
New transit visa rules make visiting Qatar easier

In a bold move to promote the country as a world-class stopover destination, Qatar Tourism Authority, Qatar Airways and Qatar’s Ministry of Interior announced a revised tourism visa scheme available to passengers transiting through Doha.
Under the new scheme, if a passenger has a minimum transit time of five hours at the Hamad International Airport, he or she can stay in Qatar for up to 96 hours (four days) without having to apply ahead of time for an entry visa.
This is a significant shift from the previous transit visa scheme, which allowed travellers with a minimum layover of eight hours to spend a maximum of 48 hours (two days) in Qatar.
This improvement is designed to make stopovers easier and more attractive to Qatar Airways’ global passengers. It also aims to deliver additional value to the local economy while strengthening Qatar’s position as an attractive tourist destination.
The Qatar transit visa is free of charge and is available on arrival at HIA to passengers of all nationalities, upon confirmation of onward journey and completion of passport control procedures.
All visas are approved and issued at the sole discretion of the Ministry of Interior.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways serves millions of people from around the world as they journey across our network of more than 150 destinations. We want to enrich the journey of all of our passengers and are restructuring our fares to reflect this initiative and to promote stopovers to travellers.
“We’re excited to offer our passengers the opportunity to taste the cultural highlights that the city of Doha and the State of Qatar have to offer. We’re thankful to the Ministry of Interior and the Qatar Tourism Authority for helping us to create a journey that includes discovering Qatar, an experience that will stay in their hearts and minds forever.”
The development, announced on the eve of World Tourism Day, is the third in a series of enhancements that Qatar has made to facilitate entry into the country for visitors.
Last week, officials announced a new process to quicken the entry of tourists arriving on board cruise ships, and earlier, representatives signed an agreement with VFS Global, which will see the development of a new, faster and more transparent tourist visa application mechanism.
Visitors can explore Discover Qatar stopover packages, offered by Qatar Airways Holidays, which include desert safaris, city tours, visits to Katara Cultural Village, Souq Waqif and The Pearl-Qatar island, museum and art gallery visits, architectural tours, and hotel bookings.
I just got the feeling that this would be an interested topic. So far not enough feed back compare to the other posts.
I being a hotelier, Qatar handle huge number of Transit passengers in the hotel on a daily basis.
I am sure this option will give more privilege to enter the country for the travelers.
Tourism is a great way to diversify economy and that is exactly what Qatar needs at the moment... Thumbs up to the decision makers...
do i have to be flying on Qatar airways or any airlines?
I think its a good news. I found lot of people in the past struggling to see their relatives traveling through Qatar due to Visa restriction.
Wow: Now no hassles at all. Good move.
Expert team: Please elaborate more on this.
This is such a wise move ... We welcome the visitors with open arms
Is it necessary to fly Qatar Airways?