In and out of Qatar within a week -- potential visa issues?
Mar 20, 2024 | 4:28 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: AA Platinum for Life (2MM), Marriott Lifetime Gold
Posts: 1,041
In and out of Qatar within a week -- potential visa issues?
I have a round-trip ticket SEA-BKK on QR. The itinerary as I originally purchased it does not involve leaving the airport in DOH on the outbound (~3 hour layover), and has a stopover of ~20 hours on the return, during which I will enter Qatar and stay for a night.
On the outbound, I'm thinking about pushing out my DOH-BKK flight by around 5 days, and taking a DOH-CAI side-trip on a separate round trip ticket during that period.
Doing this would mean entering Qatar possibly 3 times* within approximately 30 days, each time for not more than 24 hours.
Any issue with doing that? Such as a risk of being seen as abusing the visa exempt entry system and denied entry, hidden limits I might not have encountered when researching the way entry to Qatar works, etc.?
USA passport.
*I said "possibly 3 times" and not just "3 times" because it seems I can get a CAI-DOH flight that arrives DOH at ~5:30pm, and then fly onward DOH-BKK at 2:15am... so I might not need to enter Qatar that time. I could just hang around the airport... will be in QR business class so I assume I can get into the lounge for all or part of that time.
On the outbound, I'm thinking about pushing out my DOH-BKK flight by around 5 days, and taking a DOH-CAI side-trip on a separate round trip ticket during that period.
Doing this would mean entering Qatar possibly 3 times* within approximately 30 days, each time for not more than 24 hours.
Any issue with doing that? Such as a risk of being seen as abusing the visa exempt entry system and denied entry, hidden limits I might not have encountered when researching the way entry to Qatar works, etc.?
USA passport.
*I said "possibly 3 times" and not just "3 times" because it seems I can get a CAI-DOH flight that arrives DOH at ~5:30pm, and then fly onward DOH-BKK at 2:15am... so I might not need to enter Qatar that time. I could just hang around the airport... will be in QR business class so I assume I can get into the lounge for all or part of that time.
Mar 20, 2024 | 5:54 pm
#2
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 18,335
I have a round-trip ticket SEA-BKK on QR. The itinerary as I originally purchased it does not involve leaving the airport in DOH on the outbound (~3 hour layover), and has a stopover of ~20 hours on the return, during which I will enter Qatar and stay for a night.
On the outbound, I'm thinking about pushing out my DOH-BKK flight by around 5 days, and taking a DOH-CAI side-trip on a separate round trip ticket during that period.
Doing this would mean entering Qatar possibly 3 times* within approximately 30 days, each time for not more than 24 hours.
Any issue with doing that? Such as a risk of being seen as abusing the visa exempt entry system and denied entry, hidden limits I might not have encountered when researching the way entry to Qatar works, etc.?
USA passport.
*I said "possibly 3 times" and not just "3 times" because it seems I can get a CAI-DOH flight that arrives DOH at ~5:30pm, and then fly onward DOH-BKK at 2:15am... so I might not need to enter Qatar that time. I could just hang around the airport... will be in QR business class so I assume I can get into the lounge for all or part of that time.
On the outbound, I'm thinking about pushing out my DOH-BKK flight by around 5 days, and taking a DOH-CAI side-trip on a separate round trip ticket during that period.
Doing this would mean entering Qatar possibly 3 times* within approximately 30 days, each time for not more than 24 hours.
Any issue with doing that? Such as a risk of being seen as abusing the visa exempt entry system and denied entry, hidden limits I might not have encountered when researching the way entry to Qatar works, etc.?
USA passport.
*I said "possibly 3 times" and not just "3 times" because it seems I can get a CAI-DOH flight that arrives DOH at ~5:30pm, and then fly onward DOH-BKK at 2:15am... so I might not need to enter Qatar that time. I could just hang around the airport... will be in QR business class so I assume I can get into the lounge for all or part of that time.
You'll be fine.