Qatar Family Visit Visa 2026: Metrash Apply Guide
An expatriate resident may temporarily bring a spouse, children, or other family members to Qatar using a Qatar Family Visit Visa. The visitor does not receive a Qatar ID, and the sponsor applies via the Metrash app rather than the Hayya tourism site. If you want to know whether you qualify to sponsor, what salary the Ministry of Interior (MOI) expects, which documents you need and how the Metrash application works, this guide covers the 2026 process from start to finish.
What a Family Visit Visa Actually Allows
A resident may sponsor family members for a brief stay with the Qatar Family Visit Visa, a short-term entrance visa provided by MOI. MOI’s service page describes it as granted for one month and extendable for another five months for first-degree relatives, which makes six months in total. MOI lists first-degree relatives as the father, mother, wife and children. The degree of relationship determines the extension for other relatives.
A family residence permit is not the same as this product. A residence permit gives a dependent their own Qatar ID and lets them live in Qatar long term, while a visit visa is temporary. If you want permanent sponsorship, read our Qatar family residence visa guide instead.
Who May Sponsor a Family Visit Visa to Qatar?
MOI announced revised family visit and residence rules on 3 December 2023, as reported by the Qatar News Agency. For family visits, the sponsoring resident must meet these conditions:
- A profession that is not in the labour category.
- A monthly salary of at least QAR 5,000, backed by an accredited employment contract.
- Family accommodation in the sponsor’s name, accredited by the relevant authorities.
- Health insurance for the visitor for the whole visit (see below).
MOI linked the entry of residents’ families to the salary and accommodation terms in the employee’s e-contract, so the details in your contract matter. MOI’s visa page lists one set of documents for bringing a spouse and another for bringing any other relative, and the app decides eligibility when you submit.
The higher figures you may have seen, such as QAR 6,000 with employer housing or QAR 10,000, are the rules for a family residence permit, not for a visit visa. Your contract and visa determine your profession category. Our Qatar work visa guide explains how that classification works, which decides whether you can sponsor a family at all.
Which Relatives You Can Host
The relatives that a resident may host are listed by degree of relationship in MOI’s Terms & Conditions for this service:
- First degree: father, mother, wife and children
- Second degree: brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother and grandchildren
- Third degree: relatives such as paternal and maternal uncles and aunts
First-degree relatives can extend up to six months in total. For the other degrees, the extension differs by degree of relation.
Documents You Need Before Opening Metrash
MOI’s visa page lists these documents.
To bring a spouse:
- Copy of the sponsor’s ID card and passport
- A statement from the sponsor’s employer stating the profession
- Copy of the marriage contract, notarized by the competent authorities
- Copy of the spouse’s passport, valid for at least six months
- A tenancy contract proving family housing, in the sponsor’s name and accredited by the relevant authorities
To bring any other relative:
- Copy of the sponsor’s ID card and a document proving the relationship (for example, a birth certificate for a child)
- Proof of job
- Copy of the visitor’s passport, valid for at least six months
- Proof of family accommodation in the sponsor’s name, accredited by the relevant authorities
Certificates issued outside Qatar are normally attested through the Qatar embassy and Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after your own country’s verification steps. Unattested certificates are a common cause of refusal.
Visitor Health Insurance
Health insurance is mandatory for every visitor to Qatar from 1 February 2023 under Law No. 22 of 2021, as the Ministry of Public Health announced. One of the prerequisites for getting a visitor’s visa is a policy. Visitors choose a policy from a registered insurer through the links on the MoPH website.
The standard visitor policy covers emergency and accident services and costs QAR 50 per month. Policies with wider cover cost more. A visitor with international insurance can use it if the policy includes Qatar, is valid for the whole stay and comes from an insurer approved in Qatar.
Fees
MOI’s service page lists the visa issuance fee as QAR 200. Metrash shows the exact amount at payment, and MOI can change fees without a public notice. Add the visitor’s health insurance on top of the visa fee.
Qatar Family Visit Visa vs Family Residence Permit
| Feature | Family Visit Visa | Family Residence Permit |
| Purpose | Temporary stay | Long-term residence |
| Visitor receives a QID | No | Yes |
| Initial validity | One month | Tied to the sponsor’s residence period |
| Longest stay | Six months for first-degree relatives: father, mother, wife, children (one month plus five months of extension) | Renewed together with the sponsor’s permit |
| Minimum salary | QAR 5,000, non-labour profession | QAR 6,000 with employer family housing, or QAR 10,000 without (private sector) |
| Housing | Accredited family accommodation in the sponsor’s name | Family housing or salary condition tied to the employment contract |
In short, the family visit visa is a temporary stay of up to six months for first-degree relatives, while the family residence permit lets your family live in Qatar long term with their own Qatar ID. The graphic below sums up the difference.
Step-by-Step: How to Apply on Metrash
MOI launched the current Metrash app in 2025 to replace Metrash2, so older guides and MOI pages that mention Metrash2 describe the previous version. The screens below come from the current app.
- Confirm eligibility and prepare your documents. Check your profession category, salary and family accommodation against the conditions above, and gather your attested documents. Unattested or mismatched certificates are a common cause of refusal, covered in our Qatar visa rejection reasons guide.
- Open Metrash and sign in. The sign-in screen asks for your QID. Enter it and tap Login.
- Tap Visa, then Request Application. The home screen shows service icons including Security, Traffic, Residency, Visa, Travel, Delegation, Certificates and National Address. After you tap Visa, four options appear: Request Application, Operations, Follow up and QVC. Tap Request Application.
- Select the service type of Family Visit Visa. Open the Service Type list and select Family Visit Visa. The list also includes Family Resident Visa, Work Visa and New Born – Inside country. Family Visit Visa sits right next to Family Resident Visa, so pick carefully.
- Read the requirements screen. Metrash lists what a family visit visa application needs: a sponsor whose profession is not in the labour category, a relationship chosen from the permitted list and backed by documented proof, a salary of at least QAR 5,000, clearly attached documents, and compulsory health insurance for the visitor that covers the whole visit.
- Scan or upload the visitor’s passport. You can scan the main page with your camera or upload it from your gallery. Metrash asks for good lighting with no reflection and for the passport data to sit inside the box.
- Enter the visitor’s details and upload your documents. Follow the prompts to complete the visitor’s details, choose the relationship from the permitted list and attach the documents listed above.
- Track the application, set up the insurance, and pay the fee. Pay the visa fee shown in Metrash and make sure the visitor has health insurance for the whole visit. To follow progress, tap Visa on the home screen and then Follow up, or use our Qatar visa check guide.
Staying Longer Than One Month
A stay beyond the first month needs an extension, which is a separate Metrash service with its own requirements.
If the Application Is Rejected
Metrash shows the reason for refusal. Applicants commonly report documents that are not attested, a profession or salary that does not meet the rule, or missing housing proof. Resolve the issue and submit a new application.
A Note for Pakistani Sponsors
Qatar suspended visa-on-arrival for Pakistani nationals on 31 March 2026, and Pakistani travellers now need a visa arranged before departure. A family visit visa is that kind of pre-arranged visa, and it depends on the sponsor’s own residency and salary, so the arrival-route change does not remove this option. Processing times and conditions can still shift, so read our update on the visa-on-arrival suspension for Pakistan before you book tickets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the validity of a family visitation visa to Qatar?
It is granted for one month. First-degree relatives (father, mother, wife and children) can extend for five more months, which gives six months in total. For other relatives, the extension depends on the degree of relation.
What is the minimal wage required to pay for a family visit?
MOI requires a monthly salary of at least QAR 5,000 with an accredited employment contract, a profession outside the labour category and accredited family accommodation in the sponsor’s name. The QAR 6,000 and QAR 10,000 figures belong to the family residence permit.
Can I sponsor my parents?
Yes. The father and mother are first-degree relatives on MOI’s list, so they can stay up to six months in total with extensions. Brothers, sisters and grandparents are second-degree relatives, and their extension differs by degree of relation.
Does the visitor get a Qatar ID?
No. A Qatar ID comes only with a family residence permit.
My wife is in Qatar on a family visit visa and we had a baby. Can the baby get a visa?
Yes. Hukoomi lists a Metrash service for newborns for a resident whose wife is in Qatar on a family visitor visa. In Metrash tap Visa, then Request Application, and select Newborn – Inside country. Attach a copy of the father’s passport, the marriage certificate and the child’s birth certificate. A fee of QAR 800 applies.
Is health insurance compulsory?
Yes. Visitor health insurance has been mandatory since 1 February 2023, and MOI’s terms require the visitor to hold insurance for the whole visit. The standard policy costs QAR 50 per month.
If my occupation falls under the labor category, may I still apply?
No. MOI requires the sponsor to hold a profession outside the labour sector.
Note: Always verify Fees, salary limits and app screens are set by the Ministry of Interior and can change. Confirm current figures in the Metrash app before you apply, or browse the official service list on Hukoomi’s visa and residency page.
