Qatar has announced the easing of visa restrictions for citizens from 80 countries.

Axar.az reports that, according to the Visit Qatar official tourism website, citizens of 33 countries, including France, Germany and Turkey, "do not require prior visa arrangements and can obtain a visa waiver upon arrival in Qatar," which "will be valid for 180 days from the date of issuance and entitle its holder to spend up to 90 days in Qatar, during either a single trip or on multiple trips." As far as Russia and the remaining 46 countries are concerned, their citizens also "do not require prior visa arrangements and can obtain a visa waiver upon arrival in Qatar." "The waiver will be valid for 30 days from the date of issuance and entitle its holder to spend up to 30 days in Qatar, during either a single trip or on multiple trips. This waiver may be extended for a further 30 days."

Qatar’s Interior Ministry said in late June that the country planned to ease visa restrictions for Russians. The Russian Foreign Ministry later confirmed this information pointing out that every Russian citizen arriving in Qatar’s capital of Doha must provide a passport valid for at least six months after the arrival date, a return ticket, a hotel booking confirmation and $1,500 in cash or on credit card. A visa will cost 100 Qatari riyals ($27.5).

According to Russia’s Statistical Agency Rosstat, in 2016, as many as 66,000 Russian tourists visited Qatar.