Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has introduced new visa restrictions for Nigerian travellers, citing an increase in overstays. The measures take effect immediately and apply to both pending and new applications.
The new rules add three hurdles. A return ticket must now be booked alongside a hotel before a visa is issued. Only women or families are eligible to apply, leaving out men travelling alone. And only five-star hotels qualify as valid accommodation. Travel agencies have already been told to enforce these conditions, with pending applications processed only under the stricter rules.
The policy increases the cost and complexity of travel. For many Nigerians, independent trips to Qatar are effectively off the table. Families can still qualify, but with higher expenses and tighter paperwork. Officials say the move is meant to curb overstays, which have become a sticking point in Nigerian mobility abroad.
This is not the first friction point. In 2019, then-Senate President Bukola Saraki urged Qatar to ease entry rules for Nigerians. In 2023, former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika made a similar appeal, arguing that rigid policies were stalling trade and tourism. Those calls went unanswered.
The timing contrasts sharply with ongoing efforts to build stronger ties. Just last year, Nigeria and Qatar signed seven cooperation agreements spanning education, investment, and tourism. They had earlier concluded a tax treaty and a direct-flight deal in 2016. Now, the gap between bilateral deals and actual travel access is widening.
Click to signupThe restrictions also echo a wider trend. Nigerian passport holders are facing tougher checks across borders—from the UAE halting transit visas in 2025 to U.S. authorities cutting stays to three months. Unless addressed diplomatically, these policies risk dampening tourism, business travel, and people-to-people exchange at a critical time for Nigeria’s external relations.
