Visa policy of Qatar
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Visitors to Qatar must obtain a visa, unless if they are citizens of one of the GCC countries or if they are citizens of one of the countries eligible for a visa waiver on arrival.
Visa policy map
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Freedom of movement
[edit]Citizens of the following Gulf Cooperation Council countries enjoy freedom of movement in Qatar. They do not require a visa under any circumstances, and are permitted to use a national ID card in lieu of a passport to enter Qatar:[1][2]
Visa exemption (free visa on arrival)
[edit]Ordinary passports
[edit]Citizens of the following countries are automatically granted a free visa upon arrival for stays up to the duration listed below. They must hold passports valid for at least six months from the date of arrival, as well as a return or onward ticket (unless if holding a valid visa issued by Oman). However, some nationalities must meet additional criteria in order to be granted the visa waiver:[1][2][3]
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90 days within any 180 days
30 days* |
* - May apply to extend their stay for another 30 days.[2]
1 - Must present a confirmed hotel reservation in one of the designated VOA hotels booked through Discover Qatar for the period of stay.[5]
2 - Must present a polio vaccination certificate.[2]
Non-ordinary passports
[edit]Holders of diplomatic or official / service category passports of the following countries do not require a visa for 30 days (unless otherwise stated) :[2]
D - Diplomatic passports only.
1 - 90 days
Future changes
[edit]Qatar has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:
| Country | Passports | Agreement signed on |
|---|---|---|
 Philippines[6]
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Diplomatic, service | 22 April 2024 |
 Ghana[7]
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Diplomatic, service | March 2022 |
 Dominican Republic[8]
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Diplomatic, official, service | January 2022 |
 Nepal[9]
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Diplomatic, service | October 2018 |
 Ethiopia[10]
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Diplomatic, service | November 2017 |
Visa on arrival
[edit]Nationals of the following countries can obtain a visa on arrival. The fee is QR 100, and they must hold passports valid for at least 3 months from the date of arrival, as well as a return or onward ticket.[1]
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30 days* |
* - Includes French Guiana and Falkland Islands.
1 - Must present a confirmed hotel reservation in one of the designated VOA hotels booked through Discover Qatar for the period of stay.[5]
2 - Must present either a credit card or a debit card with a balance of at least 1000 USD.[2]
3 - If entering Qatar for tourism, a credit card or at least QAR 5000 in cash must be presented. If entering Qatar for business, an invitation letter from a company certified by the Qatari government must be presented.[2]
4 - Qatar-Oman Joint on-Arrival Tourist.
Transit
[edit]Regardless of nationality, travelers who are in transit through Hamad International Airport do not require a visa if they depart within 24 hours.[2]
On 26 September 2016, the Ministry of the Interior announced the issuance of free transit visas[11] 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.[12][1]
Visitor statistics
[edit]Most visitors arriving to Qatar were from the following countries of nationality:
| Country | 2023[13] | 2022[14] | 2021[15] | 2020[16] | 2019[17] | 2018 | 2017[18] | 2016[19] | 2015[20] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 India
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419,722 | 272,987 | 166,000 | 92,000 | 385,148 | 333,708 | 340,104 | 375,910 | |
 United Kingdom
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159,500 | 113,001 | 19,000 | 35,000 | 133,418 | 120,495 | 132,301 | 135,645 | |
 United States
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165,024 | 107,335 | 16,000 | 28,000 | 127,271 | 101,144 | 102,774 | 93,174 | |
 Pakistan
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90,242 | 19,000 | 18,000 | 68,216 | 49,510 | 49,012 | 86,670 | ||
 China
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54,693 | 62,786 | 45,627 | — | — | ||||
 Germany
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168,891 | 23,000 | 90,352 | 44,440 | — | — | |||
 Egypt
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79,079 | 51,787 | 43,614 | 81,283 | 92,036 | ||||
 Australia
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51,148 | 55,047 | 42,765 | — | — | ||||
 France
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55,387 | 47,635 | 16,000 | 51,007 | 42,026 | — | — | ||
 Italy
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72,598 | 33,000 | 58,656 | 37,436 | — | — | |||
 Saudi Arabia
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1,022,747 | 595,066 | 116,000 | 12,000 | — | 949,145 | 855,555 | ||
 Bahrain
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140,258 | 84,988 | — | 135,202 | 132,913 | ||||
 United Arab Emirates
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126,706 | 66,659 | — | 134,578 | 117,575 | ||||
 Oman
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136,393 | 105,685 | 29,000 | 17,000 | — | 98,617 | 102,332 | ||
 Kuwait
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140,607 | 101,357 | 26,000 | 25,000 | — | 93,115 | 91,843 | ||
| Total | 4,054,000 | 2,540,000 | 611,000 | 581,659 | 2,136,504 | 1,819,344[17] | 2,256,490 | 2,938,096 | 2,941,130 |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Qatar entry rules". Qatar Tourism. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "Visa policy of Qatar".
- ^ "Qatar Visas".
- ^ a b "VISA ON ARRIVAL HOTELS".
- ^ "Philippines, Qatar ink 9 bilateral agreements".
- ^ "The Republic of Ghana signs visa waiver agreement with Qatar". 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Qatar, Dominican Republic hold round of political consultations". 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Qatar-Nepal talks focus on enhancing ties". 30 October 2018.
- ^ "Qatar, Ethiopia sign accords to cement bilateral relations". 15 November 2017.
- ^ QatarVisa, Checks. "How to Get Qatar Transit Visa?". QatarVisachecks. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "New Transit Rules Make Visiting Qatar Easier".
- ^ "Tourism Sector Performance FY 2023" (PDF). February 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Annual Tourism Report 2022" (PDF). February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Annual Tourism Report 2021" (PDF). March 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Annual Tourism Performance Report December 2020" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Annual Tourism Performance Report 2019" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ | title=2017 Annual Tourism Performance Report
- ^ "2016 Annual Tourism Performance Report" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Annual Tourism Performance Report 2015
External links
[edit]- Visa policy of Qatar, Ministry of Interior