Doha: Ministry of Interior on its website has updated that the visa-free entry for Indians will not be extendable beyond 30 days starting November 11.

According to the update, the duration of the visa cannot be extended beyond 30 days. Previously Indians could extend the visa and stay in Qatar for a total of 60 days.

Also, another point that has been changed is that it is now mandatory that the applicant must be in possession of a valid credit card in the name of the traveller or in name of the male head of the family.

Apart from this, the other rules for visa-free entry for Indian remain the same which is passport must be valid for six months from the arrival date, a confirmed return ticket, along with a confirmed hotel reservation for the passenger.

According to the statistics from the Ministry released in April 2018, Indians were among the six major visitors to Qatar.

Qatar was ranked as the most open country in the Middle East and 8th most open country in the world following a string of visa facilitation measures introduced by the country, including allowing nationals of 88 countries to enter Qatar visa-free and free-of-charge. As a result, Qatar’s openness score had leaped by 71.3 points since 2014, when it ranked 177th.