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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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Visa policy of Qatar
  Qatar
  Freedom of movement
  Visa not required (90 days)
  Visa not required (30 days)
  Visa on arrival / Hayya eVisa
  Hayya eVisa
  Visa required

Freedom of movement

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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)

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Ordinary passports

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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]

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

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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

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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] Diplomatic, service 22 April 2024
 Ghana[7] Diplomatic, service March 2022
 Dominican Republic[8] Diplomatic, official, service January 2022
   Nepal[9] Diplomatic, service October 2018
 Ethiopia[10] Diplomatic, service November 2017

Visa on arrival

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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]

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

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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

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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 419,722 272,987 166,000 92,000 385,148 333,708 340,104 375,910
 United Kingdom 159,500 113,001 19,000 35,000 133,418 120,495 132,301 135,645
 United States 165,024 107,335 16,000 28,000 127,271 101,144 102,774 93,174
 Pakistan 90,242 19,000 18,000 68,216 49,510 49,012 86,670
 China 54,693 62,786 45,627
 Germany 168,891 23,000 90,352 44,440
 Egypt 79,079 51,787 43,614 81,283 92,036
 Australia 51,148 55,047 42,765
 France 55,387 47,635 16,000 51,007 42,026
 Italy 72,598 33,000 58,656 37,436
 Saudi Arabia 1,022,747 595,066 116,000 12,000 949,145 855,555
 Bahrain 140,258 84,988 135,202 132,913
 United Arab Emirates 126,706 66,659 134,578 117,575
 Oman 136,393 105,685 29,000 17,000 98,617 102,332
 Kuwait 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

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Qatar entry rules". Qatar Tourism. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Visa policy of Qatar".
  4. ^ "Qatar Visas".
  5. ^ a b "VISA ON ARRIVAL HOTELS".
  6. ^ "Philippines, Qatar ink 9 bilateral agreements".
  7. ^ "The Republic of Ghana signs visa waiver agreement with Qatar". 6 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Qatar, Dominican Republic hold round of political consultations". 27 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Qatar-Nepal talks focus on enhancing ties". 30 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Qatar, Ethiopia sign accords to cement bilateral relations". 15 November 2017.
  11. ^ QatarVisa, Checks. "How to Get Qatar Transit Visa?". QatarVisachecks. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  12. ^ "New Transit Rules Make Visiting Qatar Easier".
  13. ^ "Tourism Sector Performance FY 2023" (PDF). February 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Annual Tourism Report 2022" (PDF). February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Annual Tourism Report 2021" (PDF). March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Annual Tourism Performance Report December 2020" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ a b "Annual Tourism Performance Report 2019" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ | title=2017 Annual Tourism Performance Report
  19. ^ "2016 Annual Tourism Performance Report" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Annual Tourism Performance Report 2015
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