If you have a non-Qatari driving license, you may drive with this license for a week if you have a license from a country on the approved driving list. If you hold an international driving license, you may use this license for an indefinite period under the recent traffic laws. Americans are no longer eligible to exchange their U.S. license for a Qatari one. Those wishing to obtain a Qatari license will need to take and pass a two-part written and practical test. The written test can be difficult and you can fail the test if you stall your car. However, for the written part, you simply identify a traffic sign for the examiner. Once you have a license, the license will last for five years for residents and 10 years for Qataris.
Car insurance is required by law and is typically a decent value, according to the Qatar Visitors' Guide. However, when you venture into the desert, insurance is not usually valid in these locations. All cars in Qatar require a road permit. Cars older than three years in age must pass a registration inspection before they can receive a permit or insurance.
If you break any Qatari traffic laws, you are able to settle your violation by paying a fine. You may receive points on your license and a fine or just a fine for driving a non-registered vehicle, not displaying a clear license plate or sticker with a valid date of the vehicle license, driving without a renewed license, driving a vehicle without license plates and altering a license plate. Traffic laws mandate that you must abide by the marked road lanes when driving and drive in the right direction. You are not allowed to reverse a vehicle on a main road, except in an emergency situation. Many of the laws are similar to Western driving laws.
If you break these traffic laws, you will have to go to court to settle your violation in Qatar. Driving a vehicle without a license or an invalid license for the vehicle, amateur car racing, destructing roads or destroying traffic signs, driving recklessly or driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other stimulants would be breaking Qatar traffic laws and would require court sentencing. You are not allowed to run from the police or an accident scene, provide false information to obtain a driving license or refuse to give police information during a driving investigation.
