The use of e-government services (www.e.gov.qa) is to be compulsory for companies with more than 150 employees.
Ahmad Hamad Al Muhannadi, the director of Qatar's e-government project, said the move was part of the government's efforts to improve efficiency.
"The e-government project intends to establish a single Qatar electronic gateway for the whole country.
"The major challenge is changing the mindset of people in the process of migrating from the conventional system to the electronic one," he said.
Although the infrastructure, technology and standards are set, the challenge is to create more public awareness about the benefits of e-government, Al Muhannadi said.
The project, he said, was studying a proposal to offer incentives to encourage companies to use e-government services.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the Gulf conference on E-Government Challenges, Al Muhannadi said Qatar was to introduce a wide range of new e-government services.
Vehicle registration and renewals, title transfers, approvals for private citizens and residents to import manpower are some of the operations to be processed through the e-government portal.
In addition, Qataris will be able to get their passports and ID cards issued and renewed. Also on the agenda are such services as commercial registration, taxation and customs, issuing of work permits to foreigners and birth certificates.
Commercial permits and their annual renewal, certificates for food importation, industrial licensing, export exemptions and industrial registration will also be handled by the portal, he said.
Qatar has already implemented e-government services in various ministries and government departments.
The e-government system offers 10 different services related to visit visas, residence permits, health cards, driver's licences, traffic violations, electricity and water bills, the zakat fund, registration for Qatari employment and universities.
