Manama: Qatar's May 1 plan to scrap its visa-on-arrival facility for nationals of 33 countries, including the US and the UK, has been delayed.
Qatar last month announced plans that it would change the rule and apply a visa reciprocity system that would affect the nationals of countries that did not offer Qataris visas upon their arrival.
Under the planned system, nationals from countries that impose pre-arrival visas on Qataris will have to get their visas from Qatari embassies regardless of the purpose of their visit.
The change was scheduled for May 1, but several countries whose nationals would be affected by the new rule, have requested more time from Qatar's foreign ministry before its implementation, Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.
A foreign ministry official said that the requests were being studied.
“It has, therefore, been decided that the existing visa-on-arrival scheme at the Doha International Airport for the citizens of the 33 countries will remain unchanged," the official was quoted as saying.
"The mutual visa agreements that Qatar has with a number of countries will remain in force."
News that the new visa scheme would not be implemented next month would be a huge relief for hotels and the tourism industry and were hailed by British expatriates.
read more
Qatar last month announced plans that it would change the rule and apply a visa reciprocity system that would affect the nationals of countries that did not offer Qataris visas upon their arrival.
Under the planned system, nationals from countries that impose pre-arrival visas on Qataris will have to get their visas from Qatari embassies regardless of the purpose of their visit.
The change was scheduled for May 1, but several countries whose nationals would be affected by the new rule, have requested more time from Qatar's foreign ministry before its implementation, Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.
A foreign ministry official said that the requests were being studied.
“It has, therefore, been decided that the existing visa-on-arrival scheme at the Doha International Airport for the citizens of the 33 countries will remain unchanged," the official was quoted as saying.
"The mutual visa agreements that Qatar has with a number of countries will remain in force."
News that the new visa scheme would not be implemented next month would be a huge relief for hotels and the tourism industry and were hailed by British expatriates.
read more
Comments
Post a Comment