Precleared

Guides

Is cold email legal in Qatar?

Yes, to a company's general mailbox (for example info@) at a business identified as a company. Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law protects individuals, meaning natural persons (article 1), and article 22 covers marketing sent to an individual. This is a reading of the definitions, not regulator guidance.

No, to a named person or a free or personal mailbox, without consent. Article 22 forbids direct marketing by electronic communication to an individual except after their prior consent, and the regulator says that consent must be explicit and unambiguous.

Check an address

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The address is checked to give the answer and handled as described in our privacy policy.

The verdict will appear here.

In practice

  • Identify the originator, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a valid address the person can use to stop the messages (article 22).
  • Contact details in Arabic and English and a stop within two business days are also recommended.
  • Firms registered in the Qatar Financial Centre fall under the QFC Data Protection Regulations 2021 instead.

The rules Precleared applies

Before an agent sends a cold or marketing email to someone in Qatar, these are the rules that decide whether it may. Each one is quoted from its legal source and checked on the date shown. Precleared applies them to one address at a time and returns the rule that decided, what the footer must include and a signed receipt.

Consent needed first

A free or personal mailbox identifies an individual, so the address is personal data under Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law 13 of 2016). Article 22 forbids direct marketing by electronic communication to an individual except after their prior consent, and the regulator's guidance says that consent must be explicit and unambiguous; implied consent does not count.

Footer must include: Identify the originator, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a valid address the person can use to stop the messages or withdraw consent (Law 13 of 2016, article 22). Contact details in Arabic and English and a stop within two business days are also recommended.

Next step: Do not cold email this address. Use the person's work address at a company, or get explicit consent first, then re-check.

shall be forbidden, except after obtaining the prior consent thereof

Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law 13 of 2016), article 22

Checked on 7 November 2026

Allowed

This is a company mailbox (for example info@) at a business identified as a company. Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law protects individuals, meaning natural persons (article 1), and article 22 covers marketing sent to an individual, so a company's general mailbox is outside it. No Qatari rule we have found prohibits a business-to-business email to such an address. The law does not say how a company mailbox with no named person is treated, so this is a reading of the definitions, not regulator guidance. Follow the article 22 content rules anyway. Firms registered in the Qatar Financial Centre fall under the QFC Data Protection Regulations 2021 instead, which allow direct marketing on legitimate interests with a right to object; we do not detect QFC registration.

Footer must include: Identify the originator, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a valid address the person can use to stop the messages or withdraw consent (Law 13 of 2016, article 22). Contact details in Arabic and English and a stop within two business days are also recommended.

Next step: Check your opt-out list first, keep the message about the company's business, and stop for good if they ask you to.

Individual: a natural person whose Personal Data are processed

Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law 13 of 2016), article 1 (definitions of Individual and Personal Data)

Checked on 7 November 2026

Consent needed first

A named address identifies an individual, so it is personal data under Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law. Article 22 forbids direct marketing by electronic communication to an individual except after their prior consent, which the regulator says must be explicit and unambiguous. On 24 August 2026 the National Cyber Security Agency reminded organisations to obtain explicit consent before sending promotional email and said people may withdraw it at any time. Breaches carry a fine of up to QAR 1,000,000 (article 23), and up to QAR 1,000,000 for a legal person (article 25).

Footer must include: Identify the originator, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a valid address the person can use to stop the messages or withdraw consent (Law 13 of 2016, article 22). Contact details in Arabic and English and a stop within two business days are also recommended.

Next step: Do not cold email. Get the person's explicit consent first (an opt-in you can evidence), or write to the company's general mailbox instead and re-check.

shall be forbidden, except after obtaining the prior consent thereof

Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law 13 of 2016), article 22

Checked on 7 November 2026

Consent needed first

We could not confirm that this mailbox belongs to a company rather than a person. Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law forbids direct marketing by electronic communication to an individual without prior consent (article 22), and Qatar has no free company register we can query, so the legal form has to come from the recipient's website or your own records.

Footer must include: Identify the originator, say clearly that the message is direct marketing, and give a valid address the person can use to stop the messages or withdraw consent (Law 13 of 2016, article 22). Contact details in Arabic and English and a stop within two business days are also recommended.

Next step: Confirm the business is a company (W.L.L., L.L.C., Q.S.C., Q.P.S.C. or S.P.C. on its website or commercial registration) and re-check with company_name, write to a company role address instead, or get explicit consent first.

shall be forbidden, except after obtaining the prior consent thereof

Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law 13 of 2016), article 22

Checked on 7 November 2026

Sources

Check one address

curl https://precleared.dev/api/v1/check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pc_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "recipient_email": "jane@example.com.qa",
    "sender_country": "GB",
    "pitch": "Bookkeeping software for small firms",
    "address_source": "published",
    "recipient_country": "QA"
  }'

Over MCP, call contact_check with the same fields at https://precleared.dev/mcp.

Common questions

Can I cold email a Qatari company's info@ address?

Yes, if the business is a company (for example a W.L.L., Q.S.C. or Q.P.S.C.). Follow the article 22 content rules and stop for good if they ask you to.

Can I cold email a named person at a Qatari company?

Not without their explicit consent. Article 22 forbids electronic direct marketing to an individual without prior consent.

Is there a Qatari company register I can check?

There is no free company register we can query. The legal form has to come from the company's website or its commercial registration.

Across countries

Other countries

Decision support with sources, not legal advice.