Qatar bank holidays 2026 and 2027
Qatar has 12 bank or public holidays listed here between November 2026 and December 2027. Over the year-end peak (1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027) the dates to plan around are: Fri 18 Dec 2026 (Qatar National Day), Fri 1 Jan 2027 (Year-end closing holiday).
Currency: QAR · Time zone: Asia/Qatar · Subscribe to this calendar (.ics)
Why this matters for prefunding
When Qatar banks or payment rails close, a top-up sent to a local payout partner may not land until the next business day. Remittance demand often rises around the same holidays. Fund the corridor before the closure, sized for the closed days plus your normal top-up lead time. Check your corridor runway.
Holiday calendar
| Date | Holiday | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 18 Dec 2026 | Qatar National Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Article 2 of Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025; also a holiday for banks under Article 4. Falls on a Friday, a weekend day, and the decision gives no substitute day. In 2025 the Amiri Diwan announced the National Day holiday two days ahead. |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | Year-end closing holiday | bank holiday | Confirmed | Article 4 of Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025 makes 1 January a holiday for the QCB and the institutions it supervises. Falls on a Friday, a weekend day. |
| Tue 9 Feb 2027 | National Sport Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Second Tuesday of February under Article 2 of Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025; also a bank holiday. Tuesday. |
| Sun 7 Mar 2027 | Bank Holiday | bank holiday | Confirmed | First Sunday of March under Article 4 of Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025; the QCB announces it each year (Sunday 1 March in 2026). Sunday. |
| Mon 8 Mar 2027 | Bank bridge day or first Eid al-Fitr day (possible) | bank holiday | Expected | Becomes a bank holiday if the QCB Eid al-Fitr holiday starts on Tuesday 9 March, because Article 2 makes a single working day between two holidays a holiday and Article 4 applies that rule to banks, or if the Governor starts the Eid holiday on this day. Monday. |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr holiday for banks | bank holiday | Expected | Banks get three working days for Eid al-Fitr, with the start date set by the QCB Governor shortly before. In 2026 the bank holiday ran from Thursday 19 to Monday 23 March, starting the day before Eid, and banks reopened on Tuesday 24 March; ministries were off from 17 to 23 March. Depends on moon sighting. Tuesday. |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr holiday for banks | bank holiday | Expected | Second expected working day of the three-day bank holiday. Depends on moon sighting. Wednesday. |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr holiday for banks (possible third day) | bank holiday | Expected | Third working day of the bank holiday if it starts on Tuesday 9 March. Depends on moon sighting. Thursday. |
| Sun 16 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha holiday for banks | bank holiday | Expected | Article 4 gives banks three working days from 9 Dhu al-Hijjah. 9 Dhu al-Hijjah falls on Saturday 15 or Sunday 16 May, so the bank holiday is expected from Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 May either way. In 2026 it ran from Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 May, with work resuming on Sunday 31 May. Sunday. |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha holiday for banks | bank holiday | Expected | Depends on moon sighting. Monday. |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha holiday for banks | bank holiday | Expected | Depends on moon sighting. Tuesday. |
| Sat 18 Dec 2027 | Qatar National Day | public holiday | Confirmed | Article 2 of Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025; also a bank holiday. Falls on a Saturday, a weekend day. |
Expected: the date depends on an annual declaration or moon sighting.
Payment rails and operating hours
| Rail | Operator | Hours | Runs on holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fawran (instant payment system) | Qatar Central Bank | 24/7 | yes source |
| QA-RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) | Qatar Central Bank | Primary interbank settlement system, upgraded to ISO 20022 in 2024; settles the QCB clearing systems and CSD in real time. Working days are Sunday to Thursday. QCB holidays under Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025 apply to the QCB itself as well as to banks. Same-day RTGS cut-off for electronic payments set at 13:30 from 1 July 2019 (Standard Chartered Qatar). | no source |
| QATCH (Qatar Automated Transfer Clearing House) | Qatar Central Bank | Clearing windows, with net settlement in QA-RTGS at the end of each cycle. Same-day cut-off for ACH payments set at 10:30 from 1 July 2019, with a ceiling of QAR 1 million per payment. | unknown source |
What to watch
The weekend is Friday and Saturday. Bank holidays follow Article 4 of Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025 and differ from government holidays: banks get three working days for each Eid, plus 1 January, the Bank Holiday on the first Sunday of March, National Day and National Sport Day. Highest-risk window: Eid al-Fitr 2027. The Bank Holiday on Sunday 7 March falls just before Eid, and if the QCB starts the three-day Eid holiday on Tuesday 9 March, the one-working-day bridge rule also closes Monday 8 March, so banks would be shut from Friday 5 to Saturday 13 March. The Governor sets the Eid al-Fitr start date only days ahead (announced on 18 March in 2026). Eid al-Adha is expected to close banks from Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 May. National Day 2026 (Friday 18 December) and 1 January 2027 (Friday) fall on weekends and add no weekday closure. Fawran runs 24/7, including holidays, with a QAR 50,000 per-transaction limit at Doha Bank, so larger QAR payments wait for QA-RTGS on the next working day.
Other calendars
Sources
- Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025 on the determination of working days, occasions and official holidays · Lexis Middle East
- Official Gazette publishes Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2025 (Articles 1 to 4) · Al Arab
- Qatar Central Bank announces bank holiday for Eid Al Fitr 2026 · The Peninsula
- Qatar Central Bank announces Eid Al-Adha holiday for financial institutions · The Peninsula
- Qatar Central Bank announces holiday for March 1 · The Peninsula
- Amiri Diwan Announces Eid Al Fitr Holiday (2026) · Amiri Diwan
- Amiri Diwan Announces National Day Holiday (2025) · Amiri Diwan
- Retail payment systems (Fawran) · Qatar Central Bank
- RTGS (QA-RTGS) · Qatar Central Bank
- Annual Report 2024 · Qatar Central Bank
- Changes in the payment transaction processing time and value threshold (1 July 2019) · Standard Chartered Qatar
- FAWRAN: Real Time Payments · Doha Bank
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