The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the United States Department of States (DOS) announced today that Qatar has been designated as a participant in the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows visa-free travel to the United States for periods of no longer than ninety (90) days. Qatar is the first Arabian Gulf country to be admitted into the VWP. This admission has been granted on the basis of Qatar’s nonimmigrant visa refusal rate below 3% during the previous fiscal year; its issuance of secure travel documents; its extension of reciprocal entry privileges to all U.S. citizens; and its work with U.S. law enforcement and counterterrorism authorities. DHS will continually monitor Qatar’s compliance with all program requirements and may in the future terminate Qatar’s participation in the VWP.
No later than December 1, 2024, the VWP Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online application and mobile app will be updated to allow citizens and nationals of Qatar to apply to travel to the United States for B-1 business visits or B-2 visits for pleasure of no longer than 90 days without first obtaining a B-1/B-2 U.S. visa stamp. This authorization should be valid for two years initially and may be extended. Qatari citizens with valid B-1/B-2 visas may continue to use these visas for travel to the United States if they wish, and Qatari citizens may also apply for B-1/B-2 visas if they prefer. There is no obligation for such persons to use the VWP.
United States citizens may already travel to Qatar without visas. Starting on October 1, 2024, they will be allowed to remain in Qatar for up to 90 days instead of 30 days, as before. They must have a passport that is valid for at least three months from arrival and a confirmed hotel reservation to be admitted.
Under the VWP, citizens and nationals of Qatar may apply for authorization to travel to the United States through the ESTA online site or the ESTA mobile app at a date to be announced after Qatar’s VWP admission.
Qatar is the 42nd member of the VWP and the third country added under DHS Secretary Mayorkas’s tenure. Croatia was added in 2021 and Israel in 2023. Information on the VWP can be accessed at www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program.
