Qatar has postponed plans to introduce more stringent visa rules for entry into the country, officials said. Government officials will take more time to examine the current visa-on-arrival system, the Qatar News Agency, citing an official from the consular affairs department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.
It was earlier revealed that 33 countries, including the US, UK, Germany and France, would be affected by new measures requiring their citizens to obtain a travel visa in advance from May 1.
The move to revise the visa regime has been put on hold after a number of countries have asked for more time to apply the "reciprocity" principle, according to QNA. "The ministry has received memos from a number of the affected countries asking for more time to apply the reciprocity principle and the ministry is now considering the contents of such memos," the official said.
He asserted that the current system "will go on unchanged". "Qatar will continue implementing the content of the bilateral agreements concluded with other countries with regard to the reciprocal exemption of entry visas," the official added.
Earlier this month, Qatar said it has decided to tighten its visit visa policy forcing nationals of 33 mostly European countries visiting the Gulf Arab state to arrange entry before travel. Both the UK and US embassies in Doha posted travel advice for citizens on their web Sites, confirming the shake-up in visa regulations. "From 1 May 2010 British passport holders visiting Qatar must obtain a visa before their arrival in Qatar," the UK embassy said.
