Australians, nationals of 79 other countries can enter Qatar visa-free

Qatar on 9 August announced a programme for citizens of 80 countries to enter it visa-free in a bid to boost transport and tourism after the Gulf country faced a two-month boycott from its neighbours. Apart from nationals of Australia, many European countries, the United States, New Zealand, South Africa India and Lebanon will only require showing a valid passport to enter the State of Qatar. While citizens of 33 countries will be permitted to stay for 180 days, people from the remaining 47 countries, including Australia, are allowed to stay for up to 30 days. Earlier, Australians had to pay AUD35 for a visa on arrival. Hassan al-Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development officer at Qatar Tourism Authority, was quoted by Reuters as stating at a press conference that this visa waiver will make Qatar the most liberal country in the Gulf. Earlier in May, it was announced by Qatar Airways that a free night of hotel accommodation at an additional night for $50 would be provided for passengers transiting in Doha airport for more than five hours On 5 June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the UAE imposed an embargo on Qatar and snapped all transport links with it, accusing it of extending support to terrorism and having close relations with Iran. Doha denied the allegations and began to strengthen its diplomatic and trade relations beyond the Middle East. Expatriates from countries like India and Nepal are said to comprise 90 percent of Qatar's total population of 2.7 million. If you are looking to travel to Qatar from Australia, get in touch with Y-Axis, a renowned company for immigration services, to apply for a visa.