By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Qatari Ministry of Interior has debunked reports alleging that it imposed sweeping visa restrictions on Nigerian passport holders, including a purported ban on male applicants.
In a response to the BBC Pidgin on Wednesday, an official of the ministry stated clearly that, “there are no restrictions on Nigerians seeking to visit Qatar,” insisting that the visa application process remains unchanged.
Similarly, Qatar’s official digital visa platform, Hayya, reaffirmed that there has been no suspension or alteration of procedures.
“If any updates are to be made, they will be announced on our official platforms,” the portal said.
The clarification follows public confusion sparked by a flyer from Nigerian travel support company, TravelTank, which circulated claims of new visa rules targeting Nigerian travellers.
The flyer listed three alleged conditions: compulsory booking of return transfers alongside hotel reservations, restriction of eligibility to female travellers and families only, and a requirement that applicants use five-star hotels to qualify for visas.
“These requirements apply to all pending visa approvals,” the notice stated, linking the purported changes to cases of Nigerian visitors overstaying their visas.
Although Qatar has now denied any formal policy shift, the TravelTank advisory has raised concerns about whether unofficial adjustments or stricter scrutiny may be occurring in response to mounting complaints over immigration violations by Nigerian travellers.
