Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry Introduces Phased Update to Commercial Activity Classifications

I. Introduction

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar (Ministry) has announced a phased update to the commercial activity classifications assigned to companies registered in mainland Qatar. The update aligns existing activity codes with the Unified Classification of Economic Activities. The implementation will proceed in three phases commencing on 1 June 2026. Importantly, the Ministry has confirmed that the updates will be applied automatically and will not require any action by business owners. The reclassification will not affect the nature of any commercial activity or the validity of any commercial registration.

II. Background

The Ministry maintains the registry of commercial activities in Qatar and assigns activity codes to all registered businesses in mainland. As part of its ongoing efforts to modernise the commercial registration framework and align it with international standards, the Ministry is implementing the Unified Classification of Economic Activities. This classification system provides a standardised framework for categorising economic activities, facilitating more precise regulatory oversight, statistical reporting, and alignment with international classification standards.

The transition from the legacy activity codes to the Unified Classification requires a systematic update of the commercial activity designations of all registered companies. The Ministry has structured this transition into three phases to manage the varying degrees of complexity involved in remapping legacy codes to the new classification system.

III. Phased Implementation Timeline

• Phase One: One-to-One Activity Code Updates (commencing 1 June 2026)

During Phase One, the Ministry will update the commercial activities of companies whose existing activity code corresponds directly to a single specific activity under the Unified Classification of Economic Activities. This phase addresses straightforward one-to-one mappings where no ambiguity exists in the reclassification.

• Phase Two: One-to-Multiple Activity Code Updates (commencing 15 June 2026)

During Phase Two, the Ministry will update the commercial activities of companies whose existing activity code corresponds to multiple activities under the Unified Classification. In these cases, a single legacy code will be expanded into several activity classifications to reflect the broader scope of the original registration.

• Phase Three: Mixed Commercial and Industrial Activity Updates (commencing 30 June 2026)

During Phase Three, the Ministry will update the commercial activities of companies that hold mixed commercial and industrial activity registrations. These updates will align such mixed registrations with the Unified Classification of Economic Activities.

IV. Practical Implications and Action Items

• No action required by business owners. The update will be applied automatically by the Ministry. Business owners are not required to submit any applications or take any steps to effectuate the reclassification.
• No impact on the nature of activities. The reclassification is an administrative update to align classification and coding with the Unified Classification. It does not alter the scope or nature of the activities a business is authorised to conduct.
• No impact on commercial registration. The validity and standing of existing commercial registrations will not be affected by the update.
• Review updated registrations. While no action is required, businesses should review their updated activity classifications once the relevant phase has been completed to confirm accuracy and to familiarise themselves with the new codes for future regulatory filings or licensing applications.
• Monitor for downstream effects. Companies should assess whether any contractual arrangements, licensing requirements, or regulatory filings reference specific activity codes that may change as a result of the reclassification and take appropriate steps to update references where necessary.