Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

my sister is living in doha qatar and has a valid resident visa (piece of paper) - she wanted to leave qatar yesterday and they said she couldn't because her resident visa was not stamped in her passport. does anyone know anything about this - ie. having a piece of paper that says you have a valid resident visa - but being told at the airport that this will not do as it has to be stamped in passport. She was told by two people she could leave but only if she paid a very large fine (different figures from both) - sounds very strange. she is only going to dubai for 3 days and returning to qatar. - does anyone know what the story is or know where she can get help she needs to get to dubai asap. thankyou

Emma;

I would have thought the best place to apply for help would be the local consulate. They're fairly helpful on these matters and even if they can't resolve the situation themselves they can normally point you in the right direction if you ask nicely.

We don't know what nationality you/your sister are, but if you're from the UK then why not go to the British Club and ask people there - it is always easiest if you're "on the ground" - and somebody will probably know a solution (which may be cheaper/easier).

AFAIK the residency visa should be in her passport - a piece of paper that says you have a residency visa is not the same as actually having a residency visa. Maybe at the time of application she did something wrong (or didn't sort out a situation?)

- Stuart

PS. Who stole your 'Caps Lock' key?

Thankyou very much Stuart.
At the time the caps lock key was the last thing on my mind!

Hey Emma,

It sounds to me like the big piece of paper she has is the visa acceptance/application agreed bit, which you take to get the actual visa stamped in your passport.

The large bit is normally the working visa, but the actual residence visa is stamped into your passport, that's what I remember from when I got mine done.