Individuals who are not eligible for a Visa-on-Arrival, can apply through the Hayya platform.

Residents of Qatar can now host up to five guests through the Hayya portal, following a recent upgrade of the platform to provide more nationalities access to tourist visa to visit the country.

“Any Qatar residents with valid QID and proof of address registered on the Metrash2 app can sign up as a host on Hayya and add one property. The maximum number of guests that can be added on the registered property is five guests,” the Hayya portal website says.

Once a guest is added to the Family & Friends list, they cannot be taken off, and residents are advised to make sure they provide factual and accurate information about their visitors.

By expanding the Hayya platform’s features, Qatar hopes to entice more travellers who need a visa to come to the nation.

“The relaunched Hayya platform has become the go-to portal for travellers who require a visa to enter Qatar. The Hayya platform will become the country’s single portal for all tourists to enter the country,” Qatar Tourism Chairman Akbar Al-Baker recently said at a press conference.

The new Hayya e-visa will come in different categories based on nationality, residency or other international visas already in possession of the traveller.

There are three additional categories of travellers who will be granted easier approval.

A1 category includes all nationalities that do not qualify for Visa on Arrival or Visa Free Entry, while A2 is designated for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residents – which now includes all professions.

A3 is set for international visitors who have visa or residency from Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand.

Officials stated that the period of these visas depends on the country of origin and is usually 30 days. They also detailed that no visa request should take more than 48 hours to receive a response.