Amid one of the busiest times of the year for international travel, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has launched a reworked mobile application that aims to better help its citizens who encounter emergency situations abroad.
The app includes features for both nationals and Qatar-based expats who plan to spend time outside of the country, including a pre-travel registration system that records a user’s key details and logs these with the ministry through a secure connection.
There is also a “Request assistance” option that allows a citizen to call for help in real-time, sending an alert to the ministry along with the user’s location, in case of an emergency.
Key features
Many Qataris and expats travel during the summer months and with Eid al-Adha slated for mid-September, the coming two months are expected to be busy times for trips abroad.
While the emergency services function has been designed for use by Qatari nationals, other features on the app hold wider appeal.
For example, there is a list of locations and contact information for Qatari missions abroad, and contact information about accredited embassies within Qatar itself.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) August 17, 2015
App users can also check the status of documents being attested, as well as access a list of visa requirements for Qataris traveling abroad and non-Qataris planning a visit here.
Other functions include a currency exchange, weather forecasts, a list of prayer times and ministry news updates.
The bilingual (English and Arabic) app can be downloaded for use on iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows mobile devices.
There are also a series of short videos on YouTube, promoting the service.
Dr. Saif Al-Kuwari, MOFA’s director of Information Systems and Technology, said:
“We urge all citizens to make use of the information and services provided in this application such as the travel details to enable the ministry to reach them in case they require assistance.”
The ministry’s website also includes a list of travel tips to help keep citizens safe when abroad. These include:
- Not carrying gold jewelry, valuables or a large amount of cash while traveling;
- Neeping a watch on children while in large gatherings; and
- Not allowing security services in the host country to search accommodation without a search warrant from the competent authority.
In line with their Gulf neighbors, Qatar residents regularly travel abroad. A survey by YouGov for Arabian Travel Market earlier this year found that on average a family living in the GCC goes overseas twice a year.
While UAE and Europe remain popular destinations for those traveling with children, Egypt and India were among the top destinations for couples.
Do you plan to use the app? Thoughts?
neeping ! hahaha
haha
“Not allowing security services in the host country to search accommodation without a search warrant from the competent authority.”
Unlike Qatar where we can violate your person or property without one, chuck you in jail without a reason and if some local kids say you insult Islam that is all we need to throw away the key….
In Qatar an unattended kid in a thobe running wild at a mall can bump into you, cry and complain to a police officer that YOU bumped into HIM, and to determine whether the child is telling the truth, the police officer asks you… “Are you Muslim?”
It is sad really that justice is not blind in Qatar. I had one case with an expat and a Qatari who got involved in a car dispute. Words were exchanged and then they drove off. Later the police arrest the expat saying he gave the Qatari the finger and was told there will be a court case. I questioned the officer saying I don’t see how the judge can make a ruling as its one word against another. (No witnesses). I was told the Qatari will swear on the Koran and then it is impossible for him to lie. I then told him people swear on the Bible in US but still tell lies in court. He was adamant that this could not happen in Qatar and no muslim after swearing on the Koran would tell a lie.
A similar dispute happened to one of my family members. She gave a Qatari the finger because he was tailgating and following her, and of course, the Qatari took her to the police station where she had to pay a fine after he swore on the Quran. No questions for her, of course, since she wasn’t Muslim.