Requirements To Apply For A Qatar Visa
- You can’t acquire an expedited or an express service when issuing a visa from the embassy and you won’t be asked to pay any additional fees other than the initial official ones.
- Monday to Friday – 9:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m are the working hours of the Qatar embassies. Passports’ submits and pickups should be performed during that time frame.
- Get a Qatar visa application form, fill it then submit it to your embassy.
- Only use money orders and company checks to pay for your visa, personal checks and cash are not accepted. Indicate that the recipient is Embassy of the State of Qatar. Each visa has to be accompanied by its own money order or company check, you can’t submit 1 company check for 3 visa application for example. The fees must be paid in USD dollars and are applicable per passport. Follow the links below to check out the required visas:
- A valid passport is mandatory when submitting your visa application. Your passport’s validity period must be six month longer than your intended visit period in Qatar. Your passport also has to have blank pages to print the new visa.
- If you’re submitting an application for a business visa, you should provide a company letter with it but if you’re applying for a tourist visa, you should provide an invitation letter in order to explain the reason why you’re going to Qatar. 1 letter/application.
- Every visa application has to be accompanied with 2 colored passport size photographs.
- 2 copies of the first passport pages (photo and name must be present in the copies) along with the original itself.
- In case of sending your application per mail, include a prepaid return envelope, write your name on both the recipient and sender fields. It’s recommended to avoid regular mail to minimize application loss risks.
- Official passport holder, diplomatic and military personnel have to submit two copies of an official required provided by their government’s authorities along with a letter from the recipient company (where they’re going to work during their stay in Qatar)
- You won’t need a visa if Qatar is just a connection between flights to other countries.
Additional Visa Requirements By Type
The visas mentioned below, except the transit visa, enable visitors to stay in Qatar for 1 month.
- Joint tourist visa: 3 months bank statement.
- Transit visa: this visa is necessary for people who have special situations and are stopping by Qatar (for 2 days) before continuing to their destination. If you’re in a transit between flights, then you won’t need it.
- GCC countries citizens: a valid GCC stay permit copy (min. 6 months validity)
- Accompanying GCC nationals: a valid GCC stay permit copy (min. 6 months validity). This visa is required if the visitor is sponsored by another GCC national.
- Tourist visa: resident permit and a 3 months bank statement.
- Business visa: credentials to prove status.
The Different Qatar Visa Types
Qatar Tourist Visa
Qatar tourist visas can be obtained on arrival by visitors coming from the following countries: Vatican City, Andorra, UK, Australia, USA, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Brunei, Switzerland, Canada, South Korea, Denmark, Singapore, France,Finland, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Japan, Luxemburg, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia,Portugal, Spain, San Marino, and Sweden for a cost of 100 riyals. You have the possibility to obtain a joint visa (Qatar-Oman) but you will still have to go through the Qatar port first.
The Qatar tourist visa’s validity is 2 weeks while the joint tourist visa’s is 3 week and both are extendable for a further week.
Accepted payments methods:
Paying for your visa can be performed at the immigration desk. In order to be granted access, you have to have a relative in Qatar or a booking in a hotel.
Before applying for a tourist visa, make sure that you have 5000 riyals in a bank account or a credit card. You should also possess the relatives/friends you’re staying with address.
You can also obtain a 2 weeks tourist visa (extendable to another 2 weeks) via a tourist operator, a hotel or Qatar airways.
Another condition would be having a return ticket booked on Qatar Airways, you still can book a ticket on a different flight from another company but with the local Qatari airlines the acceptance is more guaranteed.
If you’re looking for a smooth and an easy tourist visa obtaining process, then we recommend booking with the Al-Maha services via Qatar airways. They will organize the entire process for you and make the process easier and more pleasant.
Longer Tourist Qatar Visa
Longer tourist Qatar visas are not available on arrival; you will have to apply (apply online for a qatar visa) for them in advance at the Qatar embassy in your country. This type of visa is available for the countries mentioned above citizens.
Qatar Business Visa
If you have one of the countries above citizenship and work for a (or will work for) Qatari company, then you’re eligible for a Qatar business visa. The company is the one responsible for organizing business visas for its workers. This type of visas’ validity is 2 week extendable to 2 other weeks (or more, it depends on the circumstances). If your stay in Qatar surpassed 4 weeks on a business visa, you’ll need an exit visa in order to leave.
Qatar Work Visa
Qatar work visas have a validity of 1-3 months. They are normally organized by your employer in Qatar. Before applying to a Qatar work visa you will need to get a certificate of good conduct, more details on this can be found at Police Clearance Certificates for Qatar. After having arrived to Qatar, your company has to get you a work visa and a resident permit to enable you to work and live there. You’ll need to provide/do the following in order to get the work visa and resident permit:
- A normal blood test and a blood type test
- Health check
- Chest X-ray
We recommend performing the above tests in the Doha Clinic situated at the Mirquab Al Jadeed Street. Added to that, you might have to get a global health checkup before coming Qatar.
Qatar Visit Visa
If you have relatives working in Qatar, you can ask them to sponsor you and get you a Qatar visit visa. This type of visas is valid for an initial 1 month that can be extended to up to 6 months (immediate family) and up to 3 months (other family relatives). If you’re a wife or a child, then the visa can be extended to up to 1 year.
You will need the following documents in order to be able to get the visit visa to qatar:
- 2 photographs
- Birth/marriage certificate (to prove your relationship to the sponsor)
- A letter from your sponsor
- Copy of passport
- Copy of id
Qatar Family Visa
If you work in Qatar, you can sponsor your family to come and live with you. This is different from a visit visa as a family visa doesn’t have an expiration date and your family will be able to live in Qatar as long as you sponsor them. The family sponsor has to arrange his family’s residence permit in advance. The application has to be deposited at the Department Of Labor situated at the C Ring Road. The sponsor needs to provide the following documents:
- Passport photos of the sponsor, the spouse and children
- Certified children’s birth certificates, education certificates and marriage certificates.
- Bank statement of 6 months’ salary
- Approval letter from work
Another alternative would be applying for a visit visa for your family then converting it to a residence permit once they arrive.
Due a change in the labor law for working women, women now are able to sponsor their children and husbands.
Qatar GCC Resident Visa
If you’re a GCC resident, you might be able to get an on boarder point visa. The reason why we used the word “might” would be that getting this visa entirely depends on your job. If your profession figures in this list, then you’ll be granted the on arrival Qatar GCC resident visa without problems, but if not, you’ll have to apply for it before arriving in Qatar the normal way.
Make sure to visit our traveler’s guide that might help you during your trip to qatar.