Authentication/Certification Services

The US-Qatar Business Council develops, supports, and advances the bilateral relationship between the United States and the State of Qatar.

US-Qatar Business Council offers a service to process commercial documents to facilitate the trade relationship between the United States and the State of Qatar. USQBC is the only authorized entity to certify export documents.

Commercial Documents Include:

• Certificates of Origin
• Commercial Invoices
• Halal Certificates
• Health Certificates
• Letters of Credit 
• Packing List

Certification Requirements: 

• All shipments require a Certificate of Origin (℅) and a Commercial Invoice (C/I). Other required and related documents should be replaced under the C/O and the C/I. 
• All commercial documents must be signed by an authorized person or agent of the company and notarized by a notary public (unsigned and/or non-notarized documents will be rejected and returned). Local Chambers of Commerce certification is not required on any of these documents unless used as a notary.
• All Certificates of Origin must state the full name and address of the manufacturer in the USA (or other country with an appended declaration to C/O) on company letterhead.
• All Commercial Invoices should contain at least six-digit Harmonized System (HS) Codes (i.e. Schedule B Number) for items in that shipment.

Certification Fees:

• The US-Qatar Business Council charges $45.00USD per certification stamp. 
• USQBC accepts money orders and certified checks made payable to US-Qatar Business Council
• The Embassy of the State of Qatar fees can be viewed here: http://washington.embassy.qa/en/services/consular-services#attestation-of-commercial-documents

For application processing, please contact us at: 

Email:	ProcessingCtr@usqbc.org
Phone:	(202) 457-8555
Fax:	(202) 457-1919
Address:	1700 New York Ave NW Suite 330 Washington, DC 20006
Business Hours:	9:00AM-5:00PM EST

Attestation of Commercial Documents (Click Here for Embassy Website): 

Beneficiaries of this service:
Expats, Business, Investors, & Visitors.

Service Procedures:
The service aims to provide a legal approval of the commercial documents to be used in and outside of Qatar, such as:

• Country of Origin
• Bill of Landing (Manifesto)
• Commercial Contracts
• Invoices
• Terms & Requirements

The Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or one of its branches, may ratify the stamp or signature of the Chamber of Commerce or any other ministry or authority approved by the Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

General Instructions:

• The document sent for attestation must include a group of stamps and signatures ending with a stamp and signature approved by Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• The authorities of the Government of the State of Qatar are responsible for ratification of documents issued by them, as well as copies of those documents.
• Qatar Chamber of Commerce approves stamps and signatures of some translation offices.
• If the information on an attested document or any of its signatures or stamps turns out to be incorrect, the attestation will be considered void and null, in which case the department of consular affairs will reserve the right to file claims to the concerned authorities in Qatar.

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its affiliates are not responsible for the contents of the document. However, they will refuse to ratify any document of which the content proves to be contrary to the regulations of the State of Qatar.

Statement	Qatari Riyal	US Dollar
Certificate of origin, bill of lading, commercial contracts, commercial agencies (all types).	QAR 150	$41
Documents (civil, personal, judicial, medial and academic certificates, or any document, contract, certificate not mentioned in this table).	QAR 100	$27
Price of the fixed exchange rate of the Qatari Riyal against the US Dollar.	3.64

Fees for Other Commercial Documents:

	Fees in Qatari Riyal			Fees in US Dollars
From	Up To	Fee	From	Up To	Fee
0.00	15,000	QAR 500	0.00	4,121	$138
15,001	100,000	QAR 1,000	4,122	27,473	$275
100,001	250,000	QAR 2,500	27,474	68,681	$687
250,001	1,000,000.	QAR 5,000.	68,682	274,725	$1,374
1,000,001+	0.6%		274,726+.	0.6%

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

Q: When can documents be dropped off to the USQBC US office?

A: Documents may be dropped off Monday - Friday, between 11:30am - 01:30pm (EST), with the exception of holidays and office closures.

 

Q: Will I receive the documents after 3 days?

A: Your documents will be ready for pick-up within 2-3 business days. You will need to notify your mail courier/processor that your document(s) are ready for pickup.

 

Q: Does USQBC process/authenticate documents seven days a week?

A: No. USQBC processes documents Monday - Friday with the exception of holidays and office closures.

 

Q: Does USQBC offer rush authentication services?

A: Yes. We offer expedited authentication services for a flat fee of $50 per 10-stamp increments per package.

 

Q: How much will I have to pay if I need my document quickly and it requires 11 stamps?

A: USQBC offers an expedited authentication service for a flat fee of $50 per 10-stamp increments per package.

 

Q: If utilizing FedEx or UPS, will I need to provide a return label or return envelope?

A: Yes. In order to process FedEx or UPS deliveries, we require a return label to be included along with a return envelope.

 

Q: How do I process documents using services other than FedEx or UPS?

A: If using a mail processor other than UPS or FedEx, we will require the company name and delivery agent name in full in order to grant access to the building. We will also require the number of documents requiring stamps prior to sending your documents.

 

Q: Do all documents need to be received in a sealed envelope?

A: Yes. All documents must be received in a sealed envelope.

 

Q: How long does document processing take for authentication?

A: Document processing will take 2-3 business days for authentication to be complete.