Qatar to join US visa-free travel list in first for Arab country

WASHINGTON — The United States announced on Tuesday that it will allow Qatar to join its list of countries approved for its Visa Waiver Program, a reciprocity system that enables citizens of eligible countries to travel to the United States without obtaining a visa. 

Qatar becomes the second country in the Middle East, after Israel, and the first Arab country to join the VWP. Israel was admitted into the program in September 2023, but its admission faced backlash after Palestinian Americans claimed they still weren’t treated equally when trying to enter Israel, even as US citizens, under the VWP. 

After years of close cooperation with the United States, Qatar joins 41 other countries on the coveted VWP list. Many countries that want to join the VWP — such as Argentina, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria and Brazil, to name a few — have implemented certain measures to enhance their chances of admission, which can help boost their tourism sectors and elevate their economic and security ties with other VWP countries.

The program is “first and foremost a security partnership. … Program countries must meet strict statutory and policy requirements related to counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security and border management,” administration officials told reporters on Tuesday.

According to the officials, Qatar has made changes in multiple areas — “mostly all related to information sharing” — in order to join the VWP. Qatar will allow the United States to access passenger name records and other “advanced” passenger information and gain access to known and suspected terrorist databases. 

The agreement will allow the United States to have a better understanding “of who’s traveling in and around Qatar,” the officials said.

“Qatar has been a great partner, meeting all requirements,” they added. The United States and Qatar have worked closely on Hamas-Israel cease-fire negotiations, with the Biden administration praising Qatar’s efforts. 

In a speech Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani urged restraint on Israel’s part against Gaza and Lebanon, noting that a war between Israel and Lebanon “will neither bring security nor peace to northern Israel nor to Lebanon” and “the key to security rests on a just peace.” 

But the partnership runs deeper than just the conflict in Gaza, said administration officials. “The truth is that while most of us have been focused on events in Gaza … the work of building a stronger security partner and advancing our relationship with Qatar has continued.” Qatar has been a reliable US partner in the Middle East for years, hosting the largest US military facility in the region, Al Udeid Air Base, and even formally representing US diplomatic interests in Afghanistan in 2021 after helping to evacuate Americans from the country.  

Qatar is set to join the VWP no later than Dec. 1, 2024. 

The announcement comes just two days after former President Donald Trump hosted Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. 

“The emir has proven to be a great and powerful leader of his country, advancing on all levels at record speed,” Trump said in a Truth Social post following the visit.