Qatar

Government advisories

• ☐ United States: level 3/4 — Level 3: Reconsider Travel
• ☐ United Kingdom: level 1/4
• ☐ Canada: level 3/4 — Avoid non-essential travel

Health notices

• ☐ Global Measles (level 1)

Entry requirements

☐ Visitors to Qatar must obtain a visa, unless if they are citizens of one of the GCC countries or if they are citizens of one of the countries eligible for a visa waiver on arrival.

Practical

• ☐ Plug type D/F/G/L, 240V — bring an adapter if yours differs
• ☐ Drives on the right
• ☐ Emergency (police): 999
• ☐ Emergency (ambulance): 999
• ☐ Emergency (fire): 999
• ☐ SIM: When calling from abroad, the country code of Qatar is 974. There are no city or area codes. When calling overseas while within Qatar, the international access code is usually 0. Qatari phone numbers now have eight digits. Previously, they contained seven, but this was changed by the government regulator in 2010. If you encounter a number with only seven digits, you can still use it by repeating t
• ☐ Money: The national currency is the Qatari riyal, denoted by the symbol "ر.ق" or "QR" (ISO code: QAR). The riyal is pegged to the US dollar at the rate of QR3.64 to US$1. One riyal is divided into 100 dirhams, with coins issued in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 dirhams. The riyal is available in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200 and 500 riyals.

Laws that could get a tourist arrested

• ☐ Homosexuality — Homosexuality is theoretically punishable by the death penalty. Gay visitors should be discreet and avoid public displays of affection.
• ☐ Illegal Recording — Recording interactions with police or parties in a dispute without consent is illegal. This offense is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of QAR 100,000.
• ☐ Public Space Restrictions — Certain malls and parks enforce entry bans on single men based on ethnicity during weekends and holidays. Contesting these bans can lead to police questioning or detention.

Before you go

General trip-prep, not specific to Qatar — the same short list applies anywhere.

• ☐ Register with your embassy's traveler program if one exists
• ☐ Check your passport's validity and blank-page requirements on your destination's official entry-rules page
• ☐ Photograph/screenshot your passport, visa, and travel insurance documents
• ☐ Download offline maps for your destination
• ☐ Confirm your bank/card issuer knows you're traveling
• ☐ Check whether your phone plan needs a travel add-on or a local SIM