Saudi-bound Keralite expats arrive in Qatar following new travel policy

Two Palakkad residents arrived at the Doha Hamad International Airport on Thursday, July 16, following Qatar's new travel policy that provides on-arrival visas to travellers from over 80 nations, including India. The travellers intend to embark to Saudi Arabia after the 14-day quarantine period in Qatar.

Qatar's new travel policy came into effect on July 12. With provisions for on-arrival visas, fully-vaccinated expatriates from other Gulf countries can now bypass the travel ban issued against India by travelling to Qatar, completing the required 14-day period and then going on to their required destination.

Many Gulf countries issued a travel ban for passengers from India because of the rising Covid-19 infections in the country during the second wave. Countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE are yet to lift the ban. Travel and tourism experts expect a rise in expatriate travel to Qatar, including Keralites, in light of the first two passengers arriving successfully in Doha, reported Gulf Madhyamam.

Travellers must be fully vaccinated with a Qatar-approved vaccine to receive admission into the country. They should also hold a Passport valid for at least six months, a return flight ticket, and hotel booking details for the number of days they intend to stay in the country.

Travellers must produce a Qatar Ministry of Health approved vaccine certificate and a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test result upon arrival. They must also register on the government's 'Ehteraz' portal and upload the required documents at least 12 hours before travelling.

Covishield is on Qatar's list of approved vaccines, along with Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.