Travelers 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, however the governments of BahrainSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have prohibited their citizens from traveling to Qatar.[2]

Visa policy map[edit]

Visa policy of Qatar

Freedom of movement[edit]

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:[3]

Visa exemption[edit]

Citizens of the following 84 countries do not require a visa for short stay visits to Qatar:[3]

90 days[edit]

30 days[edit]

Visa on arrival[edit]

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

30 days[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Qatar introduced an e-Visa system on 23 June 2017. All other countries except  Egypt 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[edit]

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[edit]

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

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.

Visitor statistics[edit]

Most visitors arriving to Qatar were from the following countries of nationality:[13][14][15]

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

 

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