Qatar raises its chicken tariff to 18% on fresh and chilled chicken; GCC origins exempt, frozen not listed

Qatar has raised the customs tariff on whole fresh or chilled chicken and chilled cuts to 18%, effective about 60 days after publication on 16 September 2026; frozen chicken is not among the listed products and imports from the GCC and 12 preferential-agreement partners are exempt.

Amiri Decree No. 45 of 2026 was published in issue No. 17 of Qatar's Official Gazette on 16 September 2026. Article 1 raises the customs tariff to 18% on whole chicken, fresh or chilled (HS 0207.11), and chilled chicken breasts, thighs and wings (HS 0207.13). Article 2 applies a 15% seasonal tariff to fresh or chilled tomatoes (January-May), eggplants (January-April and November-December) and zucchini (January-April and October-December). Article 3 brings the decree into force 60 days after publication, which places the effective date around 15 November 2026.

On 24 September 2026 Qatar's General Authority of Customs clarified that the higher rates apply only to imports from countries that are not covered by exemptions under the applicable preferential agreements.

• Exempt origins for chilled chicken: the GCC states - Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait - plus Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Libya, Lebanon and Türkiye.
• The listed tariff lines are fresh and chilled only. The decree's schedule names whole fresh or chilled chicken and chilled cuts; frozen chicken (HS 0207.14) is not among the products listed, so the schedule does not change the duty treatment of frozen poultry.
• Seasonal, not year-round. The 15% agricultural rate applies only inside the peak-production windows named in the decree; outside those months the provision does not apply.
• Timing. The measure takes effect 60 days after gazetting, so importers moving chilled chicken into Qatar should confirm classification, origin and exemption documents before mid-November.

The reading for the trade is that the landed cost of frozen poultry in Qatar is unchanged by this decree, while the main chilled substitute becomes more expensive for suppliers whose origin is not on the exemption list. Buyers who need continuity - particularly those sourcing from origins that are neither GCC nor preferential partners - have a fresh reason to look at frozen lines and at longer-dated contracts before the mid-November date. Exemption status, not just price, now decides who can compete for chilled volumes in Qatar.

Nau International Food Group supplies frozen halal chicken - boneless skinless breast and leg quarters - and frozen mackerel from China to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Every consignment ships with a halal certificate, an HACCP certificate (No. 115HACCP2500478), documents for a GACC-registered plant (No. 0900/03003), veterinary and health certificates and a certificate of origin. Product is blast-frozen and held at −18 °C with a 365-day shelf life; packing is 2 kg x 6 for breast and 10 kg x 1 for leg quarters; the minimum order is one 40 ft reefer container (28.008 tonnes); payment is 100% T/T or L/C; shipment is within 30 days of payment receipt. We can arrange customs clearance into Dubai and quote FOB, CIF or DDP Jebel Ali - write to info@naufoodgroup.com.

Source: The Peninsula (Doha), 17 September 2026 ("Customs tariff raised on chicken, some vegetables in Qatar: Official Gazette") and 24 September 2026 (General Authority of Customs clarification), both citing Amiri Decree No. 45 of 2026; tariff-line detail from Qatar Living, 17 September 2026.