Families in Qatar can claim compensation before the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in India for death or injury in a road accident, mainly from the vehicle's insurer. Claimants sign the petition and affidavits through the Qatari attestation chain or at the Embassy of India. Where the deceased earned in Qatar, the salary can be used to calculate compensation if properly proved. File within six months of the accident.
- Document route
- Qatari notary (Ministry of Justice), Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation, then Embassy of India attestation
- Time difference
- IST is 2h30 ahead of Qatar time all year (no daylight saving)
- Law
- Motor Vehicles Act 1988, as amended in 2019
- Forum
- Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT)
Accident Compensation Claims from Qatar: how it works
The police file, the site plan, the post-mortem or hospital records and the vehicle's insurance policy are collected by our team in India. Qatar income is proved through the employment contract, a salary certificate from the employer, bank statements showing salary credits and, where available, end-of-service records, all attested in Qatar. With no personal tax returns in Qatar, employer documents are the main evidence. The tribunal then works out the family's loss by taking the proved salary, adding future prospects, deducting the deceased's personal expenses and applying a multiplier linked to age.
We generally file at the tribunal for the accident district so the investigating officer and eyewitnesses can be summoned easily. Claimants in Qatar may be examined by video where permitted, and a family member in India can depose about the accident. Insurers frequently make offers at Lok Adalat once evidence is in. The award is deposited and released to the claimants, usually into NRO accounts, and can be remitted to Qatar.
What clients in Qatar should know
- Ask the employer in Qatar for a detailed salary certificate showing basic pay and every allowance.
- Interest on the compensation is taxable in India; the compensation itself is not income.
- Section 166(3) requires the claim within six months of the accident, so start as soon as you can.
Step by step from Qatar
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits Qatar, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in Qatar
Qatari notary (Ministry of Justice), Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation, then Embassy of India attestation
Work in India
Our team files, appears and follows up in India, and shares scans of everything filed.
Result and handover
Certified copies and originals are couriered to you in Qatar where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in Qatar. For the law, the documents and the step-by-step procedure, read our main page on Accident Compensation Claims, or see all services for clients in Qatar and the Disputes & Enforcement practice area.
Questions from clients in Qatar
My husband died in an accident during his leave. Can I claim from Qatar?
Yes. You and the other legal heirs can claim, and his Qatar salary can be used if properly proved.
What if the vehicle was never found?
Hit-and-run cases get only the fixed scheme compensation, not a full tribunal award.
Can the award be sent to Qatar?
Yes, from the NRO account within the annual limit.