1001 Smart Cities
🇶🇦 Doha

Metrash: Qatar's Interior Ministry in an App

🤖 AI-generated summary · ◆ 14 sourced claims · 🔎 Last verified

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

14 sourced claims on this page, none individually verified yet — turn on “Sources in the text” to see each one.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

Qatar's interior ministry moved visas, fines and residency into one app in 2013 — and by 2017 it had issued 1.5mn exit permits, an employer sign-off Qatar later abolished.

Outcome🔄 Ongoing
Evidence🏛️ Official
what does this mean?The strongest source is the operator's or the city's own reporting — an official report, dataset or press release. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byMinistry of Interior (Qatar), General Directorate of Communications and Information Systems
Scale🌍 National

Part of 1001 Smart Cities — 1,181 documented projects · 🏙️ 5 more in Doha · 🪪 Digital government guide · 🏛️ Governance projects

Metrash2, the Ministry of Interior's app, went public in March 2013 with 43 services — exit permits, visit visas, traffic, residence permits — for any holder of a Qatari ID; it grew out of an SMS service that had only warned people their documents were due to expire. It reached more than 215 services by 2020 and 290 by March 2022. In December 2024 the ministry replaced it with a new app, Metrash, carrying more than 440 services including 100 new ones, family and personal authorisations and Apple Pay; it is national in scope and run from the ministry in Doha.

Live 📅 since 2013

📊 Impact

The ministry's own figures are the only ones: by March 2017 about 6mn transactions, among them 2.5mn visa services and 1.5mn exit permits, with 328,000 subscribers; in 2021 more than 2mn users and more than 5mn transactions; 26mn transactions in total by March 2022. The most used services in 2020 were national address registration, residency renewal, traffic fines and vehicle licence renewal. The 2mn figure counts users since launch, not people active in any year, and no independent audit of take-up or service time has been published.

🎓 Lesson

An app makes a state's rules faster to follow, whatever those rules are: among the 1.5mn exit permits the app had handled by 2017 were employers' sign-offs on workers leaving the country — a requirement Qatar removed for most private-sector workers in October 2018 and for almost all others on 16 January 2020. Counting transactions measures how much a procedure is used, not whether it should exist.

🏛️ GovernanceDigital government

Sources

↗ Gulf Times, on the Metrash2 launch briefing (media)Published 12 March 2013Report on the MoI press briefing in Duhail: holders of a Qatari ID can use 43 services on a smartphone (exit permits, visit visa, traffic, residence permits, e-gates, queries); the original Metrash, launched about seven years earlier, only sent text messages about document status and expiry; more than 6,000 people had registered and over 12,000 exit permits had been issued through the service.
↗ Gulf Times, MoI transaction figures, March 2017 (media)Published 23 March 2017Relays MoI posts: around 6mn transactions through Metrash2, of which 2.5mn visa services, 1.5mn exit permits, 453,000 residency-permit transactions and about 1.5mn traffic services; about 8mn queries; 328,000 subscribers.
↗ The Peninsula / QNA, MoI figures for 2020 (media)Published 13 September 2020 · updated 7 November 2021QNA report of MoI statistics: users exceeded two million since launch, more than 5.5 million services provided since the start of 2020, more than 215 services; most used were national address registration, residency renewal, traffic fine payment and vehicle licence renewal.
↗ Gulf Times, MoI figures, March 2022 (media)Published 14 March 2022An MoI Information Systems official on Qatar Radio: 26mn transactions since 2012; in 2021 more than 2mn users and more than 5mn transactions; with five new services the total reached 290.
↗ Gulf Times / QNA, new Metrash app, December 2024 (media)Published 17 December 2024QNA report: the MoI introduced the updated Metrash with more than 440 services including 100 new ones, Apple Pay, profile, authorisation and certificate services; total users of the ministry's services across channels crossed 2mn; the ministry describes the app as using artificial intelligence.
Show 4 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ Qatar Tribune, new Metrash app launch, December 2024 (media)Published 17 December 2024Lists the new app's features (security services, GCC ID renewal, personal and family authorisation with time limits, inquiries on travel restrictions and good-conduct certificates) and says the previous Metrash2 offered more than 330 services; the MoI won the Arab Government Excellence Award for best smart government app on 28 November 2024.
↗ The Peninsula, MoI on Metrash visa-fee service, July 2026 (media)Published 27 July 2026MoI promotes visa-fee payment in Metrash with the visa copy sent by email; the app gives access to more than 400 MoI services and an e-wallet for official documents.
↗ Metrash on the App Store (operator listing)Updated 27 September 2026The ministry's store listing: more than 400 services, six languages, an e-wallet for official documents; the developer declares user ID linked to identity and precise location, email, phone number and device ID collected. Version history shows regular releases through 2026.
↗ ILO, exit permits removed for almost all migrant workers (international organisation)Published 16 January 2020ILO: October 2018 changes removed the exit permit for most private-company workers; a ministerial decree in force on 16 January 2020 removed it for domestic, public-sector, oil and gas, sea and agricultural workers; it remains for armed forces and a limited number of key posts.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 2013. 8 of 9 sources carry a publication date, from 12 March 2013 to 27 July 2026.

When the sources were published

  1. Gulf Times · pressGulf Times, on the Metrash2 launch briefing (media)
  2. Gulf Times · pressGulf Times, MoI transaction figures, March 2017 (media)
  3. International Labour Organization · international organisationILO, exit permits removed for almost all migrant workers (international organisation)
  4. The Peninsula · pressThe Peninsula / QNA, MoI figures for 2020 (media) · updated 7 November 2021
  5. Gulf Times · pressGulf Times, MoI figures, March 2022 (media)
  6. Gulf Times · pressGulf Times / QNA, new Metrash app, December 2024 (media)
  7. Qatar Tribune · pressQatar Tribune, new Metrash app launch, December 2024 (media)
  8. The Peninsula · pressThe Peninsula, MoI on Metrash visa-fee service, July 2026 (media)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Entered the record
  2. Sources last read

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 14 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence Passport · public beta 14 addressable claims, 9 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The passport is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 14

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-a83d69a9c12bba5d quantitative
went public in March 2013 with 43 services — exit permits, visit visas, traffic, residence permits — for any holder of a Qatari ID
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The March 2013 briefing announced 43 services covering exit permits, visit visas, traffic and residence permits for holders of a Qatari ID.
Caveat
The ministry later counts Metrash2 transactions from 2012, so the service may have been available before the public briefing.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, on the Metrash2 launch briefing (media)
Claim 2 clm-54ac1286fd3ad3ea descriptive
it grew out of an SMS service that had only warned people their documents were due to expire
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The ISD official says the original Metrash, launched about seven years earlier, informed people of document status and expiry by text message.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, on the Metrash2 launch briefing (media)
Claim 3 clm-4b8f29acdfc902ba quantitative
more than 215 services by 2020
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The 2020 MoI statement gives more than 215 services.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. The Peninsula / QNA, MoI figures for 2020 (media)
Claim 4 clm-0993e94ca6b58ddc quantitative
290 by March 2022
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
With five new services the total reached 290 in March 2022.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, MoI figures, March 2022 (media)
Claim 5 clm-692c4500ca6fc490 quantitative
In December 2024 the ministry replaced it with a new app, Metrash, carrying more than 440 services including 100 new ones, family and personal authorisations and Apple Pay
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Both reports of 17 December 2024 describe the new Metrash: more than 440 services incl. 100 new, personal and family authorisation, Apple Pay.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times / QNA, new Metrash app, December 2024 (media)
  2. Qatar Tribune, new Metrash app launch, December 2024 (media)
Claim 6 clm-bf40e5cdc8729f97 descriptive
it is national in scope and run from the ministry in Doha
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The service is offered to all holders of a Qatari ID; the ministry's Information Systems Department briefed from its headquarters in Duhail, Doha; the store lists the Ministry of Interior as seller.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, on the Metrash2 launch briefing (media)
  2. Metrash on the App Store (operator listing)
Claim 7 clm-c56efc09bf3d9b6a quantitative
by March 2017 about 6mn transactions, among them 2.5mn visa services and 1.5mn exit permits, with 328,000 subscribers
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
MoI figures relayed in March 2017.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, MoI transaction figures, March 2017 (media)
Claim 8 clm-28152a0da9459e32 quantitative
in 2021 more than 2mn users and more than 5mn transactions
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The MoI official gives 2021 figures.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, MoI figures, March 2022 (media)
Claim 9 clm-72828fdf45f8cd45 quantitative
26mn transactions in total by March 2022
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
26mn transactions since 2012, stated in March 2022.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, MoI figures, March 2022 (media)
Claim 10 clm-7c12551049563fdb quantitative
The most used services in 2020 were national address registration, residency renewal, traffic fines and vehicle licence renewal
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The 2020 MoI statement lists the most used services.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. The Peninsula / QNA, MoI figures for 2020 (media)
Claim 11 clm-5687547724464e96 quantitative
The 2mn figure counts users since launch, not people active in any year
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The 2020 statement frames the figure as users 'since the launch of the application'.
Caveat
The March 2022 report gives the same figure for 2021 alone; the ministry does not define 'user'.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. The Peninsula / QNA, MoI figures for 2020 (media)
Claim 12 clm-d3956457eee66676 descriptive
no independent audit of take-up or service time has been published
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Every figure found is the ministry's own, relayed by the press; none of these sources cites an independent evaluation.
Caveat
A negative finding: it reflects what this research found, not a proof that no evaluation exists.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, MoI transaction figures, March 2017 (media)
  2. The Peninsula / QNA, MoI figures for 2020 (media)
  3. Gulf Times, MoI figures, March 2022 (media)
  4. Gulf Times / QNA, new Metrash app, December 2024 (media)
Claim 13 clm-69512d79216126b2 quantitative
among the 1.5mn exit permits the app had handled by 2017 were employers' sign-offs on workers leaving the country
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The 2017 MoI figures count 1.5mn exit permits issued via the app; the ILO describes the exit permit as permission from the employer to leave Qatar.
Caveat
The sources do not split the 1.5mn by who requested the permit.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf Times, MoI transaction figures, March 2017 (media)
  2. ILO, exit permits removed for almost all migrant workers (international organisation)
Claim 14 clm-5f243e405b77dfda quantitative
a requirement Qatar removed for most private-sector workers in October 2018 and for almost all others on 16 January 2020
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
ILO on the 2018 law change and the January 2020 decree.
Caveat
Exit permits remain for the armed forces and a limited number of key posts.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. ILO, exit permits removed for almost all migrant workers (international organisation)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-10-04-baseline effective 2026-10-04 · created 2026-10-04

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:562d50fec2f80a30520255737d1772483ec934484046d207bbb989bc49ba6ff8
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
14
of 14 claims mapped
9
source dossiers
8
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Ministry of Interior (Qatar), General Directorate of Communications and Information Systems
Actor types
national-government
Funding model
public
Funding description
Not recorded
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

9 source dossiers

Gulf Times, on the Metrash2 launch briefing (media) gulf-times.com · 3 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-fb783e6d9b2df3f2
Publisher
Name not classified · gulf-times.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2013-03-12
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Report on the MoI press briefing in Duhail: holders of a Qatari ID can use 43 services on a smartphone (exit permits, visit visa, traffic, residence permits, e-gates, queries); the original Metrash, launched about seven years earlier, only sent text messages about document status and expiry; more than 6,000 people had registered and over 12,000 exit permits had been issued through the service.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Gulf Times, MoI transaction figures, March 2017 (media) gulf-times.com · 3 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-9a92cabd3cf4c989
Publisher
Name not classified · gulf-times.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2017-03-23
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Relays MoI posts: around 6mn transactions through Metrash2, of which 2.5mn visa services, 1.5mn exit permits, 453,000 residency-permit transactions and about 1.5mn traffic services; about 8mn queries; 328,000 subscribers.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
The Peninsula / QNA, MoI figures for 2020 (media) thepeninsulaqatar.com · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-055f5fbc4d9adee1
Publisher
Name not classified · thepeninsulaqatar.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2020-09-13
Updated
2021-11-07
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

QNA report of MoI statistics: users exceeded two million since launch, more than 5.5 million services provided since the start of 2020, more than 215 services; most used were national address registration, residency renewal, traffic fine payment and vehicle licence renewal.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Gulf Times, MoI figures, March 2022 (media) gulf-times.com · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-cb8e77fca99cf2a2
Publisher
Name not classified · gulf-times.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2022-03-14
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

An MoI Information Systems official on Qatar Radio: 26mn transactions since 2012; in 2021 more than 2mn users and more than 5mn transactions; with five new services the total reached 290.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Gulf Times / QNA, new Metrash app, December 2024 (media) gulf-times.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b305f00191b55ed5
Publisher
Name not classified · gulf-times.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-12-17
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

QNA report: the MoI introduced the updated Metrash with more than 440 services including 100 new ones, Apple Pay, profile, authorisation and certificate services; total users of the ministry's services across channels crossed 2mn; the ministry describes the app as using artificial intelligence.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Qatar Tribune, new Metrash app launch, December 2024 (media) qatar-tribune.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-c007a55f95dae73c
Publisher
Name not classified · qatar-tribune.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-12-17
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Lists the new app's features (security services, GCC ID renewal, personal and family authorisation with time limits, inquiries on travel restrictions and good-conduct certificates) and says the previous Metrash2 offered more than 330 services; the MoI won the Arab Government Excellence Award for best smart government app on 28 November 2024.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
The Peninsula, MoI on Metrash visa-fee service, July 2026 (media) thepeninsulaqatar.com · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-90b7cdb1ef2ad7e2
Publisher
Name not classified · thepeninsulaqatar.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-07-27
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

MoI promotes visa-fee payment in Metrash with the visa copy sent by email; the app gives access to more than 400 MoI services and an e-wallet for official documents.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Metrash on the App Store (operator listing) apps.apple.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-61dd53d1de3d5b45
Publisher
Name not classified · apps.apple.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
2026-09-27
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The ministry's store listing: more than 400 services, six languages, an e-wallet for official documents; the developer declares user ID linked to identity and precise location, email, phone number and device ID collected. Version history shows regular releases through 2026.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
ILO, exit permits removed for almost all migrant workers (international organisation) ilo.org · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-ad4d84e7eaa46ade
Publisher
Name not classified · ilo.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2020-01-16
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

ILO: October 2018 changes removed the exit permit for most private-company workers; a ministerial decree in force on 16 January 2020 removed it for domestic, public-sector, oil and gas, sea and agricultural workers; it remains for armed forces and a limited number of key posts.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this passport
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

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Explore the wider context

💸 The Price Nobody Publishes📖 Civic participation platform📖 Digital identity📖 Government super-app
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “Metrash: Qatar's Interior Ministry in an App” — Doha, Qatar. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/doha-metrash2/ (last verified 2026-10-04). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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