Visiting Qatar: What You Need To Know

While waiting patiently for my family to land safely at Hamad International Airport earlier this week, it was fascinating to see first-hand the sheer number of visitors currently pouring into Qatar. Qatar has hosted several major sporting and cultural events this year, but right now the talk of the town is the Club World Cup. The current European Champions, Liverpool Football Club, kicked off the semi-final against the Mexican team, C.F. Monterrey, on 18 December. Fans from all over the world (including me!) attended the match at the amazing Khalifa International Stadium, a facility that has already hosted the 2019 World Athletics Championships and is home to the national team.

Fans travelling to Qatar were in great spirits, which was fantastic to witness. Having spoken to many people on the night of the match, it became apparent to me that there was still a need to convey some key messages for those wanting to visit Qatar.

Getting into Qatar

Qatar operates a pretty generous Visa on Arrival (VoA) policy, which is being offered to nationals from more than 80 countries. There are two main categories of VoA which apply, depending on one's nationality:

Category 1: Valid for 180 days from issuance, but visitors can stay for a maximum of 90 days at a time; and Category 2: Valid for 30 days, and which can be extended for a further 30 days. This is offered to 44 nationalities, including British nationals. When entering the country, visitors may be asked to provide evidence of where they will be staying, as well as proof of return to their home country. Evidence of funds is typically not requested. A key point to consider is that while the authorities make every effort to process all arrivals as quickly as possible, long queues at immigration may occur, particularly, if you are arriving at night. There is, however, an option to expedite your waiting time by using a fast track service, which costs around £40.

Be aware that Qatar does not allow alcoholic beverages into the country. Pork and drugs are also strictly forbidden.

Once in Qatar

Qatar already has a vast foreign national population and, from my experience, is welcoming to people from different countries. That being said, Qatar is, on the whole, a relatively conservative country. As such, it's important for visitors to be aware of certain rules/norms:

Drinking is allowed in many hotels, but not in public (Note that during sporting...