Qatar Issuing Tourist Visas from July 12
Mar 22, 2022, 6:07 am
#362
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: EK Gold, A3 *G, AB Gold, Jetblue Mosaic
Posts: 1,386
Mar 22, 2022, 7:55 am
#363
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,265
If you use a phone compatible with eSIM (including most recent iPhones), then putting your main home SIM onto an eSIM is a good way to free up the physical SIM card for your travels, whether for something like this or for cheaper data using a local SIM.
Mar 22, 2022, 9:21 am
#364
Join Date: Dec 2002
Programs: QR Plat
Posts: 2,432
In the latest revision of the rules to enter Qatar it seems that for visitors, if you are arriving as a EU national then you are exempt from pre-travel PCR test if you get a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of arrival.
1. Is this a correct reading of the rules?
2. Does Qatar Airways demand I get a pre travel PCR test, or do they not impose any rules of their own now?
3. Does anyone have experience with how easy/convenient it is to get a rapid antigen test after arriving in Doha?
-A
1. Is this a correct reading of the rules?
2. Does Qatar Airways demand I get a pre travel PCR test, or do they not impose any rules of their own now?
3. Does anyone have experience with how easy/convenient it is to get a rapid antigen test after arriving in Doha?
-A
Mar 22, 2022, 11:05 am
#365
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 10
Has anyone travelling with young children had a stopover in Doha since the rule changes at the end of February?
As fully vaccinated parents visiting from the UK, we need to do PCR tests before departing for Qatar, but children under 12 do not. As I understand it, the children will need to be tested upon arrival at Doha airport. I am not sure how this works in practice. Will we need to wait in the airport until we receive the results? How long should we expect that to take? Can anyone share their experience of doing this in the last month or so?
If the worst happens and a child tests positive, what should we expect to happen?
As fully vaccinated parents visiting from the UK, we need to do PCR tests before departing for Qatar, but children under 12 do not. As I understand it, the children will need to be tested upon arrival at Doha airport. I am not sure how this works in practice. Will we need to wait in the airport until we receive the results? How long should we expect that to take? Can anyone share their experience of doing this in the last month or so?
If the worst happens and a child tests positive, what should we expect to happen?
Apr 23, 2022, 2:12 pm
#366
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 10
Ok so we’ve flown in to Doha twice now within the last two weeks.
first time from the uk, EHTERAZ pre registration said we needed to get the children tested upon arrival.
upon arrival, nobody asked us to get them tested. Still, we walked to the Covid test centre (landside) after arriving, but it was closed, so we simply left. All was fine.
second time; we fly to Doha from Malaysia. This time, the EHTERAZ pre registration said no testing would be needed for the kids, so that was it. Nice and simple!
one thing to report, upon arrival both times we were unable to register on the EHTERAZ app. First time, nobody asked to see it on the entire trip (three days) so it had no impact. On our second trip, the hotel security guards held us in our taxi for 30 minutes demanding to see the EHTERAZ status. We explained there was a technical issue with the app, and eventually they let us in but it was very stressful and annoying to have to wait so long. Weirdly, in this second hotel they demanded to see EHTERAZ every time you enter the gym, restaurant, pool area etc so it became a bit of a nightmare having to explain every time we couldn’t get it to work. Funny how the two trips were so different!
first time from the uk, EHTERAZ pre registration said we needed to get the children tested upon arrival.
upon arrival, nobody asked us to get them tested. Still, we walked to the Covid test centre (landside) after arriving, but it was closed, so we simply left. All was fine.
second time; we fly to Doha from Malaysia. This time, the EHTERAZ pre registration said no testing would be needed for the kids, so that was it. Nice and simple!
one thing to report, upon arrival both times we were unable to register on the EHTERAZ app. First time, nobody asked to see it on the entire trip (three days) so it had no impact. On our second trip, the hotel security guards held us in our taxi for 30 minutes demanding to see the EHTERAZ status. We explained there was a technical issue with the app, and eventually they let us in but it was very stressful and annoying to have to wait so long. Weirdly, in this second hotel they demanded to see EHTERAZ every time you enter the gym, restaurant, pool area etc so it became a bit of a nightmare having to explain every time we couldn’t get it to work. Funny how the two trips were so different!
Apr 23, 2022, 9:22 pm
#367
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: LAX
Posts: 59
Quick update — our brief layover jaunt into Doha was a success, though there were some hiccups with the infamous ehteraz app.
Landed @doh around 8pm and sailed through immigration — the agent literally asked zero questions and just told us to lower our masks for the facial scan.
Got to baggage and tried to register the ehteraz app, but got the infinite loading wheel. Purchased a local sim only to realize that it wasn’t going to work because neither of our phones were unlocked (vacation brain started early for us, apparently).
At that point we were at a bit of a standstill, but we had booked a driver to streamline transportation and he told us that as long as we had the pre-arrival ehteraz approval paperwork we would be fine, so we took a chance and left the airport without the app running.
Long story short, he was right — any place that asked to see the app was happy with the printout for our pre-registration (including re-entering DOH). I’d also note that in most cases we didn’t even need that, since our driver / guide basically knew all the security people at the souq etc and they would just wave us through.
We were able to cruise up the Corniche and stop off at various points for pics, check out the Pearl, stop for tea, and wander through the Souq Waqif to shop and grab a quick bite to eat. Got back to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and hung out in the Al Mourjan lounge for an hour before boarding our next flight.
All-in-all a great success — If you are on a tighter timeline (our layover was 6 hours) and would like to dip into the city, I would highly recommend booking a professional driver to maximize efficiency. It’s certainly possible to fully DIY with Uber/taxi or even metro, but we found the extra cost totally worthwhile just to be able to not worry about luggage, logistics, etc.
Landed @doh around 8pm and sailed through immigration — the agent literally asked zero questions and just told us to lower our masks for the facial scan.
Got to baggage and tried to register the ehteraz app, but got the infinite loading wheel. Purchased a local sim only to realize that it wasn’t going to work because neither of our phones were unlocked (vacation brain started early for us, apparently).
At that point we were at a bit of a standstill, but we had booked a driver to streamline transportation and he told us that as long as we had the pre-arrival ehteraz approval paperwork we would be fine, so we took a chance and left the airport without the app running.
Long story short, he was right — any place that asked to see the app was happy with the printout for our pre-registration (including re-entering DOH). I’d also note that in most cases we didn’t even need that, since our driver / guide basically knew all the security people at the souq etc and they would just wave us through.
We were able to cruise up the Corniche and stop off at various points for pics, check out the Pearl, stop for tea, and wander through the Souq Waqif to shop and grab a quick bite to eat. Got back to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and hung out in the Al Mourjan lounge for an hour before boarding our next flight.
All-in-all a great success — If you are on a tighter timeline (our layover was 6 hours) and would like to dip into the city, I would highly recommend booking a professional driver to maximize efficiency. It’s certainly possible to fully DIY with Uber/taxi or even metro, but we found the extra cost totally worthwhile just to be able to not worry about luggage, logistics, etc.
Last edited by Hammerklavier; Apr 23, 2022 at 9:26 pm Reason: Typo
Apr 29, 2022, 10:06 pm
#368
Join Date: Apr 2022
Posts: 4
Quick update — our brief layover jaunt into Doha was a success, though there were some hiccups with the infamous ehteraz app.
Landed @doh around 8pm and sailed through immigration — the agent literally asked zero questions and just told us to lower our masks for the facial scan.
Got to baggage and tried to register the ehteraz app, but got the infinite loading wheel. Purchased a local sim only to realize that it wasn’t going to work because neither of our phones were unlocked (vacation brain started early for us, apparently).
At that point we were at a bit of a standstill, but we had booked a driver to streamline transportation and he told us that as long as we had the pre-arrival ehteraz approval paperwork we would be fine, so we took a chance and left the airport without the app running.
Long story short, he was right — any place that asked to see the app was happy with the printout for our pre-registration (including re-entering DOH). I’d also note that in most cases we didn’t even need that, since our driver / guide basically knew all the security people at the souq etc and they would just wave us through.
We were able to cruise up the Corniche and stop off at various points for pics, check out the Pearl, stop for tea, and wander through the Souq Waqif to shop and grab a quick bite to eat. Got back to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and hung out in the Al Mourjan lounge for an hour before boarding our next flight.
All-in-all a great success — If you are on a tighter timeline (our layover was 6 hours) and would like to dip into the city, I would highly recommend booking a professional driver to maximize efficiency. It’s certainly possible to fully DIY with Uber/taxi or even metro, but we found the extra cost totally worthwhile just to be able to not worry about luggage, logistics, etc.
Landed @doh around 8pm and sailed through immigration — the agent literally asked zero questions and just told us to lower our masks for the facial scan.
Got to baggage and tried to register the ehteraz app, but got the infinite loading wheel. Purchased a local sim only to realize that it wasn’t going to work because neither of our phones were unlocked (vacation brain started early for us, apparently).
At that point we were at a bit of a standstill, but we had booked a driver to streamline transportation and he told us that as long as we had the pre-arrival ehteraz approval paperwork we would be fine, so we took a chance and left the airport without the app running.
Long story short, he was right — any place that asked to see the app was happy with the printout for our pre-registration (including re-entering DOH). I’d also note that in most cases we didn’t even need that, since our driver / guide basically knew all the security people at the souq etc and they would just wave us through.
We were able to cruise up the Corniche and stop off at various points for pics, check out the Pearl, stop for tea, and wander through the Souq Waqif to shop and grab a quick bite to eat. Got back to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and hung out in the Al Mourjan lounge for an hour before boarding our next flight.
All-in-all a great success — If you are on a tighter timeline (our layover was 6 hours) and would like to dip into the city, I would highly recommend booking a professional driver to maximize efficiency. It’s certainly possible to fully DIY with Uber/taxi or even metro, but we found the extra cost totally worthwhile just to be able to not worry about luggage, logistics, etc.
May 3, 2022, 7:27 pm
#369
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 99
Bumping this! Coming from Canada and wondering if we need the negative PCR as well! We just got covid last week (coming to Qatar in June) and I'm a bit worried it'll still be positive since it can be positive up to 6 months after an infection
May 4, 2022, 8:09 am
#371
formerly willbbiddy
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 208
Quick update — our brief layover jaunt into Doha was a success, though there were some hiccups with the infamous ehteraz app.
Landed @doh around 8pm and sailed through immigration — the agent literally asked zero questions and just told us to lower our masks for the facial scan.
Got to baggage and tried to register the ehteraz app, but got the infinite loading wheel. Purchased a local sim only to realize that it wasn’t going to work because neither of our phones were unlocked (vacation brain started early for us, apparently).
At that point we were at a bit of a standstill, but we had booked a driver to streamline transportation and he told us that as long as we had the pre-arrival ehteraz approval paperwork we would be fine, so we took a chance and left the airport without the app running.
Long story short, he was right — any place that asked to see the app was happy with the printout for our pre-registration (including re-entering DOH). I’d also note that in most cases we didn’t even need that, since our driver / guide basically knew all the security people at the souq etc and they would just wave us through.
We were able to cruise up the Corniche and stop off at various points for pics, check out the Pearl, stop for tea, and wander through the Souq Waqif to shop and grab a quick bite to eat. Got back to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and hung out in the Al Mourjan lounge for an hour before boarding our next flight.
All-in-all a great success — If you are on a tighter timeline (our layover was 6 hours) and would like to dip into the city, I would highly recommend booking a professional driver to maximize efficiency. It’s certainly possible to fully DIY with Uber/taxi or even metro, but we found the extra cost totally worthwhile just to be able to not worry about luggage, logistics, etc.
Landed @doh around 8pm and sailed through immigration — the agent literally asked zero questions and just told us to lower our masks for the facial scan.
Got to baggage and tried to register the ehteraz app, but got the infinite loading wheel. Purchased a local sim only to realize that it wasn’t going to work because neither of our phones were unlocked (vacation brain started early for us, apparently).
At that point we were at a bit of a standstill, but we had booked a driver to streamline transportation and he told us that as long as we had the pre-arrival ehteraz approval paperwork we would be fine, so we took a chance and left the airport without the app running.
Long story short, he was right — any place that asked to see the app was happy with the printout for our pre-registration (including re-entering DOH). I’d also note that in most cases we didn’t even need that, since our driver / guide basically knew all the security people at the souq etc and they would just wave us through.
We were able to cruise up the Corniche and stop off at various points for pics, check out the Pearl, stop for tea, and wander through the Souq Waqif to shop and grab a quick bite to eat. Got back to the airport with plenty of time to spare, and hung out in the Al Mourjan lounge for an hour before boarding our next flight.
All-in-all a great success — If you are on a tighter timeline (our layover was 6 hours) and would like to dip into the city, I would highly recommend booking a professional driver to maximize efficiency. It’s certainly possible to fully DIY with Uber/taxi or even metro, but we found the extra cost totally worthwhile just to be able to not worry about luggage, logistics, etc.
May 4, 2022, 11:04 am
#372
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: EYW
Programs: AA Exe Platinum, AA & Delta Million Miler, Hilton Diamond, Marriott LT Titanium, United Silver
Posts: 521
?
May 4, 2022, 12:06 pm
#373
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: EK Gold, A3 *G, AB Gold, Jetblue Mosaic
Posts: 1,386
May 4, 2022, 1:28 pm
#374
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 99
yes still the case per gov site: https://covid19.moph.gov.qa/EN/trave....aspx#visitors
