Qatar Reopens for Fully Vaccinated International Travelers

Qatar, which is preparing for what is arguably the second-biggest sporting event in the world next year, has re-opened its borders to international travelers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

A new streamlined set of measures designed to make traveling to Qatar as easy as possible have been put into place, all while maintaining the necessary precautions to continue to protect against the spread of the virus.

The new measures will allow people who are fully vaccinated to visit Qatar without the need for quarantine. All visitors – vaccinated or non-vaccinated – will be required to undertake a PCR test up to 72 hours prior to travel.

All this is to prepare the Middle East Gulf nation for its literal world debut next year when it hosts soccer’s FIFA World Cup Tournament in 2022. The World Cup is considered the biggest, or, at worst, the second-biggest sporting event in the world behind the Olympics.

And Qatar is certainly watching what happens with this year’s Olympics.

The Summer Games are scheduled to start in 12 days in Tokyo, but that’s already a year late after they were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Moreover, because of the threat of the Delta Variant and other possible strains of the virus, there will be no spectators at any Olympic event.

In order to visit Qatar, international visitors, citizens and residents must register and upload required documentation such as a vaccination certificate, valid PCR test up to 72 hours prior to travel and personal details through the ‘Ehteraz’ website.