Saudi Able Link, a premier visa agency in London, is an extension of its Piccadilly-based parent company, Rapid Visas Ltd. Established in 2007, Rapid Visas specialises in providing visa services, for its clients based in the UK and across the world. From individual clients looking for a tourist visa to Fortune 500 companies, our clients trust us for our knowledge, reliability, efficiency and high accessibility.
We have a specialised division that works on Middle East visas for travellers from the UK. This includes visas to all member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC. The GCC is a political and economic alliance, formed of six major countries, which includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Oman. The region is one of the fastest developing economic centres in the world, with huge strategic investments in the oil and natural gas sector, along with infrastructure development and tourism. We specialise in various types of visas, including tourist, work, business visit, family visit, transit visa and more.
Saudi Able Link not only provides visa services for countries, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but also helps clients with all the requirements of the respective Embassies in London. We are known for our comprehensive pre-check of applications, before submission to the Embassies, to ensure a near perfect success rate for visa approvals.
Clients also favour us for our extensive contacts with officials within the Embassies and various UK-based government departments, such as the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the ABCC, to take care of all their document attestation and legalisation needs. With quick turnaround times and efficient doorstep delivery services, we ensure that the visa application process for the Middle Eastern nations is completed as smoothly as possible.
Qatar Visa Services from UK by Saudi Able Link
The State of Qatar
Located in Western Asia, Qatar occupies the small peninsula on the North-Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It shares a land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, while the rest of its territory is bordered by the Persian Gulf. Qatar’s population stood at 2.6 million in 2017. Its capital city is Doha.
Due to its location and the industries it has nurtured over the last two decades, the nation is now considered an emerging market economy. It has the highest per capita income in the world, backed by the world’s third largest reserves of oil and natural gas.The nominal GDP of Qatar stood at $191.4 billion in October 2019, with 61.1% share of the GDP dominated by the manufacturing sector and 42.6% by the services sector.
To reduce its dependency on oil, Qatar has industrialised its economy. The manufacturing sector comprises both state and foreign private ownership. The country has also developed its natural gas reserves through joint ventures with major foreign oil and gas companies, with a focus on the North Field.
The UK has strategic trade and military ties with Qatar. Qatar provided between 20% to 30% of the UK’s gas imports in 2019. Trade between the two nations is worth $8 billion annually, and the UK is the fourth largest exporter to Qatar. Some of the biggest British based energy firms have vast investments in Qatar economy.
Alongside the UAE, Qatar is considered to have one of the least demanding tax frameworks in the world. A joint report by the PwC and the World Bank Group in 2017 stated that a company in the country has a total average tax rate of 11.3%, makes 4 tax payments per annum and takes only 41 hours per year to comply with tax-related affairs.
Around 20,000 British citizens live in Qatar and approximately 130,000 UK nationals visit the country each year. Qatar has a vibrant tourism landscape. Its hospitality sector has been ranked second among all the GCC destinations, by guest experience, as per a report published in 2019 by Olery, a hospitality and travel data provider.
Over 70% of its market is dominated by 4 and 5 star hotels, which attract tourists from across the world for business, leisure, tourism and transit. The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha is one of the most vibrant cultural hubs of the country. The National Council for Culture, Arts, and Heritage, along with many agencies, promote literary, cultural and artistic activities for tourism and recreation. This includes promotion of the Bedouin art of weaving, traditional Qatari cuisine and preservation of a genre of music called nahmah, once prevalent among the pearl divers of Qatar. Apart from this, the country is known for its parks, beaches, libraries and malls in the capital city of Doha.
General Types of Qatar Visa
As per Qatar visa policy, travellers to the country require a visa, unless they belong to a GCC nation (except Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) or a country that is eligible for visa waiver. All travellers, except from GCC countries, need a passport with validity of at least 6 months from the date of arrival in Qatar, with two blank facing visa pages.
Qatar offers visa-free travel to citizens of 84 countries, for short duration stays, including the United Kingdom. Citizens of the UK are eligible for a 30-day “visa waiver on arrival” for travel to Qatar. This means that if you are a UK citizen, you can travel to Qatar and stay up to 30 days with a visa on arrival, issued on the date of entry. These short-stay visas are eligible for single and multiple entries, but only permit stay of up to 30 days.
The period of stay can be extended by another 30 days. To be eligible, you need to:
- Hold a passport with two blank visa pages and 6 months validity from the date of entry.
- Furnish proof of sufficient funds to cover the stay period.
- Show proof of onward/return journey.
- Show confirmation from the airlines that boarding for travel to Qatar from the UK will be permitted without a visa.
The Qatar Embassy in London is the issuing authority of Qatar visas in the UK. The country generally issues the following types of visas for travel to the State of Qatar.
- Qatar Business visa
- Qatar Tourist Visa
- Qatar Transit Visa
- Qatar Work Visa
Qatar Visa Immigration Rules and General Information
For non-GCC applicants working in Qatar, work visas and residence cards are initially issued for up to 3 years. Renewal is granted in increments of one, two or three years, depending on the validity of the previously issued permit and the details of the applicant. This includes nationality of the applicant and the status of the political and diplomatic relationship with the State of Qatar. Sometimes, permits can be renewed for a period of more than five years. Additional approvals are needed for renewal, once the applicant crosses the age of 60.
To be granted an employment visa, the local Qatari sponsoring entity must obtain a block visa approval from the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs in Doha, along with an open position corresponding to the designation, gender, nationality and qualifications of the applicant. This has to be in place, prior to the process of application for a visa, and may take several weeks. The applicant also needs to have an employment contract with a Qatari business entity, which must be attested by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.
For business activities of a shorter duration (up to 90 days) a Qatar business visa will be sufficient. This should, however, be clarified with the sponsor business entity in Qatar. Further, a gate pass for entry into the premises of the business entity might also be required.
For further questions regarding Qatar visa applications, contact us at help@saudiarabiavisa.co.uk.
Qatar Visa Legalisation and Medical Services
Legalisation and apostille stamping is an essential part of applying for employment in Qatar. In order for UK-issued documents to be legally recognised in the State of Qatar, they have to be legalised in some way. Apostille is a widely recognised method to achieve this. An apostille is a type of attestation that includes legalisation of documents in a particular format, which is acceptable in over 92 nations that are part of the Hague Convention. In addition, some documents will have to be attested by the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then by the Qatar Embassy in London.
Additionally, to reside in Qatar, UK citizens need to undergo visa medical examination, before applying for a visa. This includes test results for infectious diseases, such as HIV, Syphilis and other diseases, such as Hepatitis B and C, along with full blood count.
Along with step-by-step guidance in completing visa forms and support letters, Saudi Able Link can provide Qatar visa medical and legalisation services to its clients as well.
Contact our customer support team at help@saudiarabiavisa.co.uk or call us on 02070961985 for further guidance regarding the Qatar visa requirements.
