Fully Vaccinated International Tourists Can Now Travel to Qatar

The government of Qatar has announced that foreign citizens fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can now enter the country without having to quarantine on arrival. This also applies to accompanying minors under the age of 12. The measures came into effect on July 12th, 2021.

In order to avoid the need to quarantine for 10 days on arrival, the vaccination certificate must show that the traveler has received the last dose of a vaccine approved by Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health at least 14 days before arrival. These vaccines include:

• AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria)
• Janssen
• Moderna
• Pfizer-BioNTech
• Sinopharm

Nevertheless, those who have been fully vaccinated with Sinopharm are required to undergo antibody testing on arrival at Doha Airport and to quarantine if no antibodies are detected. This is because Sinopharm has only been approved by the Ministry of Public Health as a conditional vaccine.

COVID Test Requirement for Qatar Still Applies

The Qatari government has confirmed travelers will still be required to have proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test in order to gain entry to the country, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.

The test must have been taken at most 72 hours before arrival, and the result must be issued by a testing center approved by the Qatari government. Only Umrah passengers arriving from Saudi Arabia are exempt from this requirement.

The negative PCR test result, as well as the vaccine certificate and quarantine hotel reservations, must be uploaded to the  ‘Ehteraz’ website in advance of traveling to Qatar. This can be done up to 12 hours before arrival in the country.

New Quarantine Policy for Unvaccinated Travelers to Qatar

In addition to the removal of the quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers, Qatar has revised its quarantine rules. All passengers who have not received the second dose of vaccine at least 14 days in advance of arrival or who have been vaccinated with a jab not recognized by the Ministry of Public Health are still required to quarantine.

The new rules classify travelers into 3 categories (green, yellow, and red), depending on the number of COVID cases in the country they are arriving from:

• Green – Passengers must quarantine at home or in their accommodation for 5 days and take an RT-PCR test in PHCC on the 4th day.
• Yellow – A 7-day hotel quarantine is mandatory for these passengers, and they must take an RT-PCR test on the 6th day at their own expense.
• Red – Travelers from these countries must quarantine in a hotel for 10 days and take an RT-PCR test at their own expense on the 7th day.

These requirements also apply to unvaccinated children aged 12-17. If a child needs to undergo hotel quarantine, they must be accompanied by at least 1 parent, even if the parent has already been fully vaccinated.

Travelers from red countries who have been fully vaccinated must also take a PCR test on arrival at Doha Airport. If this test is positive, then they are also required to quarantine for 10 days.

Tourist Visas For Qatar Now Being Issued Once Again

Now that the quarantine requirement has been removed for unvaccinated travelers, the government of Qatar has begun issuing tourist visas to foreign citizens once more. While visa on arrival facilities have now resumed, the most efficient way to obtain a tourist visa for the country is to apply for a Qatar eVisa.

This simple online application method removes the need to wait in long immigration lines to apply for a visa on arrival and permits expedited entry to Qatar at the border. The electronic form can be completed in a matter of minutes, and the visa is usually processed within 3 business days.

Once processed, the traveler receives their approved eVisa for Qatar sent by email. They can then print a copy to present to immigration officers on arrival and enjoy a stay of up to 30 days in Qatar for tourism purposes.