Qatar restores free 30-day visa on arrival for Pakistanis

Qatar has restored a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival for Pakistani citizens, the Qatari Ministry of Interior has confirmed, allowing travellers to fly without applying for a visa in advance.

Aaj News, quoting information published on the ministry's official website, reported that the visa is issued free when the traveller lands and covers a maximum stay of 30 days. The permitted stay may instead be set by the length of the hotel booking.

Express News also reported the confirmation and said four basic conditions must be met to use the facility.

The passport must be valid for at least three months, according to Aaj News, and the traveller must hold a confirmed return ticket.

Hotel reservations have to be made through Discover Qatar, the Qatari government's official tourism platform. Express News said bookings made through other websites or online booking platforms will not be accepted for this visa, and Aaj News carried the same condition on its website report.

Health insurance must be taken from a company recognised by the Qatari Ministry of Health, Aaj News reported.

Aaj News said a traveller who cannot provide the required conditions and documents has no guarantee of being granted the visa on arrival.

The 30-day facility is separate from Qatar's other visa-free entry and tourist visa programmes, that outlet reported, so travellers have to check the conditions and complete the paperwork before setting out. Details on hotel bookings are carried on the ministry's website.

Express News described the arrangement as a restored facility, while Aaj News reported it as an announcement. Neither report said when the visa on arrival had lapsed, what changed, or whether the terms differ from the earlier arrangement.

Both outlets described the entry as a tourist visa on arrival.

Neither report gave figures for the number of Pakistanis who travel to Qatar or for how many used the facility before it was withdrawn.