0 min left
Qatar: No Visa? No Problem
Ryan Boyd August 15, 2017
In an effort to drum up more interest in tourism, Qatar will be introducing a visa-less entry program available to citizens from 80 different countries. This move means that flyers with the carrier will only need a passport to gain entry to Qatar, and visitors from 33 of the overall 88 countries will be allowed to stay for a maximum of 90 days without needing to produce additional documentation.
To read more on this story, visit Get.com.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
Indeed, further digging through other news outlets points to this being a carrier-independent initiative. @FairDinkumMate and @makrom, thanks for pointing this out. Having lived in the region I was quite prepared to see yet another form of special treatment for the "national carrier". Glad to see the move applies to all carriers / modes of arrival. @OP, you may want to adjust the wording in your article to reflect this.
@blue2002 You can fly there with any carrier, this is totally unrelated.
It is very logical to conclude that this is a waiver available only to flyers on Qatar, since the text of the FT article states as much. " This move means that flyers WITH THE CARRIER will only need a passport to gain entry to Qatar." (note the added emphasis) Whether or not the FT article is accurate on that point is not something I have researched.
You understand it is the country, not the airline that is waiving the visa requirement. Most countries have visaless entry for citizens of certain other countries. eg. The US has the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA), Europe has Shengen. Why do you think this is any different?
LOL. Somebody please explain to me how this is NOT a state subsidy for QR. By the way, as I recall both EY and EK had at various times (or still have) mini-versions of this, facilitating less expensive and expedited entry visas for their arriving passengers. Only in this part of the world (I hope) can one's immigration status be determined by their choice of the carrier.