them before.

New residence cards are produced for new residence permit applicants, current residents who obtained a new passport, those renewing their existing permits and those who lost their IDs.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals