Qatar Airways shut down. If I have a business in Qatar or the UAE, how can I travel to either?
Flights directly to Qatar have been stopped. UAE carriers Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai and Air Arabia, as well as Gulf Air and Saudi Airlines halted flights to and from Doha.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced on Wednesday that all Qatar Airways offices within the UAE will be shut down "with immediate effect". Your best bet is to book a flight to Doha through a third country, such as Oman.
Oman and Kuwait, the two remaining Gulf States, have not yet announced their stance on the situation. Until they do, it might be advisable to avoid traveling through all Gulf countries.
Also, if you are a Qatari national, you will now not be allowed to pass through airports in the UAE even for transit.
I booked a flight to Doha from the UAE. Will I be entitled to a refund?
All UAE carriers have said they will offer either full refunds or rebooking to other destinations.
As of Tuesday, Qatar Airways said it is operating its flights per schedule except to the four countries that has restricted it, including the UAE.
I’m an expat and I have a Qatari residency visa – how can I fly out?
It is not permitted for those who are of Qatari origin to fly to and from Doha to the UAE. If you are an expat living in Qatar then you have to apply for a visa to the UAE. If you are a UAE resident and want to fly to Qatar or are a holder of another passport and have another residency outside of Qatar, you can book a flight to Doha through Oman or Kuwait.
If I hold a Qatari residency but am of a different nationality, what happens to me?
If you are a foreigners living in Qatar with a residency visa, you will no longer be eligible for visas on arrival into the United Arab Emirates. However, if you hold a residency elsewhere as well (student visa) – then you can book a flight to Doha through a third country like Oman or Kuwait.
Now that BEIN is blocked, where can I watch sport events?
At the moment, there is no clear answer. Etisalat has entitled a refund after the month of June to all those who are subscribed to the channel.
I have Qatari riyals. How can I exchange them in the UAE?
Right now, most exchange houses in the UAE no longer accept Qatari currency. UAE exchange bureaus Al Ansari and UAE Exchange are still trading Qatari Riyals. However, it is best for anyone who has small amounts of Qatari riyal to just keep it, otherwise you will lose about ten percent because of the current situation.
I’m a Qatari national living in the UAE. What do I do?
You have 14 days to leave, starting from Monday, June 5, 2017.
A Monday statement from the UAE’s state news agency WAM said that the government would give “Qatari residents and visitors in the UAE 14 days to leave the country for precautionary security reasons.”
The statement added that there would be a “closure of UAE airspace and seaports for all Qataris in 24 hours.”
Flights were cut by early Tuesday, June 6, 2017. If you were unable to fly out by then, your best bet is to book a flight to Doha through a third country, such as Oman.
I’m a tourist with a Qatari visa on holiday in the UAE. What do I do?
According to the same UAE government statement, the same rules apply to you.
I’m an Emirati citizen and I want to fly through Qatar. What do I do?
Emiratis are now banned from visiting or even passing by Qatar at all means.
“UAE nationals are likewise banned from travelling to or staying in Qatar or transiting through its territories,” according to the WAM statement. It was not clear whether this was to take effect immediately, or within the 14-day period given for Qatari nationals or visitors.
I need to apply to a visa through the Qatari Embassy in UAE. Can I do this?
This is doubtful. A call to Qatar’s Abu Dhabi Embassy on Monday failed to get much information. An embassy staffer said that he believed that the embassy would be closed, and suggested to try again the next day.
A representative from the Qatari consulate in Dubai said that the consulate was not open for that day. The staffer said he had not received any updates on whether it would continue to offer any services.
- Paul Crompton, Staff Reporter, and Aya Sadek, Intern at Gulf News
