Bureau report 
 
Doha, Jun 6:  Expatriates residing in Qatar for 25 years or more and having sufficient knowledge of Arabic can apply for Qatari citizenship, a move that could benefit many Indians living in the country.

Brigadier Ahmed Hussein al Haik, deputy director of public security, was quoted as saying in `The Peninsular` newspaper that the law regulating Qatari nationality specified four major conditions for an expatriate resident in Qatar to apply for citizenship.

Article 2 of law No 38 of 2005 specifies that a resident should be based here for 25 years with gaps not exceeding six months to be eligible to apply for Qatari citizenship. In case the gap is more than six months, the minister of interior has the authority to waive it.

The other condition is that an applicant enjoys a good reputation and has not been convicted for any crime whether in Qatar or the country of his origin.

The person should have a reasonably good standard of living and should possess sufficient knowledge of the Arabic language. However, priority would be given to applicants whose mothers are Qatar nationals, the report quoted the official as saying.