What To Wear in Doha, Qatar (Dress Code)

Qatar is well known for its traditional clothing, which displays the modesty of Muslims. Women are veiled and covered from head to toe, preserving their beauty. The men wear long trousers and a white thobe. New visitors often wonder, What to wear in Doha, Qatar?

They often fear offending the locals or breaking the laws by wearing something that isn’t culturally accepted. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this post, where we’ll tell you in detail about the Qatar dress codes for men, women, and even children in private or public places.

What To Wear In Doha? Explore Traditional Dress Code

When you’re visiting Qatar, dress respectfully. Wear clothes that fully cover your shoulders and also the knees, especially when you’re going to any religious or public place. It’s not normal to wear shorts above knees, skirts, or tee tops in the country. If you plan to visit mosques, you can explore mosques and Islamic centers in Qatar to understand the cultural expectations better.

You can wear any cotton and linen clothes to cope with the hot desert environment of the country.

What Should You Wear As A Visitor In Qatar? Qatar Dress For Visitors

You can wear your ordinary clothes as long as they’re not too revealing or disrespect any race or group of people. They should cover your shoulders, knees, and chest fully. It’s okay to wear T-shirts, team jerseys, polo shirts, or sweatpants or cargo pants. 

You can respectfully skip the traditional dress as you’re not bound to wear it. There are different, better dress codes for men and women in Qatar that you can consider for yourself to align with the culture and traditions

Qatar Doha Dress Code For Men

Men can wear their ordinary clothes, such as team jerseys, T-shirts, or trousers, but they should be full-length or quarter-length if they’re wearing shorts.  Whatever dresses you choose to wear, make sure they’re at least knee-length, as wearing anything above that isn’t so normal in Doha, Qatar.

What To Avoid?

Being topless in public or wearing sleeveless tank tops or slogan T-shirts that offend somebody isn’t normal in the country.

Qatar Doha Dress Code For Women

Since you’re in a Muslim country, it’s their culture for women to be covered from head to toe. Though showing the face is optional, and they may or may not do so. 

Being a female visitor, you’re not expected to fully cover your body or wear any traditional attire. But you should wear something that isn’t overexposed, yet comfortable for you. During Doha Ramadan timings, modest dressing is even more appreciated in public places.

What To Avoid?

Wearing any too low necklines that show the cleavage or the midriff isn’t normal in Qatar. The spaghetti straps, transparent clothing, or any sort of see-through blouses should be avoided as they’re not common in the country. It’s better to skip sleeveless tops or anything too tight that shows off too much.

What Should Children Wear In Qatar?

There aren’t any hard rules for the dress of the children in Qatar before puberty. You can dress them based on the cold and the hot weather of the country.

For desert trips, camel rides, or sandboarding, you can consider closed-toe shoes. The cotton dress and the leggings work great for the hot weather. 

Teenagers in Qatar wear conservative clothes very often, like boys wear long trousers, while girls wear leggings under their dresses. For family trips, ensure you have your family visit visa for Qatar ready if you’re traveling with kids.

What To Avoid?

You should avoid letting your child play in the swimming pool just wearing their underwear. You should also stop them from being naked in public, no matter how young they are.

What If You Don’t Follow These Dress Codes?

Don’t worry, there’s no specific law or regulations where you can get arrested for not following these dress codes in Qatar. You can wear whatever you want. However, it’s about what’s normal and what’s not. 

Wearing revealing clothes in the country isn’t against the law, but it’s not normal and may make people uncomfortable around you. They may not consider it appropriate and, hence, may not get along so well with you. 

So, out of respect, you’re encouraged to wear clothes that aren’t offensive and also align with the culture of the country.

What is Qatar Traditional Dress In Private Or Public Places?

People in Qatar wear different clothes in different places. What they wear in private hotels, swimming pools, or beaches is totally different from what they wear in public, at religious places, and also in malls.

Let’s tell you some of the traditional dress codes for Qatar for females and males, for private and public places, to align with the culture.

Swimming Dress Codes For Women

Wearing bikinis or regular swimsuits isn’t normal in the country. You can wear such revealing clothes at private pools or beaches. When you leave the beach, make sure you cover up your body fully. Most women wear full-length burkinis in swimming pools, and so should you.

The best is to pay attention to the signs posted on the beaches and pools about the dress standards. Make sure you follow the rules. Popular beaches like Katara Beach often post clear guidelines.

Workplace Dress In Qatar

Following are the normal dresses that people wear at work in Qatar.

• Men: Unlike other countries where men wear suits to go to work, you’ll rarely see them in Qatar. The men usually wear lightweight trousers and long-sleeved shirts.
• Women: women can wear skirts or trousers, but not to knee length. Sleeveless tops aren’t normally worn in offices. The Muslim women also wear the traditional abaya in their office most of the time.

Those working under the Qatar Labour Law and Wage Protection System also follow formal attire standards.

What Do Qataris Wear Normally?

Qataris often wear the following types of dress:

Men’s Clothing

• Qatari men wear a long white thobe with loose pants and a headscarf called a ghutra, held by a black band called igal.

Women’s Clothing in Qatar

• Most Qatari women wear a black abaya and a shayla headscarf. Some choose to cover their face with a burqa, and older women may wear a niqab.

2024 Guideline: Dress Code Rules for Government Employees in Qatar

These are some official clothing rules set by the government of Qatar in 2024 for both men and women.

• Qatari men wear traditional thobe, ghutra, and igal.
• Bisht color changes by time of day in summer; winter bisht worn Dec–Apr.
• Morning (white), midday (blonde), evening (black) for formal events.
• Non-Qatari men must wear dark suits with a shirt and tie.
• Qatari women wear an abaya with a head covering.
• Non-Qatari women wear formal, modest business suits.
• No short, tight clothes, flashy makeup, or bright colors.
• Sports shoes are allowed only for medical reasons.
• Clothes must be opaque, simple, and logo-free.
• Modest, neat hairstyles are expected.

How To Dress For Visiting Qatar? Best TIps

When it comes to dressing in Qatar, you must consider the weather and modesty as well. The weather depends on what month you’re visiting. 

If it’s May to September, these are the hot months, and you should wear light, airy clothes. If you’re a woman, you can wear long skirts, culottes, or a maxi dress. 

While men can wear their normal t-shirt, pants, and so on. Carrying a light jacket will also help you if you feel too cold in the air conditioning of the hotels.

Consider wearing layered clothing and light wear or a jacket if you visit the country from November to February. These are the mild cool months where the temperature goes from 15°C to–30°C.

Besides these, you can carry your regular things with you like sunglasses, sunscreen, any creams, or also a hat or caps.

Final Words

What to wear in Doha, Qatar? Everybody in Qatar wears modest clothes, whether men or women. They wear dresses that fully cover their shoulders, knees, and other parts of their bodies. The women also wear an abaya, some covering their faces while some with their faces open, and the rest of their bodies covered. On the other hand, the men wear long-sleeved t-shirts and also knee-length trousers. Furthermore, they most often also wear their traditional white thobes.

Though you as a visitor aren’t expected to wear this traditional attire but whatever you wear, make sure it’s conservative, not too revealing, and also not too tight. Avoid wearing see-through blouses, transparent clothes, sleeveless tank tops, or too low necklines that expose your midriff or cleavage.