Qatar Visa for GCC Residents: Hayya A2 and MOI On-Arrival Routes
A Qatar visa for GCC residents is an entry permission for a person who lives in another Gulf Cooperation Council country and wants to enter Qatar. If you live in a GCC country, you have two different routes described on official pages, and they do not agree on every point. This guide covers only those two routes: the Hayya A2 route and the MOI on-arrival route. It does not cover A3 or A4, which are separate routes. The approved-professions list itself is not reproduced in this guide. Only the rule and the count MOI gives are stated here; check the live MOI link for the list before you rely on this route.
Two different routes to the same entry
MOI describes a visa for GCC residents and their accompaniers at all ports, granted to GCC residents upon their arrival at the country’s ports. MOI states its terms on two pages: the Visas (Entry permits) page and the Single Entry detail page. Hayya describes a separate GCC Resident Visa, category A2, applied for through the Hayya To Qatar app or the hayya.qa portal. Treat these as two routes, not as two descriptions of one route. Where MOI and Hayya state different passport validity, stay length, extension terms or entry counts, this guide reports both versions and does not choose between them. Check the live MOI and Hayya pages before you travel, because the conflict is in the official pages themselves.
What MOI says about the on-arrival visa for GCC residents
On the MOI Visas (Entry permits) page, the visa is called Visa for GCC Residents and their accompaniers (all ports). MOI states that this visa is granted to GCC residents upon their arrival at the country’s ports. The terms and conditions on that page are: the profession of the applicant must be among approved professions; the residence permit must be valid for not less than 6 months; a valid passport for at least 6 months must be presented; accompaniers should be accompanied by the applicant; the fee is QR100 by credit card; the visa is granted for one month upon entry and can be extended for three months; and the extension fee is QR100 by credit card for each month. MOI states on the same page: “The amount of fine for exceeding the period will be (200) riyals for each day.” That QR200 per day figure is MOI-stated in this GCC-visa context only. Do not apply it to any other visa context. MOI does not state on this page the approved-professions list itself, any hotel, return-ticket or health-insurance condition, single or multiple entry wording, or an extension procedure or channel. A link labelled “Approved profession to get on-arrival visas for GCC Countries residents” is present on the page. The list behind that link is not reproduced here; check the live MOI link before you rely on this route.
What the Single Entry detail page adds, and where it differs
The MOI General Directorate of Passports on-arrival index lists “Single Entry on-Arrival Visa for GCC Residents for a fee of (QR 100) for period of (30) days, extendable”. The Single Entry detail page states that the on-arrival visa for residents of the GCC countries is granted for single trip, for a fee of QR100, for a period of 30 days, which can be extended. Its terms and requirements are: passport valid for at least three months; confirmed round-trip ticket; hotel reservation in one of the country’s hotels during the visit period or a clear address of a friend or relative; health insurance from one of the accredited insurance companies, with a link to moph.gov.qa; and the resident’s profession must be one of the approved professions (206 professions).
That detail page therefore differs from the Visas page on passport validity, on stay and extension, and on entry count. Passport validity is 6 months on the Visas page and 3 months on the Single Entry detail page. Stay and extension are one month upon entry, extendable for three months, with an extension fee of QR100 per month, on the Visas page, and 30 days, which can be extended, with no extension length or fee stated, on the Single Entry detail page. Entry count is single trip on the Single Entry detail page, with no entry-count wording on the Visas page. Residence-permit validity of not less than 6 months is stated on the Visas page and is not stated on the Single Entry detail page, which instead states the 206-professions rule and the hotel, return-ticket and insurance conditions that the Visas page does not state. Both are MOI pages stating different terms for different route wordings. Check the live page for the route you will actually use before travel.
The accompaniers route on arrival
The MOI on-arrival index separately lists “Single Entry on-Arrival Visa for those accompanying GCC Citizens for a fee of (QR100) for (30) days, extendable”. The accompaniers detail page states a single trip, QR100, 30 days, extendable. It states that the visa is granted to servants or the like (MOI’s wording) who enter with the accompanying citizen sponsor or with any first-degree relative of the sponsor. It states: “The citizen is not allowed to leave the country being the accompanier inside the country.” In plain terms, the citizen must not leave the accompanier inside the country. The requirements on that detail page are: passport valid at least three months; valid residence permit of not less than 6 months; confirmed round-trip ticket; and health insurance from an accredited company. No hotel condition is stated on that detail page.
What the Hayya A2 guide asks for, step by step
The Hayya guide is titled “How to Apply for GCC Resident Visa (A2)”. It gives Hayya Type “Tourist (A)” and Category “GCC Resident Visa (A2)”. The application is completed in 5 steps: Step 1 Application Information, Step 2 Personal Information, Step 3 Residence Information, Step 4 Accommodation Information, and Step 5 Application Summary, via the Hayya To Qatar app or the hayya.qa portal.
Before beginning, the guide says to have at hand: personal photo, passport copy, GCC Residency Card or Permit copy, and accommodation information, meaning hotel booking, or hosted by family and friends with the host registering the applicant’s name on the portal. The personal photo must be an image file (.jpg or .jpeg), maximum 2MB. The passport copy must be a clear scanned copy of the passport information pages, and the passport must be valid for at least 3 months from arrival. The guide states: “Entry for GCC residents with valid residence of minimum 6 months from date of arrival to Qatar.” Before submitting, the guide states: “Payment is required 100 QR”; “Accommodation proof is required”; and “Health Insurance is required”. The guide states that the visa costs QR100, and it is non-refundable and non-transferable. For Saudi ID holders, the guide states: “Please upload a screenshot from Absher app, containing the details if your Saudi ID does not have profession and/or expiry date.”
No stay length or entry count for the Hayya A2 route is stated here. Confirm the stay length, entry count and fee on the live Hayya A2 page or guide before travel, because the MOI on-arrival pages state 30 days or one month and single trip for their route. The Hayya A2 guide is dated 25-5-2026. No approved-professions rule or list, processing time, extension procedure, or profession-matching rule for the A2 route is stated here. No processing time is given in this guide, because no official page states one.
Where MOI and Hayya disagree, stated both ways
Passport validity: 6 months on the MOI Visas page, and 3 months on the Single Entry detail page and in the Hayya A2 guide. Residence validity: minimum 6 months on the MOI Visas page and in the Hayya A2 guide, and not stated on the Single Entry detail page. Stay length: one month on the MOI Visas page, 30 days on the Single Entry detail page; no stay length for the Hayya A2 route is stated here. Extension: one month plus three months at QR100 per month on the MOI Visas page, 30 days extendable with no length or fee stated on the Single Entry detail page, and no extension procedure for the Hayya A2 route is stated here. Entry count: single trip on the Single Entry detail page, no entry-count wording on the MOI Visas page, and no entry count for the Hayya A2 route is stated here. Fee: QR100 on all three sources, by credit card on the MOI Visas page, and 100 QR before submitting on the Hayya A2 guide. The versions above are stated as each page states them. Follow the page for the route you will actually use, and keep a record of what that page stated.
The approved professions rule
Both MOI on-arrival sources state an approved-professions rule. The Visas page states that the profession of the applicant must be among approved professions. The Single Entry detail page states that the resident’s profession must be one of the approved professions (206 professions). The count of 206 professions is MOI-stated on the Single Entry detail page. The list itself is not reproduced here, and this guide does not state which professions are included. Check the live MOI link for the list before you rely on this route. No approved-professions rule or list for the Hayya A2 route is stated here.
Related guides
- Qatar country hub: https://myidstatus.com/qatar/
- Visa-free entry to Qatar, countries and who qualifies (companion draft in the same batch, proposed slug visa-free-entry-to-qatar-countries-who-qualifies): https://myidstatus.com/visa-free-entry-to-qatar-countries-who-qualifies/
- Hayya e-visa Qatar: https://myidstatus.com/hayya-e-visa-qatar/
- How to apply for Qatar visa online: https://myidstatus.com/how-to-apply-for-qatar-visa-online/
- How much is the cost of visa to Qatar: https://myidstatus.com/how-much-is-the-cost-of-visa-to-qatar/
- Qatar visa extension on arrival rules: https://myidstatus.com/qatar-visa-extension-on-arrival-rules/
- Do US citizens need a visa for Qatar: https://myidstatus.com/do-us-citizens-need-a-visa-for-qatar/
- Do Indians need visa for Qatar: https://myidstatus.com/do-indians-need-visa-for-qatar/
