The USA on Tuesday introduced it was admitting Qatar into its visa waiver program, permitting visa-free journey by Qatari residents for as much as 90 days beginning no later than December 1.
The US Division of Homeland Safety and the Division of State mentioned in a press release that Qatar is the primary Gulf nation to be admitted to the US Visa Waiver Program, commending Doha for assembly the strict safety necessities to affix.
The tiny Gulf state has performed a key position in mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officers in relation to the warfare in Gaza and the discharge of hostages captured by the Palestinian Islamist group in its October 7 cross-border assault on Israel.
An administration official informed reporters the US has a robust protection relationship with Qatar and praised Doha for taking the lead on urgent the Taliban on human rights and offering help in Sudan, amongst different points.
“Qatar’s success of the stringent safety necessities to affix the Visa Waiver Program will deepen our strategic partnership and improve the stream of individuals and commerce between our two nations,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned in a press release.
For admission to this system permitting guests touring for tourism or enterprise functions to remain as much as 90 days with out a visa, Washington requires nations to fulfill necessities on points comparable to counterterrorism, regulation enforcement, immigration enforcement, doc safety, and border administration.
Qatar put forth a “important whole-of-government effort to fulfill all program necessities,” together with on partnering to share info on terrorism and critical crimes, in accordance with the assertion.
Qatar is the forty second member of this system, with nations added sometimes. Croatia was added in 2021 and Israel final yr. This system requires nations to permit US residents comparable visa-free journey.
U.S. residents can at the moment journey to Qatar with out a visa, however beginning on October 1 they are going to be allowed to remain for as much as 90 days as a substitute of 30.
