Within the family (i.e., you marry a first cousin) it is often a symbolic gesture (QR 1 and the like) rather than a big wad of cash.
Family approval is necessary, but I wouldn't hold your breath as it's unlikely to come. Ask your GF; she should have a pretty good idea of what her folks will say.
Easier for a man marrying an outsider than a female because as a previous poster said, your kids will not be Qatari.
Even if you do get permission to marry, getting residency in Qatar is another matter entirely. I know of several mixed Qatari marriages where it took YEARS for them to get permission to bring their spouse into the country, even though they were already married AND had kids.
There was one case in the last decade that involved a female member of the royal family here (Al Thani) who snuck away to Egypt to marry a man she'd fallen in love with (without her family's permission). They were legally married in Shariah court. Her family abducted her back to Qatar and held her against her will for almost 3 years before she was finally released (due to much intl. attention and pressure from Amnesty).
Food for thought...
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris
Within the family (i.e., you marry a first cousin) it is often a symbolic gesture (QR 1 and the like) rather than a big wad of cash.
Family approval is necessary, but I wouldn't hold your breath as it's unlikely to come. Ask your GF; she should have a pretty good idea of what her folks will say.
Easier for a man marrying an outsider than a female because as a previous poster said, your kids will not be Qatari.
Even if you do get permission to marry, getting residency in Qatar is another matter entirely. I know of several mixed Qatari marriages where it took YEARS for them to get permission to bring their spouse into the country, even though they were already married AND had kids.
There was one case in the last decade that involved a female member of the royal family here (Al Thani) who snuck away to Egypt to marry a man she'd fallen in love with (without her family's permission). They were legally married in Shariah court. Her family abducted her back to Qatar and held her against her will for almost 3 years before she was finally released (due to much intl. attention and pressure from Amnesty).
Food for thought...
"If you're looking for sympathy, you'll find it between sh*t and syphilis in the dictionary."
- David Sedaris