‘Strategic partnership’: US admits Qatar to visa waiver programme
Al Jazeera
Move means Qatari citizens will be allowed to travel visa-free to the US for up to 90 days, and vice versa.
Qatar has become the first Gulf country admitted into the US visa waiver programme, the United States has announced, in a move that will allow Qatari citizens to travel visa-free to the country for up to 90 days.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the US State Department and the Department of Homeland Security said Qatari citizens would be able to apply no later than December 1.
“Qatar’s fulfillment of the stringent security requirements to join the Visa Waiver Program will deepen our strategic partnership and enhance the flow of people and commerce between our two countries,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“Qatar’s entry will make travel between the United States and Qatar safer, more secure, and easier for both Americans and Qataris.”
Qatar and the US have enjoyed close ties for years, and Washington formally designated Doha as a “major, non-NATO ally” in 2022 in a sign of the countries’ deepening military and economic partnership.
