Visa policy of Qatar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Travellers to Qatar require a visa unless:

  • they are citizens of one of the GCC countries.
  • they are citizens of one of the eligible countries for visa waiver.

Qatari visas can be obtained online by visitors wishing to enter Qatar, either from an official site, or Qatar Airways' website when travelling with the airline.[1]

All visitors, except GCC citizens, must hold passports valid for at least three months from the date of arrival. GCC citizens are permitted use National ID Cards to enter Qatar.

Visa policy map[]

Visa policy of Qatar
  Qatar
  Freedom of movement
  Visa waiver on arrival (90 days)
  Visa waiver on arrival (30 days)
  eVisa
  Visa required

Freedom of movement[]

Citizens of the following Gulf Cooperation Council countries enjoy freedom of movement in Qatar and do not require a visa to enter Qatar under any circumstances:[2]

  •  Bahrain
  •  Kuwait
  •  Oman
  •  Saudi Arabia
  •  United Arab Emirates

Visa exemption[]

Citizens of the following 84 countries do not require a visa for short stay visits to Qatar:[2]

90 days[]

  • European Union All European Union citizens (excluding Ireland)
  •  Antigua and Barbuda
  •  Argentina
  •  Armenia
  •  Bahamas
  •  Brazil
  •  Dominican Republic
  •  Iceland
  •  Liechtenstein
  •  Malaysia
  •  Norway
  •  Russia
  •  Serbia[3]
  •  Seychelles
  •   Switzerland
  •  Turkey
  •  Ukraine

30 days[]

  •  Andorra
  •  Australia
  •  Azerbaijan
  •  Belarus
  •  Bolivia
  •  Brunei
  •  Canada
  •  Chile
  •  China
  •  Colombia
  •  Costa Rica
  •  Cuba
  •  Ecuador
  •  Georgia
  •  Guyana
  •  Hong Kong
  •  Indonesia
  •  Ireland
  •  Japan
  •  Kazakhstan
  •  Lebanon
  •  Maldives
  •  Mexico
  •  Moldova
  •  Monaco
  •  New Zealand
  •  North Macedonia
  •  Panama
  •  Paraguay
  •  Peru
  •  Rwanda[4]
  •  San Marino
  •  Singapore
  •  South Africa
  •  South Korea
  •  Suriname
  •  Thailand
  •  United Kingdom
  •  United States
  •  Uruguay
  •   Vatican City
  •  Venezuela
    •  Iran and  Qatar signed visa-waiver agreement on 21 February 2022.[5]

Visa on arrival[]

Nationals of the following countries can obtain a visa on arrival:

30 days[]

  •  India1
  •  Iran2
  •  Macau
  •  Pakistan1
  •  Taiwan

1 - For tourist trips if holding a credit/debit card and a hotel booking confirmation. Nationals of Pakistan arriving from Pakistan must hold a polio vaccination certificate
2 - For business trips if holding a credit card or at least QAR 5000 in cash, a return ticket, a hotel booking confirmation and an invitation letter from a company certified by the Qatari government

Electronic Travel Authorisation[]

From 27 September 2017, citizens of all nationalities who hold valid residence permits or visas from either Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America or the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council can obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation for up to 30 days. The visa may be extended online for 30 additional days.[6]

Online visa[]

Qatar introduced an e-Visa system on 23 June 2017. All other countries except  Israel,  Kosovo and  Palestine that do not qualify for visa on arrival may apply for a tourist visa online through the eVisa system.[7] Visas are issued within four working days if all documents are submitted and are valid for a stay period up to 30 days in Qatar.[8]

Transit[]

Regardless of nationality, travelers who are in transit through Hamad International Airport do not require a visa if they depart within 24 hours.[9]

On 26 September 2016, the Ministry of the Interior announced the issuance of free transit visas for passengers of any nationality transiting through Hamad International Airport. Only travellers travelling on Qatar Airways, with layovers between 5 and 96 hours are eligible.[10]

Diplomatic and service category passports[]

Holders of diplomatic or service category passports of the following countries do not require a visa:[9]

  •  Algeria
  •  Argentina
  •  Azerbaijan
  •  Belarus
  •  Brazil
  •  Bulgaria
  •  Colombia
  •  Cyprus
  •  Ecuador
  •  El Salvador D
  •  France
  •  Georgia
  •  Germany
  •  India
  •  Indonesia
  •  Italy
  •  Japan
  •  Kazakhstan
  •  Kyrgyzstan D
  •  Moldova
  •  Morocco
  •  Portugal
  •  Romania
  •  Russia
  •   Switzerland
  •  Tunisia
  •  Ukraine
  •  United Kingdom (including Queen's Messengers)
  •  Venezuela

D — diplomatic passports only

  • Visa waiver agreements for diplomatic, private and service passports were signed with  Ethiopia in November 2017,[11]    Nepal in October 2018[12] but they are yet to be ratified.
  • Visa waiver agreement for diplomatic, official and service passports was signed with  Dominican Republic and it's yet to be ratified.[13]

Visitor statistics[]

Most visitors arriving to Qatar were from the following countries of nationality:[14][15][16]

Country 2017 2016 2015
 India 333,708 340,104 375,910
 United Kingdom 120,495 132,301 135,645
 United States 101,144 102,774 93,174
 Pakistan 49,510 49,012 86,670
 China 45,627 N/A N/A
 Germany 44,440 N/A N/A
 Egypt 43,614 81,283 92,036
 Australia 42,765 N/A N/A
 France 42,026 N/A N/A
 Italy 37,436 N/A N/A
 Saudi Arabia N/A 949,145 855,555
 Bahrain N/A 135,202 132,913
 United Arab Emirates N/A 134,578 117,575
 Oman N/A 98,617 102,332
 Kuwait N/A 93,115 91,843
Total 2,256,490 2,938,096 2,929,630

See also[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ Qatar Visa Online
  2. ^ a b Qatar Visas for Visitors
  3. ^ "Qatar Visas".
  4. ^ "Qatar Visas".
  5. ^ "Iran, Qatar sign 14 bilateral deals, including visa waiver". 22 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Qatar launches Electronic Travel Authorisation System". 14 September 2017.
  7. ^ Qatar visas
  8. ^ https://qatar.vfsevisa.com/Qatar-Online/QROnline/VisaCategoryAndPricingDetails/Faq#7
  9. ^ a b "Country information (visa section)". Timatic. International Air Transport Association (IATA) through Gulf Air. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  10. ^ New Transit Rules Make Visiting Qatar Easier
  11. ^ "Qatar, Ethiopia sign accords to cement bilateral relations". 15 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Qatar-Nepal talks focus on enhancing ties". 30 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Qatar, Dominican Republic hold round of political consultations". 27 January 2022.
  14. ^ Annual Tourism Performance Report 2015
  15. ^ 2016 Annual Tourism Performance Report
  16. ^ 2017 Annual Tourism Performance Report
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