Film production in Qatar

Qatar is covered here with 1 location. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 3h 08min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.

Shooting hours in Doha across the year

Doha is the location covered here for this country. The table gives sunrise, sunset, usable daylight and the start of the evening golden hour for every month — computed from the coordinates (25.2854, 51.531) in the Asia/Qatar timezone.

Sun times for Doha — computed for 2026, timezone Asia/Qatar
MonthSunriseSunsetDaylightGolden hour (evening, from)
January06:2217:0610h 44min16:32
February06:1017:2811h 18min16:57
March05:4417:4311h 59min17:13
April05:1217:5712h 44min17:26
May04:5018:1213h 22min17:40
June04:4418:2613h 42min17:53
July04:5318:2713h 34min17:55
August05:0818:1113h 02min17:39
September05:2117:4012h 19min17:10
October05:3317:0811h 35min16:37
November05:5216:4710h 56min16:15
December06:1216:4710h 34min16:13

What that means for planning

In Doha, daylight swings by 3h 08min across the year. A schedule built around 13h 42min in June has only 10h 34min left in December — with the same setup count.

Concretely: in December, the sun in Doha sets at 16:47, with golden hour starting as early as 16:13. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.

TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.

Permits and local requirements

Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.

File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.

Frequently asked

How many locations in Qatar are covered here?

1. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.

Which location in Qatar has the longest shooting days?

In June, Doha with 13h 42min of daylight. In December that drops to 10h 34min.

When is the best time to shoot in Qatar?

On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.

Do I need a separate permit for every location?

As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.