Qatar government announces visa exemption for citizens of 80 countries

In order to promote tourism and air transport, on August 9, the Qatari Government announced its decision to exempt entry visas for citizens of 80 countries.

Qatari officials announce the new visa policy at a press conference. (Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com)

Speaking to reporters, Qatari Interior Ministry official Mohamed Rashed al-Mazroui said citizens of 80 countries will only have to present valid passports when entering Qatar.

The above official stated that the selection of countries to be included in the visa exemption list is based on economic and security criteria, as well as the spending levels during the stay of citizens of those countries.

There is currently no specific list of countries that are exempt from visas to Qatar, nor is there a date when this visa exemption program will take effect.

However, Qatari media reported that this program is mainly applied to citizens of Western countries, accordingly, citizens of 33 countries will be allowed to stay in Qatar for 180 days, and citizens of the remaining 47 countries will only be allowed to stay for a maximum of 30 days./.

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