Dubai: All nationalities can now easily apply for a 30-day tourist visa to Qatar through the relaunched Hayya Portal, according to an announcement by Visit Qatar, the country’s official tourism platform.
On Sunday, April 16, Visit Qatar announced that the Hayya Portal has now become the country’s official online visa platform for tourists.
It was also announced that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residents of all professions can now get a tourist visa through the portal.
So, if you are not eligible for a visa on arrival in Qatar , you can apply for the visa online in a few easy steps through the Hayya Portal – hayya.qa or the ‘Hayya’ app, available for Android, Apple and Huawei devices.
Here are all the details.
Five new tourist visas for Qatar
There are five visas you can apply for through the Hayya Portal:
1. Tourist Visa (A1) - Hayya Tourist Entry is for anyone who wishes to travel to Qatar for tourism purposes or to visit friends or family.
2. GCC Resident Visa (A2) – for GCC residents of all professions.
3. Visa with ETA (A3) - If you hold a valid visa or residency of the US, the UK, Canada, Schengen, Australia, or New Zealand, you can apply for Entry with ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation).
4. Visa for Companion of the GCC Citizen (A4) – For GCC citizens who want to travel with a companion.
5. ‘Hayya with Me’ (c) - International Hayya Card holders, who came to Qatar during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar can invite up to three family or friends to visit Qatar. According to Hayya Portal, a non-resident Hayya Card holder has three voucher codes they can share with friends or relatives. Once the person receives the code, they can apply for the Qatar tourist visa on the portal and redeem the voucher to avoid paying a visa processing fee.
The card is now valid until January 24, 2024.
Eligibility criteria for UAE residents visiting Qatar
UAE residents must fulfil the following eligibility requirements to apply for a visa through the portal:
• Should have a valid residency of a minimum of three months, from the date of arrival in Qatar.
• Must have confirmed accommodation.
• Should have a return ticket.
• The visitor must travel from their country of residence.
• The job title must the match the profession stated in the residence visa.
Required documents for the GCC resident visa for Qatar
For all GCC residents, including UAE expats, these are the documents that must be submitted:
• Valid residence permit copy
• Valid passport copy
• A passport photo taken within 12 months.
How to apply for Qatar's GCC Resident Visa on the Hayya Portal
Step 1: Create an account on Hayya
• Visit the Hayya Portal - https://hayya.qa/en/ and click on ‘Apply for Hayya’.
• If you do not have an account, click on ‘Sign Up’.
• Enter your email address and click on ‘Send Verification Code’. Enter the verification sent to your email and create a password.
• Once the account has been created, you will be asked to sign in with your new account details.
• Go back to the homepage, and click on ‘Apply for Hayya’.
Step 2: Fill in the application:
There are four types of visas:
• You will be first asked to select the type of visa you wish to apply for and the purpose of visit. Select, the ‘GCC Resident Visa (A2)’ category.You can
then select one of the options -
• Leisure
• Sports Event
• Job Seeker
• Business Meeting
• Wedding Party
• Shopping
• Medical Care
• Heritage Tourism
• Friend Visit
• Convention Participation
• Event Participation
You can also choose ‘others’, and then specify the reason for your visit.
2. Upload the necessary documents
• Upload your passport photo – it should meet photo requirements, which include that the size of the photo must not be more than 2MB, the photo must be taken within 12 months and only JPEG or JPG images must be uploaded.
• Upload a valid passport copy – while uploading the passport copy you must make sure the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) is visible, and it should be a coloured copy. The MRZ can be found on the passport indentity page, and it is it is made up of two rows of 44 characters each. You can find the MRZ at the bottom of the indentity page. The size of the copy should not exceed 2MB and only JPEG or JPG images must be uploaded.
• Once that’s done, click on the ‘Save’ button.
• Next, upload your passport copy. Your full name, date of birth, passport number, passport expiry date, gender, nationality and passport issuing country will be automatically filled in by the Hayya portal system.
• Select the passport type as ‘Normal’.
• Click on ‘Validate User’.
3. Enter residency information
• Select your country of birth and for country of residence, select one of the GCC countries.
• Select whether you have a previous nationality.
4. Enter your job title
Next, select your job title from the 200 professions in the drop-down menu, if you cannot find your job, type in ‘Others’ and enter your profession manually. According to Hayya Portal, applicants must make sure the job title matches the job title stated in their residency permit, otherwise they will not be allowed to enter Qatar.
Next, upload your UAE residence visa copy or GCC resident permit.
5. Enter accommodation details
According to the Hayya Portal, guests have two options:
• Staying with family or friends – for this a Qatar resident with an ID will have to sign up on Hayya and register their property. You need to make your host has added you as their guest on Hayya.
• Having a booked accommodation – you will have to enter your reserved hotel or furnished apartment booking. According to the Hayya Portal, all applicants must have a confirmed booking.
6. Enter contact information
• Enter your mobile number, emergency contact name, and emergency number.
Step 3: Submit the application and the pay the fee.
• After you have completed filing out the application, click ‘Review and Submit’.
• Accept the ‘terms and conditions’.
• Click ‘Submit’, and then ‘Confirm’.
• Next, you will receive a pop-up notification that your application was submitted successfully, and you will receive an ‘entry reference number’ to follow up on the application.
• You will then receive a payment request from the Hayya Portal. Pay the cost, which is QAR100 (Dh100.49).
Step 4: Receive your Hayya Card
• You will receive the entry visa by email or retrieve it through the Hayya app by tapping on ‘My Hayya Entry Permit’ on the app’s homepage or clicking on ‘My Hayya’ on the website – hayya.qa . According to the Hayya Portal call centre, it can take approximately two to five working days for the application to be approved by Qatar's Ministry of Interior (MOI).
Qatar entry visa for family
According to the Hayya Portal, you can bring your family with you, but they must all be GCC residents and their application forms must be filled out separately. If the dependent is not a GCC resident, then a separate tourist entry application must be submitted.
Is Qatar visa on arrival still available for GCC residents?
GCC residents of approved professions can get a visa on arrival or if they are a citizen of one of the 95 countries eligible for visa on arrival.
Find the list of approved professions through this link: https://portal.moi.gov.qa/wps/wcm/connect/aa5b6e71-e49e-460f-8c64-82ff9f71b1f5/List+of+Professions+Approved+for+on.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Nationals of India, Pakistan, Ukraine, Iran, and Thailand are eligible for a visa on arrival only if they hold a hotel reservation made through the Discover Qatar website - www.discoverqatar.qa, and are allowed to stay in the country for 30 days.
Hayya entry permit fee
The visa fee is QAR100 (Dh100.49). It has to be paid after your visa is approved. The fee is non-refundable.
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