Free Stopovers & Transit Visas in Doha, Qatar for Qatar Airways Passengers

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Good news for folks who want to visit Doha, Qatar, and have an upcoming Qatar Airways flight that stops through there!

Via Travel Codex, Qatar’s government and Qatar Airways are now offering free stopovers and free transit visas for folks traveling through Doha on Qatar Airways.

I’ll explain how it works.

Qatar Airways Passengers Save on Visa Fees

Link:   Qatar Airways Free Transit Visa Program

To take advantage of the free stopover and free transit visa program, book your flights with Qatar Airways.  Then apply for your transit visa through Qatar Airways’ site at least 7 days prior to departure.

To qualify for the offer, you’ll have to enter your Qatar Airways booking reference number and last name.  So this should work for both paid and award tickets.

Once approved, your visa is valid for 90 days from the issue date, for a maximum stay of 96 hours.

If you’re traveling through Doha, Qatar but are NOT flying with Qatar Airways, you’ll have to purchase a tourist visa for ~$27.  For families, you’ll pay an additional ~$14 per person traveling in the group.

Use Miles and Points to Fly Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld alliance and is based in the Middle East.  So you can use American Airlines miles and British Airways Avios points, for example, to book award tickets on Qatar Airways.

And don’t forget, you can transfer Citi ThankYou points you earn from cards like the Citi Prestige Card to Qatar Airways at a 1:1 ratio.

And the Starwood points you earn from cards like the AMEX Starwood personal and small business card transfer to Qatar Airways miles at a 1:1 ratio too.  Plus, you’ll get a 5,000 mile bonus for every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer.

Bottom Line

Folks flying with Qatar Airways and traveling through Doha, Qatar, can now get free stopovers and free transit visas, for up to a 96-hour stay in the city.

You can apply through Qatar Airways’ transit visa application site.  And once approved, your visa is valid for 90 days from the issue date.