Qatar, set to host the soccer World Cup starting next month, has had covid-related entry restrictions in place, including using an Ehteraz app.
Visitors to Qatar no longer need to take a pre-departure Covid-19 PCR-RT or RAT test, and the arrival test everyone must take within 24 hours of returning is also scrapped. In addition, the Ehteraz app is only used from November 1 to enter healthcare facilities.
You can access Qatar’s page for Covid-19-related entry requirements here.
Qatar’s Entry Requirements November 1, 2022:
Qatar Travel and Return Policy
- The below travel and return policy will come into effect on Tuesday, 1 November 2022.
- For current travel and return policy click here.
Citizens and residents are advised to exercise caution when traveling to international destinations taking into account their vaccination status and the extent to which COVID-19 is spreading in the country of arrival.
General Policies:
- It is the responsibility of travelers to know about any changes to the travel and return policy through official sources and websites before planning to travel to the State of Qatar.
- Travelers must adhere to the measures in place in the State of Qatar to limit the spread of COVID-19 at all times.
- Quarantine is no longer mandatory for all travelers arriving from abroad, however, travelers who test positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Qatar must undergo self-isolation measures in accordance with the procedures followed in the State of Qatar.
- Citizens and residents of the State of Qatar are no longer required to take a Rapid Antigen test (nor PCR) upon their arrival in the State of Qatar.
- Visitors are no longer required to bring a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or Rapid Antigen test certificate before traveling to the State of Qatar.
- From 1 November 2022, visitors entering Qatar are not required to pre-register on the Ehteraz health application prior to arrival.
Ehteraz Mobile Application Policy:
- It is mandatory for individuals to present the health status of the Ehteraz application when entering public and private healthcare facilities in Qatar.
- To download Ehteraz, the traveler must have the following:
SIM card from one of Qatar’s service providers (Ooredoo or Vodafone) or an international SIM card.
Mobile internet connection.
- The smartphone should support Android 6, newer versions or IOS 13.5 and later versions.
- Download and install the app on the mobile phone either via Google Play, Apple App Store or from any online search engines.
- SIM cards and smartphones are available for purchase at Hamad International Airport and Abu Samra border crossing if the passenger does not own them before arrival.
- Fully vaccinated persons in Qatar will have a golden frame around their Health Status on Ehteraz.
- The Health Status for citizens, residents, visitors who have received the vaccine outside Qatar will remain green without a golden frame until their vaccine data is updated in the system or through the Overseas Vaccine Portal (www.ehteraz.gov.qa).
- The Health Status on the Ehteraz app will remain red throughout the isolation period, until the end of their period of isolation.
- Diplomats, administrative card holders and VIP visitors arriving on official state visits are excluded from this measure.
Conclusion
It was about time for Qatar to remove these onerous covid test requirements that probably would have been impossible to master properly during the World Cup because of the number of expected visitors (1M+).
Qatar Airways never stopped flying during the pandemic, but the State of Qatar has had stricter entry requirements for longer than most other Gulf States.
