Qatar Restores Free Visa-On-Arrival Facility for Pakistani Citizens

ISLAMABAD: Qatar has restored its free visa-on-arrival facility for Pakistani citizens, allowing eligible travellers to obtain a 30-day tourist visa upon arrival, subject to specified entry requirements.

The Qatari Ministry of Interior has added Pakistan to its list of countries whose nationals can obtain the facility, alongside Indian and Thai citizens. The visa is free of charge, but travellers must fulfil several conditions before departure.

According to Qatar’s Ministry of Interior, the passport must remain valid for at least three months. Travellers must also hold a confirmed round-trip air ticket, a confirmed hotel reservation made exclusively through the Discover Qatar website and health insurance from an approved provider. Hotel bookings made through other websites are not accepted.

Health insurance costs and arrangements

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says travellers must arrange health insurance for at least one month before boarding their flight. The policy costs 50 Qatari riyals (approximately $14 or Rs3,800). The ministry recommends Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) and QLM Life and Medical Insurance Company as preferred providers.

After purchasing insurance, the traveller receives an email containing two documents: the payment receipt and insurance certificate. The traveller must carry both during the journey.

Procedure upon arrival in Doha

Passengers arriving at Hamad International Airport must first visit the Discover Qatar desk, located before the immigration counters, rather than proceeding directly to immigration.

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Officials at the desk will check and stamp their documents. Travellers can then proceed to immigration counters to complete the visa formalities, including eye scanning and biometric verification, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

Why the facility was suspended

The restoration follows a temporary suspension announced by the Pakistani Embassy in Doha in March 2026.

In a statement issued on March 30, the embassy said the visa-on-arrival facility for Pakistani citizens was temporarily unavailable because of the prevailing circumstances.

It advised Pakistanis planning to travel to Qatar to obtain visas before departure to avoid inconvenience.

Qatar had previously offered Pakistani nationals free visas on arrival. In May 2018, the Pakistani Embassy in Doha shared a revised policy allowing eligible Pakistani travellers to obtain a 30-day visa free of charge, with the possibility of a further 30-day extension.

However, the earlier policy required a passport valid for at least six months, a confirmed return ticket, a credit card in the traveller’s name and a hotel booking. These should not be confused with the current requirements published by Qatar’s Ministry of Interior.

The latest restoration places Pakistan alongside India and Thailand among the three nationalities specifically covered by Qatar’s free 30-day visa-on-arrival arrangement.