Expatriate Insurance News: GCC expats 'will require visa before entering Qatar'
12/04/10 13:48
Expatriates from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will require a visa before they arrive in Qatar as part of a series of new regulations, local news reports have stated.
The new rules are expected to come into force on May 1st and will mean that visitors travelling to the country for business will need to have their visas arranged by a local sponsor, the Arabian Business website reported.
Quoting a consular official at the Qatar consulate in Dubai, the website said it is "still unclear as to why the changes are being introduced" as the official was unaware of the costs relating to the visa application process.
The process could take two to three days, the official told the website, but he did not know of any professions that will be exempt from the changes to the regulations.
The news comes after Qatar scrapped the convention of issuing visas on arrival to UK and US expatriates, along with nationals from 33 countries, which is due to come into force at the beginning of May.
British expatriates hoping to move to Qatar will have to present three recent bank statements and show evidence of having at least $1,300 (£845) in their bank account, Arabian Business reported.
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