Date of Publishing: 29/03/2023 | Affected Regions:   Qatar 

MOPH has announced the launch of the electronic safety system "Watheq". Watheq will be the platform through which new products entering Qatar will need to be registered. Current products in the registration process will receive their review on Watheq. 

Food-importing companies are required to comply with the following guidelines: 

1. Companies must respond to amendment requests through their system accounts promptly, within two working days. After making the necessary changes, they must return the requests for verification. 

2. A team of experts will verify whether the amendments are appropriately made, and a decision will be taken regarding the request. 

3. If the amendments are not correct, the company will be given two more chances to amend them properly. If the company fails to comply with the requirements, the product will be rejected, and it will not be released at the port. This procedure will be applied to each rejected product. 

4. Companies must ensure that all drafts are completed and submitted for review. Products must have the following statuses only: Pending, Rejected, or Approved. 

5. Companies must delete all duplicate registration requests for their registered food products. 

6. Starting from the specified date, companies must submit registration requests for all food products that are not registered in the Watheq system. Temporary registration requests made through the Al-Nadeeb customs system must be completed. The Ministry of Public Health will delete the temporary registration feature through Al-Nadeeb at the beginning of June. 

7. To facilitate the creation of customs declarations, companies are recommended to include the QFR No. for submitted requests through invoices issued from the country of origin. This will help reduce errors, confirm the uniqueness of the imported food products, and facilitate clearance procedures.