MoPH updates travel and quarantine guidelines for travelers and residents

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has updated its travel and quarantine guidelines for GCC citizens and residents entering Qatar.

As per MoPH’s general policy, GCC citizens and residents can travel abroad at any time, provided they adhere to the travel and return policy.

Moreover, GCC citizens and residents will be required to have a pre-travel COVID-19 PCR test result which is valid for 72 hours.

Additionally, it is mandatory to download and install the Ehteraz app on your smartphone which will require a local sim. A local sim can be purchased at one of the stalls located in Hamad International Airport.  

Furthermore, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Covishield (Astrazeneca), Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, and Sinopharmare the only vaccines accepted by MoPH for GCC citizens and residents.

Unvaccinated citizens and residents wishing to travel abroad to one of the countries not included in the COVID-19 green list must book a hotel quarantine package from the listed hotels on the Discover Qatar​ website before traveling. 

In the case of requiring a PCR-test prior to traveling from Qatar, one can visit any of the private health facilities approved by MoPH at a standardized fee of QAR 300.

All travelers to Qatar regardless of age, including those previously vaccinated or infected, must do a pre-travel COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of arrival to Qatar at the country of origin in a medical center that their local Ministry of Health approved to perform COVID-19 PCR tests.

The PCR test result should be negative to be eligible to board the airplane to Qatar or enter the state through the land border.

The MOPH has updated its travel and quarantine guidelines for GCC citizens and residents entering Qatar. The full details are available online at https://t.co/iceFevrYf6 pic.twitter.com/gcbHbDmlkv

— وزارة الصحة العامة (@MOPHQatar) May 21, 2021

Firstly, the Ministry has announced updates for citizens and residents who are fully vaccinated, previously infected, and those who are unvaccinated with no previous COVID-19 infection.  

Fully vaccinated individuals

Citizens and residents who have completed the vaccination doses are exempt from quarantine upon return from travel if at least 14 days have passed after receiving the second dose of a two-dose series vaccine or from the single-dose in case of single-dose regime vaccine, provided that the vaccines are recognized by the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar and a negative PCR test result before returning to Qatar.

Citizens and residents may travel at any time after receiving the second dose. However, if they travel before the completion of the 14 days of the second dose and return before this period is completed then they will be subjected to home quarantine for a period of 7 days or until they finish the 14 days from the second dose, whichever is shorter.​

The validity of the vaccine to grant quarantine exemption is nine months, starting 14 days after the second dose. This immunity period could be extended based on new and emerging data.​

Non-vaccinated children below 18 years of age returning to Qatar from countries not included in the Green List with fully vaccinated parents are home quarantined for 7 days and be subjected to a PCR test on day 6.

These rules apply to citizens and residents vaccinated in other countries using the vaccines recognized by the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar. In this case, an official vaccination card or certificate from the country where the vaccine was obtained should be presented to the medical team at the ports of entry upon arrival.​

1. The official vaccination card or certificate should have the following details:
2. Name of the recipient as mentioned in their official documents;
3. Date of dose receipt depending on the type of vaccine;
4. Type of vaccine;
5. Vaccine Lot number (preferable); and
6. Official logo and stamp of the vaccination authority.​

Previously infected individuals who have fully recovered within the last 9 months are exempted from quarantine upon return from their travel abroad if they were asymptomatic and their PCR test result was negative.​  

Unvaccinated individuals with no previous COVID-19 infection

Citizens and residents traveling from Green-listed countries are home quarantined for 7 days and should sign a Home Quarantine Undertaking.

Citizens and residents traveling from countries not included in the Green List should be hotel quarantined for 7 days, and a hotel package must be booked from the listed hotels on the Discover Qatar​ website before their travel abroad.

Travelers returning from Umrah

Citizens and residents who came from Umrah and cannot provide a valid PCR test certificate should be allowed to board their flights, but they must undergo a PCR test upon arrival at Hamad International Airport or Abu Samra port on a standard fee of QAR 300 per test.

All travelers must be vaccinated following KSA rules that only vaccinated individuals could perform Umrah and visit Makkah.​

Individuals planning to travel for Umrah should refer to the policy and procedures announced by the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.

Travelers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka, and the Philippines

Kindly note that the Ministry’s latest quarantine policy for vaccinated individuals do not apply to individuals arriving from these six nations.

The following measures are implemented for travelers coming from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, whether they are traveling through direct flight or via other countries.

1. All passengers whose original flight is from the said countries are subject to mandatory COVID-19 PCR Test done 48 hours before departure from the testing centers approved by their local health authority. Note that no one can board the flight to Qatar without a valid Negative PCR certificate.
2. All arrivals from those countries must undergo 10 days quarantine in a dedicated quarantine facility, or 14 days if quarantined at Mekhaines facility.
3. Home quarantine criteria is not applicable for travelers coming from these countries, including the exemptions due to vaccination or recovery from a previous infection with the virus during the past nine months.
4. All arrivals from those countries must undergo a repeat COVID-19 PCR test at the quarantine facility within one day of arrival. Knowing that the PCR test will be repeated during and before the end of the quarantine period. ​​
5. All passengers transiting through Qatar must have the mandatory pre-travel PCR test and in case they require another PCR test for their onward destination, they can have it at Hamad International Airport on a standard fee of QAR 300 per test.​

MoPH has also updated its Ehteraz app policy and highlighted population groups that are exempted from hotel quarantine.

For more information, please visit covid19.moph.gov.qa

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Cover Image Credit and Source: MoPH Qatar