Qatar has not introduced new visa restrictions on Nigerian men
- Published on October 8, 2025 at 10:40
- 2 min read
- By Oluseyi AWOJULUGBE, AFP Nigeria
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“Qatar bars Nigerian men from solo travel,” reads the headline on a screenshot shared by a verified Nigerian Instagram account with more than two million followers.
Posted on September 10, 2025, the caption adds that “Qatar has introduced new visa restrictions barring Nigerian men travelling alone from obtaining tourist or transit visas, a policy aimed at curbing overstays”.
According to the post, Qatar’s interior ministry said the policy change will “apply to both new and pending applications”.
“Only women or families are eligible to apply, while men travelling independently are excluded unless accompanied by family,” claims the post, adding applicants must also “confirm return transfers and book accommodation exclusively in five-star hotels before visas can be processed”.
The claim was repeated on X and Facebook, and by Nigerian media outlet Vanguard. Other blogs, newspapers and news websites, including the Africa service of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, carried similar articles.
The purported change in Qatari policy is said to be linked to past “tensions between the two countries”. The Instagram post cites two incidents for this; firstly, in 2019, when former lawmaker Bukola Saraki appealed for Qatar to end visa restrictions on Nigeria, whose citizens at the time were unable to get a visa on arrival (archived here and here).
The second was an announcement by the Qatari government that health insurance had become a mandatory requirement for all tourists (archived here).
Elsewhere in the Gulf, Nigeria has faced significant visa restrictions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where stringent entry requirements for solo travellers have been implemented and transit visas cancelled altogether (archived here).
However, claims that Qatar has introduced new visa restrictions on single Nigerian men are false.
Hayya, Qatar’s official e-visa application website, continues to accept applications from Nigerians without gender-based restrictions (archived here).
The Qatari tourism website also lists Nigeria among the countries whose citizens are eligible for tourist visas (archived here).
Online searches reveal there has been no official communication from Qatar’s interior ministry about a change in visa rules for Nigerians. Furthermore, the BBC’s pidgin service reported that Qatar had denied the claims (archived here).
A Hayya customer care representative also told AFP Fact Check that the visa application process remains unchanged.
Other debunks related to travel and migration can be found here.
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