Couple moving from London to Doha - any and all advice appreciated!

Hi...

Most people above have focussed on the fact that you aren't married....this really could prove to be a problem as living together without being married is illegal here.

There is a huge ex-pat community here - from UK, USA, Europe, South Africa, Australia and Asia.

The tax free salaries are good....career opportunities are good.

Cost of living is high...especially socializing as all restaurants serving alcohol are only in four or five star hotels....ditto for bars/clubs. Plus cost for food, clothing etc in general is quite high here.

You can fly to Dubai for the weekend and people do. But you need to get an exit permit from your employer/sponsor every single time you do this. It can be a pain to arrange last minute.

Also if you are commiting to come to Doha it really isn't a good idea to focus on Dubai being your saving grace. Otherwise you may as well just try to find a job in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

It is much more conservative here than Dubai but not as strict as Saudi. I am a single female living here and feel very safe and can comfortably go out alone. Also woman are not required to cover their hair here - it is appreciated if knees and shoulders are covered and if females wear short shorts or mini dresses and strappy vest they do get stared it....by qatari's and labourers alike - it attracts a lot of attention you don't need.

But your main big question to your potential employer has to be about the fact that you are not married. Also if you are not married she can not come in under your sponsorship and would have to find her own sponsor. And without a sponsor you can not get a residence permit or work. Good luck with it all....

There is a fairly large expat community in Doha but it's about 80% plus South Asian & that's a conservative estimate...there is sweet f%$&@all to do for young people or even slightly older people with anything remotely resembling a life,it's perfect for middle-aged people with 2 or more screaming brats to take care of,if that's any consolation...how does Doha compare to Dubai?,it doesn't mate,Dubai is a global city now,it can't really be classified as a "gulf" city,Doha on the other hand is very much a "Gulf" city...Yes,it's VERY common for people to fly to Dubai for the weekend(thank you God for FlyDubai Air Arabia.),see above answer re: things to do for young people,if you're wondering why people might want to GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE,even if it's for the weekend!...as for being conservative,Doha defines the word...cost of living is high or low depending on what your definition of high or low is...basic stuff is fairly reasonable but steadily rising,rents were @ one point ridiculous,now slightly less so but still fairly ridiculous for what you get for your buck(make sure your package has accomodation)...for a young unmarried twentysomething couple,this city would easily rate as one of the LAST places on the planet to be,would i recommend it? absolutely not...now,let's cut to the chase mate,in case you were wondering what the catch is,for that sweet tax-free paycheck you're going to get @ the end of every month,read the above...life as you know it is going to change big time mate,prepare to give up A LOT...going by past experience,you guys will probably stay for 2-3 years by which time you'd have completely had it with living here but would probably have saved up more than you would've in double the time back home so that would be a significant albeit solitary gain...really depends on what you're looking for mate,MOST young expats come here pretty much aware of what they're getting into but the lure of the tax-free money in these times of financial turmoil is too much to give up,so they suck it up & deal it with it for a couple of years,save up & get the hell out...good luck!!

As has been said, living together without benefit marriage is illegal. An additional problem for you (if it is indeed the case) is the difference of ethnicity - you will stand out like a sore thumb and draw unwanted attention to yourselves simply because one of you is not a white Westerner.

Further, neither of you can sponsor the other (and you do need sponsorship), nor will an employer sponsor the partner of an unmarried employee.

Unfortunately, many people judge each other by their ethnicity here and they will take you at "face" value. It may even translate into your being paid substantially less than a similarly qualified white candidate - and you have no recourse.

Many people visit Dubai on the weekends, you will need an exit pass - depending on the employer this is easy, in other cases it's basically a way to ensure you cannot leave the country unless your employer allows it.

You need to do a lot more research other than asking about entertainment issues before coming to Doha (or anywhere else in the GCC as much of the problems you will face will be similar).

Little addition to kiwiz’s answer,

Cost of living is way too expensive as compared with Dubai.

You will have to take exit permit for each travel (outside country).

Best of Luck if you can make out below:

1. Married couple(Excellent).

2. Damn respect for WOMEN(Gulf Countries).

3. Money back Guaranty(Career Opportunities).

Qatar is Qatar when compared to other Countries!

All the Best!

Hi,

I have recently come from the UK and it is a cultural shock. If you are a muslim then you would find it enlightening.

I suspect what you are asking is whether you can continue your london lifestyle here in Doha, well the answer is NO, NO, NO. This is a very conservative country, if you had dubai on one end of the scale and Saudi at the other end, then Doha is very much closer to the Saudi end.

Dubai is a totally western place, whereby anything goes, there is little if any Arabic culture left there. The Qatari people are very protective of their culture. The only way to retain your London ways is to frequent the 4*, 5* hotels which cater for this but you will need to be very well paid to maintain this, eg. glass of wine is 9 pounds.

Anyway, only come to Doha if you are prepared to leave your London lifestyle behind, otherwise it might get you into a lot of trouble and heartache.

Bye

Hi,

I have recently come from the UK and it is a cultural shock. If you are a muslim then you would find it enlightening.

I suspect what you are asking is whether you can continue your london lifestyle here in Doha, well the answer is NO, NO, NO. This is a very conservative country, if you had dubai on one end of the scale and Saudi at the other end, then Doha is very much closer to the Saudi end.

Dubai is a totally western place, whereby anything goes, there is little if any Arabic culture left there. The Qatari people are very protective of their culture. The only way to retain your London ways is to frequent the 4*, 5* hotels which cater for this but you will need to be very well paid to maintain this, eg. glass of wine is 9 pounds.

Anyway, only come to Doha if you are prepared to leave your London lifestyle behind, otherwise it might get you into a lot of trouble and heartache.

Bye

As far as I know umbrellas,profuse kisses planted while on queue and elevators,the english stiff lip,and the english menu can be best if left behind. A marriage certificate and sun screen would be very much welcome. You can even manage to marry in Doha at half the cost of UK.All the best!

Doha is not Dubai and definayely, co-habiting of non-married couples is illegal, so seriously think again!.

Appart from that this is a place to make a bit of money and enjoy a bit of sun, It is completely opposite to the western culture, if you are willing to observe and embrace a completly different kind of lifestyle your most welcome.

There are a few bars and clubs here, outings and beach etc.

So really think before you come out here what are you coming out here for?

Unmarried couples are not permitted to live together so please make some inquiries into this from your prospective company before you make the decision to move here.