With the view of enhancing tourism, Qatar has relaunched its Hayya Visa Platform for tourist visa purposes. This platform was initially used in 2022 for World Cup reasons, and in 2023 it was relaunched to attract visitors to the country.  

If you are someone who would like to visit Qatar, we have provided a detailed step-by-step guide below. We recommend registering on the official Hayya Portal, and creating your profile. thereon, you will be sent a verification code to your email id for verification purposes. You can then fill in the details, and a profile for "My Hayya" will be created in your name.

Read on to learn more about the Hayya portal and how to fill out the Qatar tourist visa application form with the help of our step-by-step guide below.

1: Application Information  

If you are planning to visit Qatar, you must declare the "Category of your Hayya visit."  

1. Tourist Visa (A1)- If you are a national of a visa-eligible country, then you can apply for Qatar Tourist Visa.  
2. GCC Resident Visa (A2)- If you are a citizen of the Gulf Cooperation Council, you can apply for a Qatari A2 Visa.  
3. Visa with ETA (A3)- Electronic Travel Authorization is issued to eVisa-eligible citizens.  
4. Visa for Companion of the GCC Citizen (A4)- If you are a companion of GCC citizens, then you are eligible for this visa type.  
5. Hayya with Me- Initially, it was issued to friends and family members of Hayya card holders (1+3 scheme) to attend the World Cup. The validity of this card has been extended to January 2024.

While filling out the form, we chose "Tourist Visa (A1)" on our Qatar Hayya application form.  

Once you choose among the first four options: A1, A2, A3, and A4, you must declare your purpose of visit. You need to choose from the following options:  

• Leisure  
• Sports Event  
• Business Meeting  
• Wedding Party  
• Shopping  
• Heritage Tourism  
• Friend Visit  
• Convention Participation  
• Event Participation  
• For others, please specify  

If the option is "Hayya with Me," then you must provide a Voucher code and click on " Validate My Voucher."  We chose the option "leisure" on our Hayya form for Qatar.

Instruction to Upload Your Photo on Hayya Form  

The Personal Photo Standard Requirements as mentioned on the website are as follows:  

1. Your head should not be tilted; it must be centered. 
2. You must keep your head straight, displaying your full face.  
3. Your photo must be clear, without any blurriness.  
4. A clear background is required in the photo.  
5. You must keep your eyes open.  
6. Your hairstyle should not cover your eyes.  
7. Your photo must not be excessively dark.  
8. Your photo must not be overly light.  
9. Overlighting your face is not allowed.  
10. Shadows on your face are not permitted.  
11. Keep your background plain, even, and uniform.  
12. Please note shadows or glare in the background are not allowed.  
13. Only your face should be present in the photo.  
14. Unnatural colored lighting in the photo is not allowed.  

Size Requirements  

1. The photo must have dimensions of 40 (height) x 30 (width) with a minimum resolution of 720px.  
2. Both your face and the top of your shoulders must be visible in the photo.  
3. Your face must occupy 70% to 80% of the photo.  
4. Your photo size must not exceed 2 MB.  
5. Only JPEG or JPG image formats are allowed.  

Age

Your application photo must be less than 12 months old at the time of submission.  

Image Quality  

Your photo must:  

1. Be in color.  
2. Be taken against a plain white or light grey background.  
3. Have a sharp focus and correct exposure.  
4. Display a good color balance, natural flesh tones, and no ’red eye.’  
5. Exhibit good contrast between facial features and the background.  
6. Be free of shadows or glare in both the photo and the background.  

Your Pose  

Your head must be centered in the image. You must look directly at the camera and show your full face. Tilting or turning your head is not allowed.  

Your Expression  

Your expression must be neutral. Squinting, frowning, smiling, or using any other expression is not permitted. Your eyes must be open and your mouth closed. Hair covering the eyes is not allowed. Glasses Sunglasses or tinted/colored glasses must not be worn. If you normally wear glasses, your eyes must be clearly visible in the photo.  

Head & Hair Covering  

Head coverings or hair coverings should not be worn except for religious reasons (e.g., no hats, caps, or headbands). Your face must be clearly visible if a head covering is worn for religious reasons.  

Instructions to Upload Your Passport  

The instructions to upload your passport are as follows:  

1. The photo size must not exceed 2 MB.  
2. Only JPEG or JPG images are allowed.  

If your last name is blank, you should provide your father’s name as the last name. Please make sure that the MRZ code is clearly visible, or your application will be rejected.  Ensure the following when uploading your passport copy:  

1. Your passport copy or document should be uploaded in full color.  
2. No glare or stains should be present on the scan.  
3. Shadows should not appear on the scan.  
4. Double pages of scanned copies are not allowed. You should upload a single page only.  
5. Crop the document so that no information is missed.  

For a successful application, we adhered to all the requirements that we have listed above.

2. Document Information  

We had to put a tick mark against whether we had reviewed the instructions to upload our passport and photos. The first step is to browse the personal photo. The next step is to upload the passport, the details of which will be extracted automatically. The portal allows you to browse your computers and upload the first page of your passport.  

While filling out the Qatar Hayya form , we also had to fill in the following details:  

1. Our Passport Number  
2. Expiry date  
3. Gender (Male or Female)  
4. Nationality  
5. Passport Type- Select Passport Type (Normal, Royal/Private, Diplomatic, Travel Document, Formal/Service)  
6. First Latin Name- Given name  
7. Middle Name/Father’s Name  
8. Third Latin Name- Grandfather’s Name  
9. Fourth Latin Name- Great Grandfather’s Name  
10. Last Latin Name- Last Name or Surname  
11. Mission Name  

3. Your Residency Information  

For the Qatari Hayya form, you need to provide the following information in this section:  

• Your Country of Birth  
• Your Country of Residency  

You also need to declare if you have had previous or other nationality. You need to answer with a "Yes" or "No."  After submitting the details in this section, we were ready to move on to the next segment.

4. Your Accommodation  

If you are applying for the Qatar electronic visa, you need to select among the following options:  

1. Your Family and Friends  
2. Other Accommodation (Remember, if you choose this option, you need to provide the accommodation name in the next section)  

As we were staying at the hotel, we had to provide the hotel address.

5.Your Contact Information  

In this section, if you are a Qatari tourist eVisa applicant, then you must provide the following details:

• Country Code and Telephone Number  
• Emergency Contact Name  
• Your Emergency Telephone  

6. Review and Submit  

Once you have reviewed and submitted your visa application on the Hayya portal, you will be directed to the "Terms and Conditions" page. In this section, you will need to declare whether you have submitted authentic documents and details to the best of your knowledge. You will also need to agree that your visa application will be rejected if you have uploaded incorrect information or forged documents.

After this, you will be sent a test verification code in your email, and you need to submit it.  

7. Edit Your Details

You also have the option to "Edit Details" in case you have made a mistake in the Hayya visa application form. After agreeing to the terms and conditions, there is again a disclaimer where you must confirm that you have rectified the highlighted information and it matches the QID.  

You also need to declare that you are aware that you will be denied entry to the State of Qatar if any discrepancy is found. You also have the option to "Go Back" to make corrections. An entry reference number will be generated if your application is submitted successfully. You have the option to check your details on "My Hayya ." You can track your Qatar visa application using the entry reference number.  

8. Payment  

In the next segment, you can view the information you have submitted and the entry reference number generated. We have outlined the fields that you will come across in this section below:  

• Entry Reference Number  
• Your Application Number  
• Document Number  
• Applicant Category  
• Your Nationality  

You can click on the option to pay a visa fee of QAR 100 (USD 27.46). This visa fee can be changed without further notice. After successfully completing all the above steps, you will receive your visa in your email, or you can retrieve it from the Hayya to Qatar app. 

As we could successfully submit this online application form for Qatar, we received our Qatari eVisa in a few days.

Issues Faced while Uploading Information and How to Fix It  

In our experience, the Qatar Hayya visa form is a straightforward application form. You just need to follow the photo and passport guidelines, and most of your issues will resolve easily. Generally, applicants usually need help with uploading the photograph and going to the next section. In such cases, you must ensure you upload a JPEG image. Moreover, you need to make sure that your current image matches the one on your passport to navigate to the next section. 

The other most common issue you may face is that the platform cannot fetch passport details. We faced this issue while filling out the above form. In such cases, the passport needs to be up to standard (it should not be torn or damaged). If you face this difficulty, we will advise you to scan and re-upload your passport document. For any other error, you can mail your queries to [email protected] or call the overseas number +974 4441 2022. 

Print the Qatar eVisa Form  

You are advised to get a copy of your Qatar eVisa for safety purposes. On receiving it by email, you can get a printout and carry it to avoid discrepancies. Before traveling to Qatar, we had our copy of the Qatar eVisa form ready for inspection.

Conclusion  

It is our advice that in order to prepare for your trip, you must ensure that all the information submitted on the Qatar Hayya portal matches the travel details provided on your Qatari tourist visa application form. You are also advised to carry your return ticket and Qatar eVisa copy when traveling to Qatar. The step-by-step guide to applying for a Qatar tourist visa on the Hayya platform will surely help you plan your vacations.