Starting August 1, 2020, Qatar will accept, once again, all international flights with pre-travel approval. This is in line with the Phase 3 of gradual lifting of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in the country.

If you are a Qatar ID (QID) holder and was stuck abroad due to the travel ban Qatar has imposed for inbound flights since March this year, worry no more. You can now come back to the State and it is just easy with these steps:

QID HOLDERS FROM COUNTRIES NOT INCLUDED FROM THE LOW-RISK LIST

1. Check if your country of origin is NOT included in the list of countries classified as “low risk” of COVID-19.

2. Take approval to enter Qatar by applying through the Qatar Portal.

Applications to get the permit can be submitted starting August 1, 2020.

Exceptional Entry Permit to Qatar is a temporary service provided to the residents of the State of Qatar who are currently stuck abroad due to COVID-19.

It allows employers, whether individuals or companies, government or private sectors, to apply for entry permits for residents and their family members holding Qatar IDs (QIDs) under which they can return to the State of Qatar.

Online Instruction Steps

• Create a new account on Qatar Portal or Log in to your existing account (if available).

• Click on “Apply for Exceptional Entry Permit”.

• Read terms and conditions and prepare all required attachments before starting the application.

• Enter application page and fill in required information correctly and completely as shown in passport.

• Enter your email correctly to receive approval on your application.

• Print permit and keep copy of it and a copy of quarantine undertaking to be presented to airport officials.

3. Once approved, you need to do the following:

• Complete and sign a Health Checklist for Returning Travelers form/card that will be distributed among passengers by cabin crew onboard. On arrival back to Doha’s Hamad International Airport, the form/card is submitted to the Medical officer. The form/card includes questions about the individual’s medical history and the rules of home quarantine.

• Obtain a virus-free certificate from if you have accredited COVID-19 testing centres no more than 48 hours before travelling to Qatar.

• Upon arrival at HIA, you will be directed to a transfer to take you to your hotel. for quarantine at your own expense for 1 week, provided that hotel accommodation is booked through the "Discover Qatar" website before arriving in the State of Qatar. Bookings can be made at Qatar Airways Holidays in partnership with Discover Qatar. 

NOTE: ​The employer shall bear the costs of the quarantine in the dedicated facilities for blue collar workers in the private sector and domestic workers at a nominal cost after obtaining the entry permit.

• After completion of the 7 days self funded quarantine, you will be required to undertake 7 days self-isolation at home.

• After 1 week of home quarantine, the ending of the quarantine period will depend on the result of your COVID-19 test. If the result is positive, you will be transferred to isolation, and if it is negative, you will commit to home quarantine for another week, in which case the status on your Ehteraz application will be “yellow” and will then change to “green” after the week has passed. 

Additional Information

For more information, please call on 109 from inside Qatar or +974 44069999 from outside Qatar.

QID HOLDERS FROM LOW-RISK COUNTRIES

1. Check if your country of origin is included in the list of countries classified as “low risk” of COVID-19. If you plan to travel from a low risk country, you need to have been in that country for at least 72 hours before you will be allowed to travel to Qatar and home quarantine. 

NOTE: If you have not been in that country for 72 hours you will be considered to have travelled from a non-low risk country and will be required to enter self funded hotel quarantine (book through the "Discover Qatar" website before arriving in the State of Qatar. Bookings can be made at Qatar Airways Holidays in partnership with Discover Qatar) for 7 days, followed by 7 days self isolation at home.

2. Take approval to enter Qatar by applying through the Qatar Portal.

Applications to get the permit can be submitted starting August 1, 2020.

Online Instruction Steps

Create a new account on Qatar Portal or Log in to your existing account (if available).

• Click on “Apply for Exceptional Entry Permit”.

• Read terms and conditions and prepare all required attachments before starting the application.

• Enter application page and fill in required information correctly and completely as shown in passport.

• Enter your email correctly to receive approval on your application.

• Print permit and keep copy of it and a copy of quarantine undertaking to be presented to airport officials.

3. Once approved, you need to do the following:

• Complete and sign a Health Checklist for Returning Travelers form/card that will be distributed among passengers by cabin crew onboard. On arrival back to Doha’s Hamad International Airport, the form/card is submitted to the Medical officer. The form/card includes questions about the individual’s medical history and the rules of home quarantine.

• Take a Coronavirus test upon arrival at the airport. Upon your return to Doha’s Hamad International Airport from low-risk countries where MOPH approved testing centers are not in place (currently only Turkey) you will be tested at the airport.
• Sign a formal pledge to adhere to quarantine at home for 1 week (7 days).
• Your traveller's status on the Ehteraz application will be “yellow,” which means that you are required to have home quarantine.
• You will then be tested on day 6 of your home quarantine by arranging a drive through an appointment in one of the designated primary health centers. If the test is negative, you will be released from home quarantine on day 7 and your status on the Ehteraz application will change to “green.” If your test result is positive, you will be placed under appropriate isolation.

If there are accredited COVID-19 testing centres in your country, you need to get a COVID-free certificate from one of these centres to exempt you to take the test at the airport upon arrival in the country, provided that the date of obtaining the certificate does not exceed 48 hours before traveling.

Other important guidelines:

Q: I am from a country that is not included in the low risk for Covid-19, is there a possibility I will not need to go for a hotel quarantine but only have home quarantine?

A: Yes, if you are included in the below categories eligible for home quarantine:

• Foreign Diplomats, with approval to enter Qatar, are exempt from the self-funded quarantine requirements.
• Holders of ID cards issues by MOFA are exempt from the self-funded quarantine requirements.
• Travelers returning from one of the low risk countries listed on the MOPH website.
• Travellers that are identified by MOPH as exempted categories eligible for home quarantine such as:

1. Aged 55 years old and above.

2. Organ transplant recipients.

3. Patients with hypertension who are on treatment.
4. Bone marrow transplant recipients.
5. Patients with conditions that require immune-suppressive treatment.
6. Patients with heart failure or coronary artery disease.
7. Patients with moderate to severe asthma.
8. Cancer patients with metastasis and those on treatment (Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy).
9. Pregnant females (any trimester).
10. Nursing mothers with children aged 0-5 years.
11. Patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRD) or on dialysis.
12. Patients with CLD (Chronic Liver Disease) and decompensation.
13. Patients with lower-limb amputations.
14. People with disabilities where they are dependent on others for their activities of daily living.
15. Children with disabilities and their mothers.
16. Patients with epilepsy and on treatment.
17. Patients with diabetic foot infections.
18. People with deceased first degree relatives in the last 10 days.
19. People with mental health problems on antipsychotic medications and whose condition is aggravated by staying in closed spaces
20. Diabetic patients on treatment (any HbA1C level).

Are there any requirements to undertaking home quarantine?

Yes, there are Ten Rules of Home Quarantine that you must adhere to: 

1. You must have suitable housing conditions with the availability of your own room and linked bathroom when you confine yourself to your own room and not mix with the rest of the family
2. You must sign an undertaking (including all the family members and household helpers living in the same house) to abide by the rules of home-based quarantine
3. You must watch a short video onboard of the flight before arrival and review the pamphlet on home quarantine.
4. You must apply preventive measures at home to protect others
5. You must have a swab taken on day 6 after your arrival back to Doha at a designated drive through primary healthcare center
6. You must answer the phone calls from the public health team during your home quarantine.
7. You must agree to receive a visit from the public health team every 2 to 3 days.
8. You must inform the public health team if you develop any symptoms (fever, cough, body aches, change in taste or smell)
9. You must download the Ehteraz app. 
10. You should not receive visitors while under home quarantine.

Will my Ehteraz status change when I return from travel?

Yes. 

Yellow (Quarantine) - Upon arrival back to Doha’s Hamad International Airport. If you returned from other countries, then your health status on Ehteraz will remain yellow (Quarantine) on day 7, and you should continue the remaining 7 days home quarantined (total 14 days).

Green - If your 6-day test result is negative, your Ehteraz status will change to green on day 7 if you returned from low-risk countries. 

Red - If your Covid-19 test result is positive

QID HOLDERS RETURNING FROM 1 AUGUST – 15 SEPTEMBER

1. Obtain approval to enter Qatar by applying through the Qatar Portal. Applications for a re-entry permit do not open until 1 August.

2. Once re-entry is approved, you will receive a permit and can then book your self-funded quarantine hotel package, if travelling from a country not on the low risk list or if you are not eligible for home quarantine. You will be required to self isolate at home for a period of 7 days if you are returning to Qatar from one of the countries on the low risk.

NOTE: If you plan to travel from a low risk country, you need to have been in that country for at least 72 hours before you will be allowed to travel to Qatar and home quarantine. If you have not been in that country for 72 hours you will be considered to have travelled from a non-low risk country and will be required to enter self funded quarantine for 7 days, followed by 7 days self isolation at home.

QID holders will not be able to board a flight to Qatar without being able to prove authorization to travel to Qatar, and by also providing confirmation of a 7-day government approved quarantine package reservation, if not traveling from a country on the low risk list.

QID holders are advised not to book a quarantine package until approval to return to Qatar has been confirmed.