Qatar Visa Rules and Requirements

Qatar Visa Rules and Requirements

Qatar is one of the most beautiful countries with the most lucrative business and career opportunities in the world. There are a myriad of experiences that every traveller can have in the State, from entertainment and leisure to thriving corporate and professional growth. Pristine, technologically advanced, and at the forefront of economic development, Qatar welcomes all kinds of visitors whether tourist or professional alike.

That said, Qatar has well-organized visa requirements that regulate the safe entry and exit of all kinds of visitors from all over the world. There is an open visa-exemption policy for over 30 countries around the globe in order to help boost tourism. Meanwhile, businessmen who have applied for their visas in advance can be issued business visas, while any individual who has travelled into the country by Qatar Airways can obtain a tourist visa. Visas issued by the Immigration Department at Doha International Airport are valid for 14 days. Once the visa expires, it can be easily renewed every three months. A tourist may also acquire a visa-on-arrival from the Qatar embassy abroad, or via certain entry points in the State.

For GCC residents, the visa-on-arrival is issued by the Interior Ministry in Qatar for 188 professions. These GCC-resident practitioners will have visas that have a one-month validity period, provided that the GCC Residency Permit is valid for at least half a year. The original passport, on the other hand, must also have at least a six-month validity. By paying an extension fee per month, the visa can be extended for another three months. These professionals include businessmen and businesswomen, engineers, doctors, medical equipment technicians, journalists, quality monitors, marketing agents, teachers, military officers, lawyers, and bankers.

While there are no expedited services or express services offered by the Embassy of Qatar, obtaining a visa is convenient and hassle-free. Along with the duly accomplished application form, the original passport must be submitted, as well as two colour passport size photographs and two photocopies of the passport’s first few pages. If applying for a tourist visa, an invitation letter should be included; for a business visa, a company letter should accompany the application form. Keep in mind that the passport submitted must be valid for more than six months.

There are different types of visas depending on your official purpose in the country, and each category has its own requirements and nuances. To make sure that all of your personal documents are in order, and to avoid any pesky delays, it’s important to have a business consultancy partner to help facilitate all of the procedures for you.