According to Saad Al-Suwaidi, head of the Hayya service center in Doha, between 1.5 and 1.7 million people applied for entry visas on Hayya’s internet portal, 35 days from the start. sending off the World Cup.
More than 1.5 million applications have been submitted in Qatar to obtain a Hayya card, which serves as an entry visa and a pass to attend the 2022 World Cup which starts on November 20 in this rich Gulf emirate, an official announced on Sunday.
The Hayya card is compulsory for all non-residents who want to travel to Qatar from November 1, and the application can only be made after purchasing tickets to attend football matches and booking accommodation. This card also allows its holders to have free access to public transport as well as to certain fan zones.
Qatar is anticipating the visit of more than a million foreign fans until the final on December 18, while hundreds of thousands of residents of the emirate have also bought tickets. On the official platform, it will be possible to resell tickets until the last day of the competition. To cope with the influx of football fans, Qatar is also strengthening its airport capacity and land border facilities.
The two airports in the capital Doha could have to handle 150,000 arrivals a day, officials said. Fans using the only land border with Saudi Arabia will have to leave their car there and take a bus to Doha or pay 5,000 Qatari riyals (around 1,400 euros) to drive their vehicle to Qatar.
The customs center set up for the event at the Abu Samra crossing point, 90 km southwest of Doha, will, according to officials, be able to process up to 4,000 visitors per hour.