How to Apply for a Qatar Visa

Qatar is an oil rich Arab country in an arid desert. A peninsula in the Persian Gulf, it has many beaches and sand dunes along the shorefront. The capital city is Doha and it is located on the coast. This city is characterized by tall skyscrapers and distinct modern Islamic architecture. Today at SBNRI, we will be going over the requirements and cost for obtaining a Qatar visa for Indians. We will be explaining how to apply for a Qatar visa. 

How to apply for a Qatar Visa

All international travellers are advised to check the covid guidelines before making travel plans. 

Types of Visa Available

• Official Visa
• Business Visa
• Visit Visa
• Transit Visa
• Joint Tourist Visa 
• Employment Visa
• Tourist Visa

How to apply for a Qatar Visa

• There is no express service while requesting a visa from the Qatar embassy. Only the official initial fees need to be paid.
• The hours of operation of the Qatar embassies are 9:30 a.m – 12:30 pm from Monday to Friday. 
• Submission and collection of passports is to be done during this window. 
• The applicant can get the application form, fill it out and then submit it at the Qatar Embassy. 
• Applicants can use Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, e-cash, Visa-electron, money orders and checks to pay for their visa. Personal cheques and cash are usually not accepted.
• Each visa has to be submitted with its own money order or company cheque. It is not possible to submit one company cheque for 3 different visa applications. The fees must be paid in USD dollars only.

Documents required to apply for a Qatar Visa

• A valid passport is required with the visa application. The passport must be valid till 6 months after the applicant’s intended stay in Qatar. The passport must also have blank pages in order to receive the new visa. 
• Those applying for a business visa need to provide a letter from their company with their application. Those on a tourist visa need to provide an invitation letter to their reason for wanting to visit Qatar. 
• Each visa application has to be accompanied by two passport size color photographs of the applicant.
• 2 copies of the initial passport pages (photo and name must be present in the copies) along with the original passport itself.
• When sending the application by mail, please include a prepaid return envelope and write your name on both the recipient and sender fields. It is recommended to avoid regular mail to minimize the risk of application loss.
• Official passport holders, diplomatic and military personnel need to submit two copies of an official letter provided by their government’s authorities along with a letter from the recipient company (where they’re going to work during their stay in Qatar).

Requirements and Other Details as per the Qatar Embassy 

As per the Qatar Embassy these are the following types of visas that are available and their fees.

Official Visa 

• Submit visa application and attach all required documents.
• Submit – along with the application – applicant passport valid for not less than six months.
• Two photos of the applicant.
• The visa is issued for all nationalities within (24) hours of data entry in the automated system.
• The visa is valid for three months from the date of issuance, the visa holder should enter the country before the end of the validity period.
• The visa holder can stay in the country for a period of one month from the date of entry.
• This visa can be extended for a similar period for multiple times.

Visa Fees : Free of Charge 

Business Visa 

• Businessmen need to provide the mission with evidence proving that they are a businessman, unless they were known commercial figures.
• Submit visa application and attach all required documents.
• Submit –along with the application- applicant passport valid for not less than six months.
• Two photos of the applicant.
• The visa is issued for all nationalities within (24) hours of data entry in the automated system.
• The visa is valid for three months from the date of issuance, the visa holder should enter the country before the end of the validity period.
• The visa holder can stay in the country for a period of one month from the date of entry.
• This visa can be extended for a similar period ( for maximum three months).

Visa Fees: 200 QR 

Visit Visa 

• Applicants should provide a bank statement for the previous three months, showing a minimum balance of 5,000 QR, financially capable applicants known by the mission, are exempted from this condition.
• It is recommended to have a hotel reservation in the state of Qatar in a four or five star hotel.
• Submit visa application and attach all required documents.
• Submit –along with the application- applicant passport valid for not less than six months.
• Two photos of the applicant.
• The visa is issued for all nationalities within (24) hours of data entry in the automated system.
• The visa is valid for three months from the date of issuance, the visa holder should enter the country before the end of the validity period.
• The visa holder can stay in the country for a period of one month from the date of entry.
• This visa cannot be extended.

Visa Fee: 200 QR 

Transit Visa 

• This Visa doesn’t apply for travelers passing through Qatar, these passing – through travelers don’t require a visa, and will be allowed to enter the country if their transit time is more than six hours, with a commitment from the airlines company.
• Submit visa application and attach all required documents.
• Submit –along with the application- applicant passport valid for not less than six months.
• Two photos of the applicant.
• The visa is issued for all nationalities immediately after data entry in the automated system.
• The visa is valid for (1) one month from the date of issuance, the visa holder should enter the country before the end of the validity period.
• The visa holder can stay in the country for a period of (2) two days from the date of entry.
• This visa cannot be extended.

Visa Fees: 100 QR

Joint Tourist Visa – for Qatar and Oman

• Applicants should provide a bank statement for the previous three months, showing a minimum balance of 5,000 QR, financially capable applicants known by the mission, are exempted from this condition.
• Submit visa application and attach all required documents.
• Submit –along with the application- applicant passport valid for not less than six months.
• Two photos of the applicant.
• The visa is issued for residents of the 33 approved countries immediately after data entry in the automated system.
• The visa is valid for (1) one month from the date of issuance, the visa holder should enter the country before the end of the validity period.
• The visa holder can stay in the country for a period of (1) one month from the date of entry.
• This visa cannot be extended.

Visa Fees: 100 QR

Employment Visa 

• You can apply using the visa application form, form V1
• Bring your original passport and a photocopy of it with you. The passport must have a validity of at least six months. 
• A copy of your Qatari residence ID or permit.
• 2 passport size photographs
• Non-residents cannot obtain an employment visa 
• You need to carry your original educational qualification documents along with a copy of them
• The applicant needs to provide the original employment contract provided by the firm, company or organization. A photocopy of this is also required.

Tourist Visa

• Citizens of India need a pre-approval from the Embassy of Qatar. Once they have received the pre-approval they can receive a tourist visa upon arrival. This visa can be extended for another 30 days. There is no via fee for Indian citizens to visit Qatar

Online checking for Qatar Visa

There is a MOI Qatar portal to check the status of your visa application. The Ministry of Interior has set this up in order for people to check the status of their Qatar visa online. This way applicants can keep track of their Qatar visa processing time. 

Another article we have written about Qatar, is about NRI account opening there. We hope you find this information useful.

To ask any questions related to the rights of NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs, you can download SBNRI App from the Google Play Store or App Store. You can also use the SBNRI app for investment in stock market/ mutual funds, NRI account opening, tax filing, etc. To ask any questions, click on the button below. Also, visit our blog and YouTube channel for more details. 

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