All travellers coming to the country are now mandatorily required to pre-register via the Qatar arrivals registration platform, http://ehteraz.gov.qa, as the new travel and return policy came into effect on Monday.
The platform is meant for all people arriving in Qatar, whether citizens, residents or visitors, who have to provide the relevant information, Dr Yousef al-Maslamani, medical director of Hamad General Hospital, told Qatar TV on Monday.
The new travel and return policy was announced by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) last week, including the need to register via Ehteraz before coming to the country.
He said all necessary information should be uploaded on the platform between 72 and 12 hours before a person arrives in Qatar so that the employees concerned will have adequate time to review the same and issue the necessary approval for entry into the country.
Children must also be registered on the platform before their arrival in Qatar, he added.
Dr al-Maslamani stressed that the system is meant to give travellers a hassle-free experience when coming to the country and enable them to know before boarding the aircraft which type of quarantine they will have to undergo, without the need to wait in queues upon arrival in Doha. This will help save time and effort for passengers as well as airlines.
It is mandatory for all travellers - arriving via the air, land or sea border - to register through the platform, the Government Communications Office (GCO) said in a related video message on social media yesterday.
Travellers will have to create an account and provide relevant personal and health information. They must apply through the platform between 72 and 12 hours before their arrival time.
Qataris and residents must provide their ID number, while GCC citizens have to give their passport number. Visitors must provide their passport number and visa number.
All users must provide the type of Covid-19 vaccine they have received, and the date of the last dose. Travellers who have recovered from Covid-19 must provide the date of last infection.
Travellers will also need to provide a copy of their passport, certified vaccination certificate and PCR negative test result.
Unvaccinated travellers and those from high-risk countries must provide a copy of their hotel quarantine reservation.
Travellers can see the status of their application once it has been submitted. This will tell them whether it has been approved or if any other procedures are required.
Meanwhile, Dr al-Maslamani said the country is now in the third phase of the gradual lifting of restrictions, and the authorities concerned are monitoring the numbers in terms of Covid-19 infections and vaccination. The society’s commitment to the Covid-19 precautionary measures and an increased rate of vaccination will help reduce the number of daily infections further, eventually paving the way for the implementation of the fourth phase, he added.
The official said there will be greater focus in the future on unvaccinated people because they pose a risk to themselves and others, as opposed to vaccinated people who have the due protection and pose a lower - or no - risk of spreading infection.
He stressed that people should continue to strictly abide by the precautionary measures against Covid-19 as the risks are still looming and will continue to do so until community immunity is fully achieved.
Children to follow parents’ quarantine requirements
Regarding the quarantine requirements for minors coming to the country, Dr Yousef al-Maslamani, medical director of Hamad General Hospital, told Qatar TV on Monday that travellers aged 0-17 years would follow what applies to their accompanying parents, which is well-defined by the Ministry of Public Health’s travel and return policy.
