No visa-free entry for Qataris

Cairo says unless Doha meets demands, curbs will continue

Cairo, July 18: Egypt will end visa-free entry for Qatari nationals with some exceptions, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Monday, the latest measure taken against Doha which Cairo and three Gulf governments are boycotting.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar on June 5, cutting diplomatic and transport ties with the tiny Gulf monarchy, after accusing it of financing militant groups and allying with their regional arch-foe Iran. Doha denies the accusations.

“It does not make sense to keep making exceptions for Qatar and giving it privileges in light of its current positions,” said foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid. Qatari nationals will now have to apply for a visa in order to enter Egypt.

Qatari nationals with Egyptian mothers, those married to Egyptians, and Qataris studying in Egypt will be exempt from having to apply for a visa, he added. Sources at Cairo International Airport said the decision would be implemented as of Thursday July 20, which the Qatari foreign ministry later confirmed on Twitter.

Foreign workers make up around 1.6 million of Qatar’s 2.5 million population, and hundreds of thousands of them are Egyptians, making them one of the biggest foreign contingents in the Gulf country. No action has been taken against them.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told his Kuwaiti counterpart on Monday that Egypt is standing by the list of demands it and the three Gulf countries made of Qatar and will keep sanctions against Doha in place.