Title : QATAR: New Visa On Arrival Now Offered To 30 New Countries
link : QATAR: New Visa On Arrival Now Offered To 30 New Countries
QATAR: New Visa On Arrival Now Offered To 30 New Countries
For the first time, citizens of Russia, China, South Africa, Lebanon, Indonesia and dozens of other countries will be able to purchase visas on arrival in Qatar.The move comes as Qatar seeks to boost tourism amid a boycott from some of its most frequent visitors, who hail from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
According to a circular from Qatar Airways issued to employees this week, the Ministry of Interior has approved the entry of more than 30 new nationalities with immediate effect, based on the following conditions:
Their passports are valid for six months or more;
Visitors have a return/onward ticket; and
They have a hotel booking and $1,500 in cash or credit card.
Previously, Qatar had an agreement with only around three dozen nations and territories to provide visa on arrival services. A one-month stay costs QR100 (roughly $30).
These include the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand and Australia, as well as European and East Asian countries.
Last year, Qatar authorities said they were working to add China and Russia to the list, as well as Indians.
But according to the recent Qatar Airways circular, only Indians who meet certain conditions are eligible for visa on arrival, such as those with a permanent UK address or US green card.
Other nationalities that can now enter Qatar without applying in advance for a one-month visa include several South American countries such as Brazil, Venezuela, Chile and eastern European nations like Croatia, Latvia and Estonia.
The loosened restrictions come after Qatar has already made four-day transit visas free and available to Qatar Airways passengers transiting through the country, regardless of nationality.
The full list of 71 nationalities that are eligible for visa on arrival is available on a new visa application website unveiled by Qatar Airways yesterday.
Visa on Arrival Countries
Nationals of the below mentioned countries may be granted an entry visa into Qatar for a period of one month subject to applicable fee and the following conditions.
Passport must be valid for period of six months from the date of entry
Passengers must hold a return / onward ticket
Passengers must have a confirmed hotel booking along with money equivalent to USD 1500 or Credit Card
*These conditions are also applicable for Indian nationals who hold a permanent UK residence or a US Green Card.
Andorra Argentina Australia Austria
Belarus Belgium Bolivia Brazil
Brunei Bulgaria Canada Chile
China Colombia Croatia Czech Republic
Denmark Ecuador Estonia Falk Islands (islas Malvinas)
Finland France French Guiana Germany
Greece Guyana Hong Kong Hungary
Iceland Indonesia Ireland Italy
Japan Kazakhstan Korea ST Latvia
Lebanon Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg
Macau Macedonia Malaysia Malta
Mexico Moldova MONACO Netherlands
New Zealand Norway Paraguay Peru
Poland Portugal R.O.C.Taiwan Romania
Russia SAN MARINO Seychelles Singapore
Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain
Suriname Sweden Switzerland Thailand
Turkey U K Uruguay USA
Vatican Venezuela
The airline in conjunction with the Qatar Tourism Authority said residents from any country can now apply for tourist visas though the portal, which is currently in a pilot phase.
This saves time as the process no longer has to go through hotels or tour operators.
Passengers will need passport scans, personal photographs, their airline ticket information and the address they will be staying at when in Qatar to submit their applications.
It usually take about 48 hours to obtain visas via email. And the application can be tracked by visitors online, authorities said.
Applications will be submitted automatically for those who book with Qatar Airways.
The tourist visas cost $42 (which includes a credit card booking fee).
A new visa scheme for travelers transiting through Hamad International Airport (HIA) is online, Qatar Airways and the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) have announced.
The free 96-hour transit visa is available to all Qatar Airways passengers with layovers of five or more hours at HIA, regardless of nationality.
However, visas are granted based on the sole discretion of the Ministry of Interior, and must be applied for at least seven days in advance, Qatar Airways said in a statement yesterday.
The visa scheme was first announced in late September as a way to woo more tourists to Qatar.
But it took some time to implement, in part because Qatar Airways needed to restructure its fares so that stopovers in Doha don’t cost extra.
The new offering comes on the same day that HIA launched its people mover system.
The trains are expected to help arriving, departing and transiting passengers navigate the airport more swiftly.
Passengers can apply for their free transit visas through any Qatar Airways offices, or online here.
Eligibility requirements include:
Having a ticket that shows an onward journey out of Qatar on a flight operated by the national carrier;
Holding a passport that is valid for at least six months from the time of arrival in Qatar; and
Sharing a valid email to facilitate the visa process.
The visa should be applied for between seven and 90 days before arriving in Qatar, excluding public holidays.
Once approved, the transit visa will be valid for 90 days from the date of issuance, for a single entry into Qatar.
Passengers must hold a copy of the pre-approved transit visa at the time of boarding at their airport of origin, as well as when arriving in Doha.
Notably, passengers traveling from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, and the UAE can only stopover with the free visa while on their outward journey, not on the return
The new transit visa comes at a time when tourism is flagging in Qatar, despite a push to grow the sector.
According to real estate firm DTZ, a 3 percent dip in visitor numbers this year has hurt the hospitality sector, contributing to falling occupancy and revenues.
In a statement yesterday, Hassan Al Ibrahim, QTA’s chief tourism development officer, said:
“Visa facilitation is an important factor in increasing the attractiveness of a destination, and we encourage investors and tourism business owners to capitalize on the opportunities presented by this development to diversify Qatar’s tourism products and services.”
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