Traveling abroad to almost any foreign country will require an individual to obtain a visa to be permitted to enter. The Doha, Qatar visa requirements will vary by country of departure, and some travelers may be able to simply obtain their visa on arrival, pending nationality or sponsorship. Some countries that can obtain a 30-day visa are The United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, and others, and can easily pick it up upon arrival. Countries not eligible for that will have to obtain one prior to arrival. There are different requirements for short-term travel and moving there, with some countries having more specific requirements. Below you will find a summary of what you need when obtaining a visa to Qatar.
Visiting and Short-Term Stays
Traveling to Qatar can be a fun and unique experience. Staying for less than or more than 30 days will determine what type of visa you will need to obtain prior to your visit. Obtaining a Qatar tourist visa can now be performed online to save time and quicken the entire process. If you only have a Qatar tourist visa you may not work during your stay. This short-term visa is only intended to be for travel and vacation purposes and is only usable for up-to 30 days and cannot be extended. Other than applying online or going through a Qatari embassy, when you book a hotel in Qatar you may obtain a tourist visa through them as well. Short-term contractual work for business purposes is valid for a maximum of up to three months, and must be approved in advance by the sponsoring company in Qatar.
Moving to Qatar
Those who plan to move for business purposes can obtain a visa for Qatar and should know that they are renewable but must be granted by a sponsor. Should you change jobs while in Qatar, changing sponsorship may be possible with approval from the Department of Immigration – Ministry of the Interior. Expats need to remain under the sponsorship of one organization for two years before they can change to another.
Qatar has a few policies which determine who can and can’t enter the country. Those looking to make Qatar their temporary or long-term home will need to undergo a few health checks to comply with national standards. The country has a strong policy not allowing foreigners with AIDS, HIV, tuberculosis, or other diseases to remain in the country. Most expats found with any of these diseases will be deported back to their country of origin, but in recent years Qatar has become more lenient in these manners with more progress continuing further still. Within an expat’s first weeks in Qatar, in addition to being checked for AIDS and other transferable diseases, they will undergo a chest x-ray, fingerprinting, and other blood tests to ensure they are physically capable of doing the work of which they were assigned.
If you do ultimately plan to move here for a few years for work or permanently, there are various options available as rentals or for purchase. Many of these affordable opportunities for you to buy can be fully furnished to allow you to focus on your work, or as bare as you would like to make it your own.
Family and Visit Visa
As soon as a foreigner has their work and residence Qatar visa in place, expats can arrange for their family to obtain a visa. Individuals wishing for their family to visit need to go to the Expatriate Affairs and Unified Services Centers, complete an application, and provide multiple official documents. Children and spouses can stay up to six months on the initial visa with the option to renew eventually, and other relatives may stay up to three months. The forms the expat will need in order to get their family to join for a while is as follows: an approval letter from their job, bank statement with their salary for the past six months, marriage certificate, their children’s birth certificates, education certificates, and passport photos.