| Getting a Visa to go to
Qatar couldn't be easier! Wait times are between 1-3 days and is
very cheap! Just to make it easier to visit this wonderful country,
you'll find all you need to know right here!
Entering Qatar
Requirements:
-
A visa applicant
must submit a valid passport with his/her
application. The passport must be valid for at
least six months longer than the applicant's
intended stay in the State of Qatar and must
have available pages to place a visa.
-
Each application
must have 2 color passport-size photographs (2"
x 2").
-
The original
Passport and 2 additional photocopies of the
first couple of pages (with name and photo).
-
Please include a
company letter (for Business Visa) or an
invitation letter (for Tourist Visa) explaining
the reason for the entry visa request
(individual letter per applicant).
|
|
You do NOT need
a Visa if you fall under the following categories:
(a)
nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and United Arab
Emirates;
(b) transit passengers whose tickets show they intend to continue
their journey from the airport within eight hours.
The following countries can obtain a
Business or Tourist Visa upon arrival in Qatar:
Nationals of Andorra, Australia, Brunei, Canada, EU countries, Hong
Kong (SAR), Japan, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Malaysia, New
Zealand, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland and USA can obtain
business and tourist visas upon arrival at the airport in Doha for
50 Qatari Riyals (£10-12).
Other Countries:
If your country is not on the list, then you will require a letter
of invitation or a tourist agency to authorize your visa. The letter
of invitation must come from someone who is legally living in Qatar.
Those wishing to visit friends or relatives in Qatar should ask them
to apply to the immigration authorities in Qatar on their behalf for
a visa. For longer-period visas apply to the Immigration Department,
Ministry of the Interior, PO Box 115, Doha (tel: 465 7802; website:
http://portal.www.gov.qa/).
There is a facility to book all
visas online through the Ministry of Interior's website.
(only if you fly with Qatar Airways)
Duration:
Visitors may get a visa of TWO weeks. Certain countries may extend
their stay to up to 3 months. Please call your local embassy for
more information.
Exiting Qatar
(For Workers only)
If you are
going to exit Qatar and are in Qatar on a WORK permit or WORK visa,
you will need to get an exit permit when leaving for vacation. The
reason for this is to protect companies and the country itself from
people trying to escape their obligations. (i.e. paying a penalty
ticket, or terminating a contract early).
You can
obtain your Exit visa (permission stamped) at
Al Gharaffa immigration.
(This is located opposite of the Traffic Police Building.
If
you are a man join a queue and hand over your form. (Women can
breeze past the queue and get it done behind the counter.) A minute
or so later you will be given a new form, which you must hand over
when you leave the country. As before, the exit visa is valid for
seven days.
This may not be necessary if your employer has a Smart Card.
According to
this page on
Hukoomi (e-government) your employer should be able
to obtain an exit visa for you in seconds. A multiple exit visa is
also available, though at a cost of QR500; (the standard exit visa is
free).
You can print out the application, or complete it online
here. However, if you don't read Arabic
you will need some help.
Exit permits are not required for children and female dependants.
(information from Qatarvisitor.com)
| 
