Visitors to Qatar must obtain a visa, unless if they are citizens of one of the GCC countries or if they are citizens of one of the countries eligible for a visa waiver on arrival.
Citizens of the following Gulf Cooperation Council countries enjoy freedom of movement in Qatar. They do not require a visa under any circumstances, and are permitted to use a national ID card in lieu of a passport to enter Qatar:[1]
Citizens of the following countries are automatically granted a free visa upon arrival for stays up to the duration listed below. They must hold passports valid for at least six months from the date of arrival, as well as a return or onward ticket (unless if holding a valid visa issued by Oman). However, some nationalities must meet additional criteria in order to be granted the visa waiver:[1] [2]
90 days within any 180 days
30 days* |
1 - Must present a confirmed hotel reservation in one of the designated VOA hotels booked through Discover Qatar for the period of stay.[4]
2 - Must present a polio vaccination certificate.
Holders of diplomatic or official / service category passports of the following countries do not require a visa for 30 days (unless otherwise stated) :
D - Diplomatic passports only.
1 - 90 days
Qatar has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:
Country | Passports | Agreement signed on |
---|---|---|
Philippines[5] | Diplomatic, service | 22 April 2024 |
Ghana[6] | Diplomatic, service | March 2022 |
Dominican Republic[7] | Diplomatic, official, service | January 2022 |
Nepal[8] | Diplomatic, service | October 2018 |
Ethiopia[9] | Diplomatic, service | November 2017 |
Nationals of the following countries can obtain a visa on arrival. The fee is QR 100, and they must hold passports valid for at least 3 months from the date of arrival, as well as a return or onward ticket.[1]
30 days*
|
1 - Must present a confirmed hotel reservation in one of the designated VOA hotels booked through Discover Qatar for the period of stay.[4]
2 - Must present either a credit card or a debit card with a balance of at least 1000 USD.
3 - If entering Qatar for tourism, a credit card or at least QAR 5000 in cash must be presented. If entering Qatar for business, an invitation letter from a company certified by the Qatari government must be presented.
4 - Qatar-Oman Joint on-Arrival Tourist.
Regardless of nationality, travelers who are in transit through Hamad International Airport do not require a visa if they depart within 24 hours.
On 26 September 2016, the Ministry of the Interior announced the issuance of free transit visas[10] 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.[11] [1]
Most visitors arriving to Qatar were from the following countries of nationality:[12] [13] [14]
Country | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
333,708 | 340,104 | 375,910 | ||
120,495 | 132,301 | 135,645 | ||
101,144 | 102,774 | 93,174 | ||
49,510 | 49,012 | 86,670 | ||
45,627 | ||||
44,440 | ||||
43,614 | 81,283 | 92,036 | ||
42,765 | ||||
42,026 | ||||
37,436 | ||||
949,145 | 855,555 | |||
135,202 | 132,913 | |||
134,578 | 117,575 | |||
98,617 | 102,332 | |||
93,115 | 91,843 | |||
Total | 860,765 | 2,116,131 | 2,083,653 |