Book an appointment with us, or search the directory to find the right lawyer for you directly through the app.
Find out moreThe first Law Update of 2024 is here, and our first focus of the year spotlights Healthcare and Lifesciences, a sector that is undergoing significant growth and development across the MENA region.
Our focus provides an insight into some of the most important regulatory updates across the region, such as the UAE’s groundbreaking law on the use of human genome, Kuwait’s resolution on nuclear and radioactive materials, the new regulations for healthcare services in Qatar, Egypt’s healthcare regulatory framework, and the impact of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law on the healthcare and life sciences sector … and there is so much more!
Beyond the healthcare pages our lawyers share with you multi-sector insights where you will discover articles on Dubai’s DIFC regulatory framework for startups, Bahrain’s commercial agencies law, and we also shed light on Kuwaiti civil code and the advantages of setting up a joint stock company in Saudi Arabia.
Read the full editionAhmed Jaafir - Partner, Head of Corporate Structuring - Qatar - Corporate Structuring / Commercial / Corporate / Mergers and Acquisitions / Capital Markets
April 2014
On 20 January 2014, Qatar Law No.2 of 2014 was passed in order to amend certain provisions of the Engineering Law and the same came into force on 16 March 2014.
Overview of Engineering Law rules
Pursuant to Article 7 of the Engineering Law, no engineer may practice without enrolment in the “Register of Engineers” and no engineering consultancy may be undertaken without enrolment in the “Register of Local Engineering Consultancy Offices” or “Register of International Engineering Consultancy Offices”.
Enrolment in these three registers is considered as a licence to practice in the field of engineering.
Amendments Introduced by Law No. 2 of 2014
1. Members of Enrolment Committee
Law No. 2 of 2014 provides that the Committee approving the enrolment of engineers and engineering consultancy offices (the “ Committee”) shall now be constituted by representatives of each of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning; Ministry of Interior (General Directorate of Civil Defence); Ministry of Energy and Industry; Ministry of Communication and Information Technology; Qatar Petroleum; Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation; Public Works Authority; Qatar University and the Engineering Consultancy Office.
2. Renewal and Expiry of Registrations
Law No.2 of 2014 provides that the period of enrolment in the Register of Engineers shall be three years, and the period of enrolment in the Registers of Local Engineering Consultancy Offices and International Engineering Consultancy Offices shall be two years.
Any enrolment must be renewed within thirty days after expiry of existing enrolment.
Where no renewal has occurred within the specified period above, this will result in a fine of QAR 1,000 being imposed on the engineer and a fine of QAR 10,000 being imposed on the Engineering Consultancy Offices for each month of delay up to a period of three months. After expiry of that three month period the Committee is then empowered to delete the name from the Register. Such a decision will be notified to the violator after which re-enrolment may not take place until the fees for a new enrolment and the existing fines are paid in full.
3. Restrictions imposed over civil servants
The proprietors of Engineering Consultancy Offices and the engineers working in them are prohibited from working in any ministry, public authority and or other governmental institution.
Law No. 2 of 2014 has exempted Qatari nationals teaching engineering profession in any university from this restriction provided they are PHD holders
4. Disciplinary Penalties
4.1 Disciplinary penalties which may be imposed on a violating
engineer are:
4.2 The disciplinary penalties which may be imposed on the violating Local or International Engineering ConsultancyOffices are:
5. Exemptions from the provisions of the Engineering Law
The provisions of the Engineering Law shall no longer apply to the following categories:
No Significant changes
Although engineering practitioners were expecting substantive changes to the Engineering Law in relation to the registration process, the new Law No. 2 of 2014 does not bring any significant changes in this regard.
To learn more about our services and get the latest legal insights from across the Middle East and North Africa region, click on the link below.