Qatar now offers a free 96 hour visa!
Feb 16, 2017, 1:48 pm
#166
Join Date: May 2010
Location: TPA
Programs: All The Programs
Posts: 2,204
FWIW, I'm also having issues with an AA issued award obtaining the free visa. I thought I'd have some luck with it, as prior to the 30 day eligibility window the website was telling me I had to wait until 30 days out to apply. However, now that I'm in the 30 day window, it tells me it can't find my record locator (yes, it's QR's not AA's).
So for now I guess the only option now is the visa on arrival (QAR 100 isn't so bad, but free is better).
So for now I guess the only option now is the visa on arrival (QAR 100 isn't so bad, but free is better).
I recently flew on a AA award ticket (QR aircraft). Despite a few emails to the QR visa people, I was never able to get the free 96h visa.
Feb 16, 2017, 2:12 pm
#168
Join Date: May 2010
Location: TPA
Programs: All The Programs
Posts: 2,204
Feb 17, 2017, 1:23 pm
#169
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: London UK
Programs: BA Gold Guest List & GfL, Accor Gold, Hilton Diamond, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 186
Visa documentation
Can anyone tell me what the documentation is like? The QR website says they email a visa to print. Does that mean immigration just put standard size stamps in your passport? An odd question I know, but my passport is filling up and I'm wondering how much space I need!
Feb 17, 2017, 1:54 pm
#170
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: usually somewhere between 30000 and 40000 feet...but actually the English countryside
Programs: BA GGL/Lifetime Gold, EK Gold, Lowly M&M, Marriott tit, Hhonors Diamond, numerous others
Posts: 1,156
The print visa is 1 page of A4 - they will gate check it but weren't bothered about it at immigration.
Feb 17, 2017, 2:46 pm
#171
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,912
When I used the 96 hour free transit visa, once the immigration officer had seen that I was holding a transit visa he just took my passport and scanned it. I assume the details of the visa were then confirmed for him onscreen - he didn't look at the transit visa printout at all - nor for the two others in my party of travellers.
Feb 17, 2017, 3:58 pm
#172
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: BAEC Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 107
My passport now contains a bar-code sticker and an entry stamp taking up the best part of half an already used page.
Feb 22, 2017, 1:26 am
#173
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: South East, UK
Programs: BA Gold / GfL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,432
I just booked a QR itinerary. Leaving on Thursday this coming week, via Doha, returning Tuesday next week. My outbound is a straightforward connection (around an hour between flights), my return has a 24 hour connection.
So I try to submit a visa request via the QR website and it tells me there is insufficient time to process my visa. So I assume it just looks at when your travel commences, not when the actual transit is happening (which is still well over the stated 7 day processing time). So a pretty major flaw in the system.
I tried calling QR to see if they could advise any alternative approach to processing this, but after about 20 minutes on hold I just got cut off! Typical useless QR customer services!
So I try to submit a visa request via the QR website and it tells me there is insufficient time to process my visa. So I assume it just looks at when your travel commences, not when the actual transit is happening (which is still well over the stated 7 day processing time). So a pretty major flaw in the system.
I tried calling QR to see if they could advise any alternative approach to processing this, but after about 20 minutes on hold I just got cut off! Typical useless QR customer services!
My ticket was starting from Dubai. It seems that they have a slightly obscure rule stating that tickets starting from a number of cities in the Middle East are only eligible for a free transit visa on the outbound journey. My stopover was on the return. All a bit head-scratching, but I suppose QR do love to make up seemingly crazy rules!
Interestingly today I received an email asking me to rate the email support I received. This showed a transcript of my email communication to the Visa mailbox, the reply I received, plus some further communication between the Visa team and "SOD" (which I assume is their Customer Services team). I won't post the full text of what they said, since I was clearly not meant to see that part of their communication. However, they were pretty bluntly telling their customer service colleagues that they should have answered my original enquiry, that they had access to all the required information and not referred it on to them. They were actually pointing out to the customer services team that their lack of action "gives a very bad image to PAX if they ask Support and Contact Centers and they are not able to answer".
Maybe the visa team should be promoted to lead customer services!
Feb 24, 2017, 12:16 pm
#175
Join Date: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,637
Feb 25, 2017, 2:13 pm
#177
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: South East, UK
Programs: BA Gold / GfL, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,432
Feb 26, 2017, 10:53 pm
#178
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Metal tube with wings
Programs: KF Gold|VA Gold|HH Diamond|Kimpton IC|Hyatt Gold
Posts: 445
Mar 6, 2017, 10:40 am
#179
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Denderleeuw, Belgium
Programs: Garuda GFF Gold + Miles and More + QR Gold
Posts: 42
The Visa Terms and conditions says
".....visa for duration between 5 to 96 hours must be processed...."
What happens if I come back in less then 5 hours ?
".....visa for duration between 5 to 96 hours must be processed...."
What happens if I come back in less then 5 hours ?
Mar 6, 2017, 2:36 pm
#180
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,912
I think the timings on the T&Cs refer to the minimum and maximum transit times between flights.