As Qatar is fast becoming a sports hub in the region and also hosting a number of world-class events, people from around the world now can visit Qatar to attend such activities through a simplified online visa portal that was launched yesterday by the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
A new Qatar Visa Portal has been launched by the Visa Support Services Department (VSSD) as a new platform to apply electronically for entry visas to visit Qatar to attend sports tournaments and other events hosted or organised by the State.
This was announced during a press conference held at the Visa Support Services Department (VSSD) headquarters.
Director of VSSD at the Ministry of Interior, Major Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi, said that Qatar hosts many cultural, scientific, sports and tourist events all the year round and these events attract a lot of people from inside and outside the country therefore it required the establishment of a unified platform that receives applications for visas to enter the country.
“The newly launched Qatar Visa Portal not only covers visas of events, but also business visas, investment and visas for other various activities,” he added.
The conference was attended by Director of Security Systems Department at the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant Colonel Jassim Abdur Raheem Al Sayed; spokesperson of the Security Committee of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Jabr Hamoud Al Noaimi; and Assistant Director of Public Relations Department of MoI Major Mubarak Salim Al Bouainain.
The visa portal was opened in collaboration with a number of other entities in the country, including a special body on events, which has all the details of events in the country, allowing the public from inside and outside Qatar to familiarise with all events in the country, he said.
Al Mohannadi pointed out that the launching of this new visa portal was in addition to the list of leading visa projects, which come under the Ministry of Interior’s efforts to develop e-services to the public and to contribute to the strengthening of the State’s growing economic growth in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030.
He added that the movement of entry and exit in Qatar witnesses a rapid growth thanks to the many different programs the country has been adopting, as more than 90 countries get on-arrival visas when they enter Hamad International Airport, which made the State of Qatar one of the most open country in the world.
Al Mohannadi said that the new portal is designed to facilitate the application process for visitors, through simple and smooth application form that does not exceed one page.
Any user can fill it electronically from anywhere in the world within a very short time, and the issuance of a visa does not exceed 48 hours from the date of receipt of the application if it meets the required conditions, he added.
He pointed out that the portal provides the electronic visa service and follow-up facility to citizens of all countries in the world, as through entering the platform there is the visa application, which allows the applicants to get the visa to visit the State of Qatar and attend the events hosted by the State.
The applicant has to register to login with email first, he said, explaining that the application steps include entry of required data and the attachment of all required documents, including a copy of the passport, and his/her photo, a copy of the flight ticket and a copy of the hotel reservation or the applicant’s residence in Qatar. The Qatar Visa Portal can be accessed at http://www.qatarportal.gov.qa/
The applicant then will choose the event he wants to participate inside the country, where he can witness multiple events during the 30-day visa validity period, which can be extended for another 30 days. The applicant can track the status of application on the portal as well.
He said that the applicant can submit for visa within 90 days - 4 days before travel and the passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry into Qatar. This service cannot be used to obtain a visa for children registered with their parents’ passports, he added.
Lt. Colonel. Jassim Abdul Raheem, Head of the Technical Affairs Committee of Security Committee at the SC said that the portal was specialized in providing tourist visa services to enter the State of Qatar for attending major events such as the important sport events hosted by Qatar, such as the Arab Gulf Cup and the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and the most awaited 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.
