Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1972. In 1981, the Embassy of the State of Qatar was opened in Madrid, its objectives were to promote bilateral relations and introduce Spanish businessmen and politicians to Qatar, which were not known to the Spanish people at that time. In this regard, we appreciate  the great role played by HE Mr. Badr Omar Al Dafaa, the Ambassador of Qatar, who organized numerous trips to Galicia, Andalusia and other Spanish provinces to strengthen relations with all these  provinces.

Since the eighties and nineties, the Embassy has organized a number of activities aimed to strengthen relations between the two countries. It organized several trips for Spanish businessmen and members of various political parties to the State of Qatar. However, these activities are now of great importance to the two countries, where the international relations have changed a lot, in addition to the prominent political role played by Qatar in the region, such as the  support for the Arab Spring revolutions and the desire of the people to achieve their self-determination and achieve  their economic self-reliance. The Qatari's trading system is open to the world, where the country has large quantities of energy resources at attractive prices, in addition to the freedom of movement of capital and a large number of projects, which  provide  a great opportunity for Spanish companies.

This period witnessed the organization of several cultural activities, such as exhibitions and concerts at the University of Computense in Madrid, within the framework of four cultural weeks of the State of Qatar in Spain, the most important of which was the establishment of a large exhibition to introduce Qatari handicrafts.

The Embassy was closed in 1999 and reopened in 2004, one year after the opening of the Embassy of Spain in Doha. The role of the Embassy in establishing relations between the two countries has become more important, that was reflected in high-level visits between the two countries. His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (May Allah protect him) visited the Kingdom of Spain in September 2004. His visit  was preceded by the visit of His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain to the State of Qatar in November 2003, followed by another visit in 2006, where he was accompanied by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser and participated in the Alliance of Civilizations meetings. It is worth mentioning that both Sheikha Moza and former Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, are key figures in supporting the Alliance of Civilizations initiative.  Another visit followed  in 2010. A last  visit to Spain took place  in 2011during which a meeting with Prime Minister Zapatero, he was accompanied by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser.

In addition, a number of important visits were made. From the Spanish side, the Secretary of State for Spanish Defense Affairs visited the State of Qatar and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain participated in the round table to discuss the crisis of cartoons films against  the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) and the visit of HE Mr. Manuel Chávez, the Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Policies, who participated in the 10th Doha Forum held in May 2010, and the visit of the President of the Basque Country of Spain, Mr. Paci López.

On the Qatari side, several high-level visits were made, such as the visit of the former Minister of Economy and Trade, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Jassim Al-Thani, to the Kingdom of Spain in March 2005, and the visit of His Excellency the former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud to the opening of Arabic Culture House In Madrid 2007. the visit of His Excellency Shaikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al-Thani,  the then  First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thani to the Kingdom of Spain in 2006, and a high level delegation from the Ministry of Interior visited the Kingdom of Spain in 2006.