For those coming from the following six East Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Sri Lanka):
Those vaccinated/recovering from COVID-19 in the State of Qatar are subject to a two-day hotel quarantine and are allowed to leave the hotel on the second day if the result of the PCR test is negative.
The rest of the people are subject to a hotel quarantine for a period of 10 days.
*Ministry of Public Health updates on travel and return policies to the State of Qatar *
The Ministry of Public Health has announced the following updates regarding the travel and return policy for COVID-19, effective midday on Monday, August 2, 2021: pic.twitter.com/CfQCKHLie1
MOPH posted an update regarding the pre-registration on the Ehteraz website before traveling to Qatar. Travel registration is now optional for citizens and residents while mandatory for visitors.
Please check the official MOPH website before you make any travel plans.
The new and updated Qatar travel and return policy
The below-updated travel and return policy will come into effect starting the 12th of July 2021.
Image credit: MoPH
Image credit: MoPH
General policy
Citizens and residents can travel abroad at any time, provided that the travel and return policy is adhered to.
The State of Qatar has classified countries in Green, Yellow and Red lists based on the level of risk in each country.
[UPDATED JULY 13, 2021] To ease the precautionary measures for those entering Qatar, pre-electronic registration through Ehteraz platform (www.ehteraz.gov.qa) is optional for citizens and residents. However, it is still mandatory for visitors to obtain a travel permit at least (12) hours before travel, and the passengers will be required to download all official documents and present the travel permit to the airline employees (in case of travelling through Hamad International Airport) to allow them to board the aircraft, or to the immigration employees at the land borders (in the event of traveling through Abu Samra land port).
Unvaccinated citizens and residents who wish to travel abroad to a country classified as non-green are required to book hotel quarantine packages before travelling, through the Discover Qatar website at one of the designated quarantine hotels in Qatar.
Individuals wishing to travel abroad must be aware of the health measures applied in the country of arrival regarding quarantine duration and the Covid-19 certificate requirement.
A PCR test for travel abroad must be conducted at private healthcare facilities which were previously announced by the Ministry of Public Health.
A PCR test must be conducted at an approved medical center by the local Ministry of Health in the country of departure before travelling to the State of Qatar.
GCC citizens who have recovered from Covid-19 are required to present the original vaccination certificate (at least one dose of any of the recognized vaccines by the Ministry of Public Health- Qatar), a PCR test, as well as a certificate proving occurrence of Covid- 19 infection.
Employees planning to travel abroad should coordinate with their employers on their travel and return dates taking into consideration the quarantine duration.
All passengers traveling through the State of Qatar (Transit) must present a (PCR) test certificate before travelling, valid for 72 hours from arrival, and if another PCR test is needed for their next destination, the test can be conducted at Hamad International Airport for a fixed charge of QR 300 per test.
If hotel quarantine criteria apply, the Ministry of Public Health shall cover costs of the hotel quarantine packages in Qatar for patients receiving their treatment abroad with their official escorts ( with written approval from Medical Committee for Treatment Abroad of the Ministry of Public Health ) at the expense of the state of Qatar. The employers shall cover expenses of the hotel quarantine for their employees upon returning from official missions.
In the event of home quarantine, accommodation conditions must be appropriate, where there is a separate room with ensuite bathroom. If the accommodation does not meet the requirements, the passenger must book a hotel quarantine package through the "Discover Qatar" website before travelling to Qatar.
Immunity period for the vaccinated individuals is (12) months, starting after 14 days from the date of the second dose and the immunity period can be extended based on any new data in this regard.
Lists of approved / conditionally approved Vaccines by Ministry of Public Health: Approved vaccines: Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford AstraZeneca, Janssen (Johnson and Johnson; Conditionally approved vaccines: Sinopharm
Travelers who are fully vaccinated with the above specified conditionally approved vaccines shall undergo antibody test upon arrival, if the result is positive, they shall be exempt from the quarantine requirements; if the result is negative, the passenger will be required to do PCR test upon arrival and must undergo quarantine based on the classification of the departure country.
Passengers who have taken one of the recognized vaccines must submit the original vaccination certificate, which shall include the following information:
Name of the passenger and it must match the passport.
Dose dates according to type of the vaccine (one dose for Jansen vaccine and two doses for other vaccines).
Type/name of the vaccine.
Lot number of the vaccine (if any).
Official logo or seal of the vaccination authority.
Recovered Individuals:
Citizens and residents from a previous infection within the last (12) months are exempt from quarantine upon return from abroad if they were asymptomatic, and their PCR test result is negative.
This rule shall apply to the individuals diagnosed in Qatar only, while those diagnosed in any of GCC countries who have received at least one dose of recognized vaccines by MoPH Qatar, shall be exempt from quarantine provided that a valid official certificate with a detailing the previous infection, issued by the local Ministry of Health in the GCC, is presented.
It is the responsibility of the individuals to make sure of any changes to the travel and return policy of the State of Qatar through the official sources and websites previously mentioned before planning travel.
Group A: Citizens and residents including GCC States citizens:
– Before travelling to the State of Qatar:
Conduct a PCR test proving that they are free of Covid-19 up to 72 hours before reaching Qatar, from a medical center accredited by the local Ministry of Health in the country of departure.
Pre-register online via the dedicated website (www.ehteraz.gov.qa) at least (12) hours before travel and download the required official documents.
The passenger shall be exempt from quarantine if the required doses are received from a vaccine licensed by the Ministry of Public Health; provided that at least 14 days have passed from receiving the second dose if the vaccine is two doses or one dose of the (Jansen) vaccine.
People who have partially received the vaccine (one dose out of two doses), or who are fully vaccinated but 14 days have not passed from receiving the prescribed doses, or people who have received vaccines with conditional approval from the Ministry of Public Health:
These categories shall be quarantined according to classification of the country of arrival, and they must book the hotel quarantine package through "Discover Qatar" website if they come from a yellow list country (7 days) or a red list country (10 days).
Unvaccinated children aged (12-17) travelling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subject to five (05) days of home quarantine if they are coming from a green listed country.
Unvaccinated children aged (12-17) travelling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subject to five (05) days of home quarantine if they are coming from a green listed country.
Unvaccinated children aged (0-17) travelling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subject to home quarantine based on classification of the country of arrival (07) days for the yellow countries, (10 days for red countries)".
Unvaccinated children travelling with their vaccinated parents who are GCC citizens but do not have residence in Qatar a Qatari residence card (QID) shall be subject to hotel quarantine based on the country classification of the country of arrival (05 days for green list countries, 07 days for yellow list countries, and 10 days for red list countries).
For Unvaccinated group A passengers who have travelled to multiple countries over the past 10 days; in order to avail the quarantine privileges of classification of the countries with a lowest risk level, the passenger must stay in a country classified in the lowest level for a period of at least ten days.
For Unvaccinated Group A passengers returning from treatment trips abroad, they must submit a health certificate from the Medical Treatment Committee Abroad through pre-registration at www.Ehteraz.gov.qa.
Meanwhile, patients coming from green and yellow countries classified shall be required to undergo home quarantine according to classification of the country of arrival (coming from green countries 5 days/ yellow countries 7 days) and patients coming from red-classified countries must be quarantined for 10 days, with a companion even if they were immune (as needed).
For unvaccinated nursing mothers, pregnant women and persons aged 75 and over, the same screening and quarantine policy shall be applied to them like other unvaccinated persons.
– Group A - Examination and quarantine policy upon arrival in Qatar:
Screening will be carried out for passengers who show symptoms of infection as necessary, depending on opinion of the medical team at the State's (outlets) ports.
Unvaccinated passengers, those with unapproved vaccines in Qatar, or who have not completed a period of (14) days from the date of the second dose, shall be subject to the following procedures:
Arrivals from green-rated countries: Shall undergo a home quarantine for (5) days with another PCR test at a primary health care center on the fourth day. The passenger shall be cleared on the fifth day if the test is negative.
Arrivals from yellow-rated countries: Shall undergo a hotel quarantine for (7) days with PCR test (at expense of the passenger) at the hotel on the sixth day. The passenger shall be cleared on the seventh day if the test is negative.
Arrivals from red-rated countries: Shall undergo a hotel quarantine for (10) with a PCR test on arrival at the hotel and on the ninth day (at the passenger's expense). They shall be cleared on the tenth day if the test is negative.
Vaccinated passengers coming from red-rated countries shall undergo a PCR test (at the passenger's expense) upon arrival at Hamad International Airport/ Land Port, if the test result is positive, the passenger must comply with the isolation protocol.
Hotel quarantine shall apply for (5) days to GCC citizens who do not have a Qatari residence card, if they come from green listed countries.
Group B: Family visits, businessmen, tourists including GCC residents:
Entry shall be restricted to the vaccinated and/or recovered individuals as specified in items 13, 14, 15 and 16 in the general policy.
Fully vaccinated individuals:
Shall be exempt from quarantine in the event of obtaining vaccine doses licensed by the Ministry of Public Health and a period of (14) days has elapsed after receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine or from a single dose in the case of the single-dose vaccine.
Unvaccinated children aged (0-11) travelling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be exempted from the quarantine if they come from green listed countries.
Unvaccinated children aged (0-11) travelling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subjected to hotel quarantine for 07 days if they come from yellow listed countries.
There is no exception for unvaccinated children coming traveling from red listed countries
Passengers must download and activate the Ehteraz app on their mobile phones using locally approved SIM cards which can be obtained from a local provider (Ooredoo or Vodafone).
Ehteraz application policies:
Passengers coming to Qatar must download Ehteraz app and activate it on their mobile phones upon their arrival at the Port of Entry (PoE). To achieve this, the passenger must obtain the following:
A Qatari SIM card from a local telecommunications operator (Ooredoo or Vodafone).
Access to the Internet.
A smartphone that supports Android 6, newer versions or IOS 13.5 and above.
Download the app on the mobile either via Google Play, Apple App Store or from any online search engines.
Knowing that SIM cards and smartphones are available for purchase at Hamad International Airport and Abu Samra Port if the passenger does not own them before arrival.
Diplomats, administrative cardholders, and VIP visitors shall be exempted from this procedure.
The health status in Ehteraz app shall remain in yellow throughout period of the quarantine, until a negative Covid- 19 test result appears in accordance with the above quarantine policy.
The health status in Ehteraz application for fully vaccinated people in the State of Qatar shall remain green with a golden frame to indicate that they are exempted from quarantine if result of the PCR test is negative and that they have completed (14) days from the date of the scheduled doses according to the vaccine.
The health status in Ehteraz app for citizens and residents vaccinated outside the State of Qatar shall remain green without a golden frame until their vaccination data is updated in the system.
The health status in Ehteraz app for visitors vaccinated abroad shall remain green without a golden frame until their vaccination data is updated in the system.
Passengers returning from Umrah:
Citizens and residents coming from Umrah who are unable to obtain a valid PCR test from the country of arrival shall be allowed to board their flights provided they undergo a PCR test upon arrival at Hamad International Airport or Abu Samra land port for a fixed fee of Qrs. 300 per test.
According to Saudi Arabia's rules, only people who have received approved vaccination doses can perform Umrah and visit Mecca Al-Mukarramah.
People planning to travel to Umrah should refer to the policy and procedures announced by the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Islamic Affairs.
The Ministry of Public Health announced that it has been decided to implement new procedures to ensure the continued facilitation of the entry process into the State of Qatar through its air, land and sea ports for travelers who have completed vaccination against the Coronavirus (Covid-19) with vaccines approved by the Ministry of Public Health in the State of Qatar, as of the date of 12 July 2021.
The new procedures also included classification lists for countries of arrival (green, yellow, red) and a quarantine policy for each classification applied to travelers coming to the State of Qatar.
The new Qatar travel and return policy
The below-updated travel and return policy will come into effect starting the 12th of July 2021.
General policy
Citizens and Residents can travel abroad at any time, provided they adhere to the travel and return policy.
Travelers coming to Qatar (including Qatari citizens and residents) are required to register through the Ehteraz website (www.ehteraz.gov.qa) at least 12 hours before travel and upload the required official documents. They will be issued a Travel Authorization/Permit which they will be required to present to the boarding staff (if they are traveling through Hamad International Airport) to be allowed to fly to Qatar, or to the Immigration officials at the land border (if they are traveling through the Abu Samra land port).
Unvaccinated citizens and residents wishing to travel abroad to one of the countries not included in the COVID-19 Green List must book a hotel quarantine package from the listed hotels on the "Discover Qatar" website before traveling.
Those wishing to travel must know the procedures applied in the country they want to visit in terms of quarantine procedures, duration, and the need to provide a COVID-19-free certificate.
COVID-19 PCR-test to travel abroad should be conducted at one of the private healthcare facilities announced by MOPH.
RT PCR Test must be done in a medical center approved by the local health authority (of the issuing country) to perform COVID-19 PCR tests
GCC citizens who have recovered from COVID-19 must present the original Vaccination certificate (at least one dose of a vaccine approved by MOPH Qatar), RT-PCR Test and certificate of prior infection with COVID-19 with a valid QR Code.
Employees must coordinate with their employers about the dates of their travel and return to Qatar. They should consider the quarantine period when planning their trip.
All passengers transiting through Qatar must have the mandatory pre-travel PCR test certificate valid for (72) hours of arrival to Qatar, and in case they require another PCR test for their onward destination, they can have it at Hamad International Airport on a standard fee of QAR 300/- per test.
If the hotel quarantine criteria apply, the government will cover the costs of the hotel quarantine packages for patients receiving their treatment abroad (with written confirmation from the Medical Treatment Committee Abroad) at the expense of the State, along with their official escorts. The employer is responsible to cover the quarantine expenses for their employees who are on official missions
With home quarantine, the accommodation conditions should be suitable, provided it has a separate room with its ensuite bathroom. If the accommodation is not appropriate, one of the hotel quarantine packages must be booked for through the "Discover Qatar" website before traveling to Qatar
The validity of the vaccine to grant quarantine exemption is 12 months, starting (14) days after the second dose. This immunity period could be extended based on new and emerging data.
Lists of approved/conditionally approved vaccines by the Ministry of Public Health: Approved vaccines: Pzizer BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford AstraZeneca, Janssen (Johnson and Johnson; Conditionally approved vaccines: Sinopharm
Travelers fully vaccinated with the above-specified *conditional vaccines will be subject to an antibody test on arrival, if the result is positive with antibodies, exempted from quarantine; otherwise the traveler must undergo applicable quarantine based on country of departure and perform COVID-19 PCR tests upon arrival.
Travelers must present an official vaccination certificate with a valid QR Code that includes the following information:
Name of the recipient as mentioned in their passport.
Vaccination Date clearly written as 1st and/or 2nd dose.
Type/Name of vaccine.
Vaccine Lot number (if available)
Official logo and stamp of the vaccination authority
Recovered individuals
Citizens and residents who recovered from a previous infection within the last (12) months are exempted from quarantine upon return from their travel abroad, if they were asymptomatic and their PCR test result was negative.
This rule applies to individuals diagnosed in Qatar. Those who were diagnosed in any GCC member states and received at least 1 dose of the MOPH-Qatar recognized vaccine are exempted from quarantine provided they submit a valid official crificate with a valid QR code detailing the previous infection and recovery issued by their local GCC state health authority
It is the responsibility of individuals to ensure that they are updated with any changes in the travel and return policy of Qatar through the official sources and the sites mentioned above before planning their trip.
Group A: Qatari Citizens and Residents including GCC Citizens who have a valid QID
– Before Traveling to Qatar:
One negative RT-PCR test carried out maximum 72 hours before the time of arrival is required; It must be done at a medical center approved by the local health authority of the issuing country to perform COVID-19 PCR tests.
Register through the Ehteraz website (www.ehteraz.gov.qa) at least 12 hours before travel, and upload the required official documents.
Travelers are exempted from quarantine if they are fully vaccinated with a MOPH-recognized vaccine and at least (14) days have passed after receiving the second dose of a two-dose series vaccine or from the single-dose in case of a single-dose regime vaccine.
Unvaccinated travelers, vaccinated with other vaccines not recognized in the State of Qatar, and those who fall short of the 14 days vaccine administration period since the second dose:
You will be subject to quarantine for a period depending on the country classification you travel from. You will need to book a hotel package through Discover Qatar if you are coming from Yellow (7 days) or Red countries (10 days).
Children between 0-11 years traveling with their fully vaccinated parents are exempted from quarantine if traveling from countries on the Green List. Unvaccinated children between 12-17 years traveling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subject to home quarantine for 5 days if traveling from countries on the Green List. Unvaccinated children between 0-17 years traveling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subject to home quarantine for 7 days if traveling from countries on the Yellow List and shall be subject to home quarantine for 10 days if traveling from countries on the Red List.
For unvaccinated travelers belonging to group A who have had trips to multiple countries for the last 10 days: to benefit from the quarantine privileges of the lower-tier country classification, they must be staying in the said lower-tier country COVID-19 classification for a minimum period of 10 days.
For unvaccinated travelers belonging to group A and are returning from a medical treatment abroad must submit a clearance certificate (via Pre-entry registration www.Ehteraz.gov.qa) from the Medical Treatment Abroad Committee;
Patients and their one (1) fully vaccinated escort coming from green and yellow countries shall be on home quarantine depending on the required quarantine period (i.e. Green – 5 days; Yellow – 7 days); while patients coming from Red country will be subject to 10 days hotel quarantine, they will be accompanied by their escort even if the latter is vaccinated.
For unvaccinated lactating mothers, pregnant women, and those 75 years old and above will undergo the same testing and quarantine policy as to the rest of unvaccinated individuals.
– Testing and Quarantine Policy On Arrival in Qatar:
Travelers with symptoms will be tested as necessary as judged by the medical team at the ports.
Travelers who are unvaccinated, inoculated with vaccines not recognized in the State of Qatar, or who fall short of the 14 days vaccine administration period since the second dose will undergo:
Coming from Green countries: 5 days home quarantine and a repeat RT-PCR test in PHCC on day 4, you will be discharged on day 5 if test is negative.
Coming from Yellow countries: 7 days hotel quarantine and a repeat RT-PCR test (on traveler’s expense) in the hotel on day 6, you will be discharged on day 7 if test is negative.
Coming from Red countries: 10 days hotel quarantine and a repeat PCR on arrival in the hotel, and on day 9 (on traveler’s expense), you will be discharged on day 10 if test is negative.
Vaccinated travelers coming from Red countries will undergo a repeat RT-PCR test (on traveler’s expense) on arrival in HIA/land border, if the test is positive, traveler must adhere to isolation protocol.
Group B: Family Visitors, Business, Leisure, including GCC citizens who are non-QID holder/non-resident (Group B)
Entry is restricted to vaccinated, and/or recovered individuals as defined in numbers 13, 14, 15, 16 in the General policy.
Fully vaccinated individuals:
Exempted from quarantine if you are fully vaccinated with a MOPH recognized vaccine and at least (14) days have passed after receiving the second dose of a two-dose series vaccine or from the single-dose in case of single-dose regime vaccine
Children between 0-11 years traveling with their fully vaccinated parents are exempted from quarantine if traveling from countries on the Green List.
Unvaccinated children between 12-17 years traveling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subject to home quarantine for 5 days if traveling from countries on the Green List.
Unvaccinated children between 0-17 years traveling with their fully vaccinated parents shall be subject to hotel quarantine for 7 days if traveling from countries on the Yellow List
Unvaccinated children from Red List countries will not be allowed, according to MoPH.
It is mandatory for travelers to install and activate Ehteraz app on their mobile phone using locally authorized SIM cards that can be obtained from one of the local providers (Ooredoo or Vodafone).
Travelers returning from Umrah
Citizens and residents who came from Umrah and cannot provide a valid PCR test certificate should be allowed to board their flights but they must undergo PCR test upon arrival at Hamad International Airport or Abu Samra port on a standard fee of QAR 300/- per test. All travelers must be vaccinated following KSA rules that only vaccinated individuals could perform Umrah and visit Makkah. Individuals planning to travel for Umrah should refer to the policy and procedures announced by the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.
EHTERAZ app policy
Travelers arriving or returning to the State of Qatar must download and activate the Ehteraz app on their mobiles upon arrival to the Port of Entry (PoE). To achieve that the below must be obtained by the traveler:
A Qatari SIM Card from a local telecom operator (Ooredoo and Vodafone).
Internet access.
A smartphone that supports either Android 6 and up or IOS 13.5 and higher.
Download the application on your mobile phone either via Google Play or Apple App Store or from any search engines on the internet.
Knowing that, SIM cards and smartphones are available for purchase at Hamad International Airport and Abu Samra port if the traveler does not have them before arrival.
Diplomats, administrative cardholders, and VVIP visitors are exempted.
Health status on Ehteraz will remain YELLOW for the whole of quarantine duration, and until a negative COVID-19 test result is obtained as per the quarantine policy stated above.
Health Status on Ehteraz for the fully vaccinated individuals in Qatar will remain GREEN with a Golden Frame to indicate they are exempted from quarantine if their PCR test result was negative and they completed (14) days after the second dose.
The Health Status on Ehteraz for citizens and residents who have been vaccinated abroad will remain GREEN without Golden Frame until their vaccination data are updated in the system.
The Health Status on Ehteraz for visitors who have been vaccinated abroad will remain GREEN without Golden Frame until their vaccination data are updated in the system.
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