GCC visa ยท Qatar
Qatar visa check: MOI and Hayya
A Qatar visa check almost always means one thing: opening the Ministry of Interior's own portal and searching by your visa or passport number. This guide walks through that Visa Inquiry and Printing service step by step, shows the visa number format to expect, lines up every Hayya permit type in one table, and explains why a work visa and a visit permit run on completely different expiry rules.
Portal steps last verified 24 July 2026
Open the MOI portal
The Ministry of Interior (MOI) runs Qatar's government services portal at portal.moi.gov.qa. It covers visa inquiry and printing, visit visa extension, and residence permit tracking, all in one place.
You enter your details on portal.moi.gov.qa, the government site, not here. You enter your visa or passport number on the government site, never on this page.
How to check a Qatar visa on the MOI portal
Every Qatar visa check runs through one official service: Visa Inquiry and Printing, inside the Ministry of Interior portal. You search by your visa number or your passport number, and the same screen also lets you print the visa once it is issued. Here is the exact sequence.
- Open the Qatar MOI portal using the button above (it opens portal.moi.gov.qa in a new tab).
- From the menu, go to Services, then Inquiries, then Visa Services, then choose Visa Inquiry and Printing.
- Choose Search by Visa Number or Search by Passport Number, whichever you hold.
- Select your nationality from the dropdown list. This step matters: the wrong country can return no result.
- Type the visa number or passport number exactly as printed, with no spaces added.
- Complete the verification code shown in the picture, or switch to the audio option if it is hard to read.
- Select Submit.
- Read the result under Visa Number Information. If the visa shows as issued, the same screen is where you print or save it.
If your case is a submitted visit visa application rather than an issued visa, the MOI portal also runs a separate Visit Visa Extension service from the same Visa Services menu, using the same visa number, passport number and nationality fields. Use it once your current permit is close to its end date, not before.
Your Qatar visa number, explained
A Qatar visa check asks for one of two numbers: the visa number printed on your entry permit or visa sticker, or your passport number. There is no single published digit length for the visa number itself on the MOI's own pages, so match the number on your document exactly rather than expecting a fixed pattern.
Once you hold a residence permit, a different number takes over: the Qatar ID, or QID. Qatar's own ID card carries an 11-digit QID in the middle of the card. Relocation guides consistently describe its structure this way, though MOI does not publish a technical breakdown of it, so treat the table below as a helpful pattern rather than an official specification.
| QID digit position | What it commonly encodes |
|---|---|
| 1st digit | Century of birth (2 for 1900 to 1999, 3 for 2000 onward) |
| Digits 2 to 3 | Year of birth |
| Digits 4 to 6 | Nationality, by ISO country code |
| Digits 7 to 11 | A unique sequence number |
Hayya permit types: which one applies to you
Hayya is the platform Qatar uses to issue entry permits to visitors, separate from the MOI's visa check itself. The Ministry of Interior's own listing groups these into four categories, plus a route that needs no application at all.
| Permit (MOI's listing) | Who it is for | Apply via |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist Visa | General tourism visits to Qatar | Hayya (hayya.qa) |
| GCC Resident Entry Visa | Residents of a GCC country holding a valid residence permit | Hayya |
| GCC Companion Visa | Travellers accompanying a GCC citizen | Hayya |
| Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) | Holders of a valid US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand or Schengen visa or residency | Hayya |
| Visa on arrival | Citizens of over 95 eligible nationalities Qatar names for this route | Port of entry, no Hayya application needed |
Some travel sites label these with codes such as A1 or A2. The MOI's own page does not use those codes, so the safest way to match your case is by the plain-English name above, or by the exact category shown once you sign in to Hayya.
Work visa vs visit visa: how the expiry rules differ
A Qatar work visa and a Hayya visit permit are not the same kind of document, and they do not expire the same way. Mixing them up is the most common reason a visa check comes back confusing.
| Aspect | Work visa and residence permit (QID) | Visit permit (Hayya) |
|---|---|---|
| Who applies | A Qatari employer, as sponsor, including a medical exam step | The traveller themselves, directly through Hayya |
| Where the validity is shown | On the QID card and in the Residency Permits Inquiry result | On the e-visa or entry permit Hayya issues |
| How to check status | MOI portal, Residency Permits Inquiry section | MOI portal, Visa Inquiry and Printing, or Visit Visa Extension |
| Renewing or extending it | Employer applies for renewal before the QID expires | Traveller applies for an extension before the permit expires, where eligible |
The exact number of days a work visa or a Hayya permit runs for is set case by case and shown on your own document and MOI result, not as one fixed figure. Always read the date on your own record rather than a number quoted online.
Check your residence permit (QID) status and renewal
Once you are inside Qatar on a work visa, the check that matters shifts from the visa itself to your residence permit. The MOI portal keeps this under a separate section, Residency Permits Inquiry, reached the same way as the visa check, through Services then Inquiries.
| Residency Permits Inquiry service | What it does | What it typically needs |
|---|---|---|
| RP Application Tracking & Printing | Tracks a residence permit application and prints it | Visa number, or the personal ID number of the sponsor, agent or authorised person |
| RP Renewal Tracking | Tracks a renewal already in progress | Personal ID number of the sponsor or the RP holder |
| Permanent Residency Eligibility Inquiry | Checks whether you meet the criteria for permanent residency | Follow the on-screen fields on the portal |
| Print Entry Permit | Generates a printable entry permit document | Follow the on-screen fields on the portal |
| Change Employer Application Enquiry | Tracks a change of sponsor or employer request | Follow the on-screen fields on the portal |
If you cannot find your own details on any of these five, ask your sponsor or HR contact, since some of these searches are built around the sponsor's ID number rather than yours.
GCC residents and visa-free entry to Qatar
If you already live in another GCC country, you may not need Hayya at all. GCC citizens can enter Qatar with just a passport or a GCC ID, and no visa is required for them. This is different from holding a GCC residence permit without being a citizen of that country, which is the case the GCC Resident Entry Visa route above is built for.
Leaving the Gulf for good rather than just visiting? A visa check only confirms your travel status; it says nothing about money owed to you at the end of a job. Work that out separately with the Qatar end of service calculator before you finalise any departure paperwork.
If MOI shows no result, or your visa has expired
A blank result is usually a data-entry issue, not a sign the visa does not exist. Work through these before assuming the worst:
- No data found: recheck every digit of the visa or passport number, and confirm the nationality dropdown matches your passport exactly.
- Wrong search method: switch between Search by Visa Number and Search by Passport Number, since one can return a result the other misses.
- Newly issued visa: give the system a day to update before rechecking.
- Expired status: the portal reports the record; it does not renew it. Contact your sponsor or the visa issuer about a new application or an extension.
For anything tied to your own case, confirm with your sponsor or Hayya support directly. This guide explains the portals; it cannot see your record. Compare visa checks across the wider region from our visa checkers by country directory if Qatar is only one stop on your journey.
Qatar visa check: common questions
How do I check my Qatar visa status online?
Open the Qatar MOI portal at portal.moi.gov.qa, choose Visa Services, then Visa Inquiry and Printing. Search by your visa number or passport number, pick your nationality from the list, enter the verification code, then submit. The result shows your visa type and current status, and lets you print it once it is ready.
What is MOI Qatar visa check by passport number?
It is the passport-number search inside the same Visa Inquiry and Printing service. Instead of typing your visa number, you select Search by Passport Number, choose your nationality, enter your passport number and the verification code, then submit. It returns the same visa type and status as a visa-number search.
How do I check my Hayya visa status?
Hayya handles the application itself, so track a submitted application inside your Hayya account or app first. Once a visa is issued, check its live status and print a copy through the MOI portal Visa Inquiry and Printing service, using the visa number Hayya gave you.
What is QVC Qatar visa check?
QVC is shorthand some travel sites use, not an official Qatar government service or portal name. The real check runs only on the Ministry of Interior portal, portal.moi.gov.qa. Treat any site branding itself as QVC as an unofficial guide, never as the government source itself.
Why does the MOI portal show no data for my visa?
Usually the number was mistyped, the wrong nationality was selected in the dropdown, or the visa has not been loaded into the system yet. Try the other search method, visa number instead of passport number or the reverse, recheck every digit, and try again after a day if the visa was only just issued.
Can I check a Qatar work visa online the same way?
Yes, while it is still a visa. A work visa is checked through the same Visa Inquiry and Printing service. Once you arrive and receive a residence permit (QID), status and renewal checks move to the separate Residency Permits Inquiry service on the same MOI portal.
Do GCC residents need a Hayya visa to visit Qatar?
GCC nationals do not. Qatar states that GCC citizens may enter with just a passport or GCC ID, no visa required. If you hold a GCC country residence permit but are not a citizen of it, the separate GCC Resident Entry Visa route through Hayya applies to you instead.
Keep going
More GCC visa checks
This is part of our Saudi and GCC visa check hub, which lists the right official portal for every kind of visa, with exact steps and free tools. Working out a final settlement instead? Start with the Qatar gratuity and indemnity calculator.