Lost or Stolen Cheque in Qatar: How to Stop Payment and What a Crossed Cheque Means

A lost chequebook or a stolen cheque is a stressful problem. This guide is based on the English text of the Trading Regulation Law (Law No. 27 of 2006) on Al Meezan, which we read in October 2026. It covers what the articles say. We could not check each bank's own procedure, forms or fees. It is general information, not legal advice. Our guide to a bounced cheque in Qatar covers the criminal side.

Who the lost-cheque rule covers

Article 588 speaks of a "cheque to bearer" that is lost or destroyed. A bearer cheque can be cashed by whoever holds it, so loss is the risk. The article does not say how it applies to a cheque made out to a named person, which has the protections of endorsement. If the cheque has a named payee, ask the bank or a lawyer how it treats a lost cheque.

How to object to payment (Article 588)

The owner writes to the bank (the drawee) to stop payment. The objection must include:

• the cheque number and amount;
• the name of the drawer;
• every other detail that helps identify the cheque, and the circumstances of its loss or destruction. If some details are missing, give the reasons;
• if the objector does not live in Qatar, a chosen address in Qatar.

After receiving the objection, the bank must decline to pay the holder and keep the funds until the matter is resolved. At the objector's expense, the bank publishes the cheque number, amount, owner's name and the objector's name and address in a local Arabic daily newspaper. After that publication, any action taken with regard to the cheque is null and void.

If someone holds the cheque (Article 589)

A holder may challenge the objection. The bank takes the cheque against a receipt and tells the objector, by registered letter, the holder's name and address. The holder must then notify the objector by registered post to bring an action for entitlement to the cheque within one month, giving the reasons and date. If the objector does not sue within that month, the urgent matters judge can, at the holder's request, reject the objection, and the holder is treated as the lawful owner as far as the bank is concerned. If the objector does sue, the bank may pay only the party who wins a final ruling on ownership or a certified settlement.

If nobody claims it (Article 590)

Article 590, as the English text reads, says that when six months pass from the date of the objection without a holder presenting a claim for payment, the objector may, within two months, ask the court for permission to receive the cheque's value. The court rules once it has checked the objector's ownership. If the application is not made in time or is refused, the bank puts the funds back into the drawer's account.

Crossed cheques (Articles 591 and 592)

Either the drawer or the holder may cross a cheque by drawing two parallel lines across it.

• **General crossing:** no entry between the lines, or the word "bank" or similar. The bank may pay only to one of its own clients or to a bank.
• **Specific crossing:** the name of a bank between the lines. The bank may pay only that bank, or its own client if the named bank is the paying bank.
• A general crossing can be changed to a specific one, but not the other way round. The drawer can cancel a crossing by signing over it.

A bank that pays against these rules is liable for damages up to the value of the cheque. A crossed cheque stays negotiable under Article 594.

"For credit to account" (Article 593)

The drawer or holder can write "for credit to account" or similar words on the cheque. The bank can then settle only by written entries, such as a credit to an account, a transfer or clearing, not by cash. A bank that ignores this is liable for damages up to the cheque's value.

What to do if you lose cheques

1. Contact your bank at once, and follow up in writing with the details in Article 588.

2. Make a police report if theft is suspected. See how to file a police report in Qatar.

3. When you issue a cheque to someone, consider crossing it and writing the payee's name, or "for credit to account", so it cannot be cashed by anyone else.

4. Never sign blank cheques. Article 565 says that if the words and figures differ, the words prevail.

5. Keep the chequebook safe. If an account is blocked, see what to do when a bank account is frozen.

What we could not verify

• Banks' own forms, fees and timing for a stop-payment request, and how the newspaper notice is arranged in practice.
• How the rules apply to cheques made out to a named payee.
• Any change to these articles after the versions on Al Meezan.
• How cheque cases are handled by the police and prosecutors when a cheque is stolen and misused.