Talk:Article

Spam link

The infoprisor.com link seems like little more than advertising. Should it be removed?

--Frostyservant 21:11, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 October 2019

English has three articles: A, AN, and THE. These articles are used before nouns to show whether the nouns are general or specific. Learning how to use A, AN, and THE can take time. To speed up the process, this English articles tutorial includes descriptions and exercises to make every English learner an articles expert. [spam redacted] </ref> Sardar00 (talk) 09:40, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

 Not done: Improper request format. - DVdm (talk) 09:53, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 September 2020

usually described as "ah-OOG-ah." How As Submarine Dive Alarm — Preceding unsigned comment added by Renatoaferreira21 (talk • contribs) 10:14, 1 September 2020 (UTC)

usually described as "ah-OOG-ah." slow jump tone — Preceding unsigned comment added by Renatoaferreira21 (talk • contribs) 10:18, 1 September 2020 (UTC)

Obviously not a legitimate edit request. See Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Renatoaferreira21. AleatoryPonderings (talk) 16:00, 14 September 2020 (UTC)

Qatar travel guide

Qatar visiting Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates do not require a visa to visit Qatar, and may use National ID Cards to enter the country.

Citizens of all European Union nations (except Ireland), plus the Bahamas, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Norway, Seychelles, Switzerland and Turkey are granted a free multiple-entry visa waiver on arrival, provided they arrive through Hamad International Airport, have a valid passport with a minimum validity of six months and a confirmed onward or return ticket. Visa waivers are valid for 180 days from the date of issuance, and entitle its holder to spend up to 90 consecutive days in Qatar.

Citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China (PRC), Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Georgia, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, the Maldives, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Suriname, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela may obtain a visa waiver upon arrival in Hamad International Airport valid for 30 days from the date of issuance. This waiver may be extended for a further 30 days.

Citizens of Macau, Mauritius, Montenegro and Taiwan may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days.

Citizens of Pakistan can obtain a visa on arrival valid for 30 days, provided that they hold a passport valid for 6 months, QR5000 in cash or a major credit card, and a confirmed return ticket.

Citizens of Iran travelling on business can obtain a visa on arrival at a cost of QR100 for a maximum stay of 6 days, provided they hold QR5000 in cash or a major credit card, return ticket, upper class hotel reservation and an invitation by a company that is certified by the Government.

Citizens of all nationalities who hold valid residence permits or visas for either the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Schengen Area, or the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council can obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation valid for up to 30 days. The visa may be extended online for 30 additional days.

Regardless of nationality, travellers who are in transit through Hamad International Airport do not require a visa if they depart within 24 hours and remain within the airport. Free transit visas, which are valid for up to 96 hours (4 days) and allow travellers to briefly visit Qatar, are also issued to all passengers of any nationality transiting through Hamad International Airport, provided that they travel with Qatar Airways.

For those needing visas, tourist visas are available online through the eVisa system. Visas are issued within four working days if all documents are submitted, and are valid for a stay period up to 30 days in Qatar.

For other visa applications, visa procedures can be complicated, as you will need a guarantor on the Qatari side, either a company or a government entity. Also Qatari embassies, unlike those of most other countries, are not entitled to issue visas, so someone in Qatar will have to file the application for you. 4/5-star hotels offer full visa service, for a price, if you book a room with them for the duration of your stay. Qatar Airways can arrange the hotel and visa for you, tel. +974 44496980 if you contact them in advance (a 7-day notice seem to be required). In this case, there also seems to also be a regulation in place (as of 2008) to either present a credit card or QR5000 at the point of entry - which should generally not be a problem, if you can afford the room. When booking with other hotels, you'll need a guarantor in Qatar.

For longer stays, visas must be arranged by having a sponsor. Unmarried women under the age of 35 will have a hard time in procuring a visa for a lengthy stay, as the country seems to fear that their safety and well being cannot be guaranteed.

Unlike other arab countries Qatar officially accepts Israeli passports (with the necessary visas) and passports with evidence of visits to Israel.

Entry by air into Qatar has boomed in the last decade. Most people visiting the country will enter via Hamad International Airport (DOH IATA) near Doha. State-owned flag carrier Qatar Airways has secured a huge network of flights operating out of its hub in Doha to 124 destinations. In fact, it is of the very few airports in the world with non-stop services to all inhabited continents. Other major airlines also serve the airport, usually running a route between Doha and their own hub in the base country. The government-owned Mowasalat also runs the taxi and limousine service. The taxis are easily spotted due to their uniform light blue colour with a maroon top. The initial fare on the meter is QR 4, with an extra QR 1.20 per kilometre within Doha and QR 1.80 anywhere outside the capital. A trip to or from the airport has a single tariff of QR 25. To ensure you are not scammed, some precautions should be noted:

For journeys within Doha the tariff should be set to '1', and those at night or outside of Doha should be set to '0'. Check the meter is not tampered; signs of a tampered meter include tape and strips of paper around the outside. By law, if a driver refuses to use the meter, the ride should be free. There are occasional reports of unruly drivers locking the taxi doors or refusing to open the trunk until extra payment is made. If such an occurrence happens to you, attempt to leave the car. If not possible, calling the police on 999 should cause the driver to become very cooperative. The demand for taxis exceeds the supply and waiting times can vary greatly. Attempting to obtain one during morning business hours requires at least 24 hours notice, although even in practice this is unreliable, as the scheduled taxi often doesn't show up. At other times, it may take 90 minutes or more to get an on-call taxi, and hailing one on the street may be impossible much of the time. The only places where you are guaranteed to find a taxi are major malls, the airport and international hotels.

Taxis can be booked and summoned by calling +974 4458 8888.

An alternative to taxis and buses would be to use a limousine service, which will send an unmarked limo car to your location. They are expensive, but luxurious taxis with an initial fee of QR 20, but do not always feature a meter.

International limousine services, such as Uber, Careem, and Lyft are available in Qatar. The apps allow for quick and easy summoning of a driver.

Occasionally, a local driver may offer you a lift if they see you waiting on the side of the road. It is customary to offer some money at the end, though usually they will refuse to take it. A driver offering a lift will slow down and flash their headlights at you; they can be summoned with a wave in response. Although the practice is safe, it is not advisable for solo women.

A taxi fare from the airport has a default tariff of QR 25.

Bus routes from Saudi Arabia (mostly used by men only) were disrupted in the 2017–2021 diplomatic crisis. Customs can take up to 4 hours especially at night. You will not be treated nearly as well as if you fly into Doha. Flying in costs only slightly more than a bus ticket. The bus service began in October 2005. Ticketing is handled using a Karwa Smartcard, which comes in three types:

Smartcard Classic - Initial fee of QR30 with QR20 credit included. Journey prices vary, costing QR2.50 for a short ride. You must tap-in when you get on the bus, and tap-off when you get off to avoid a default QR30 penalty. Can be purchased in various retailers as listed on the Karwa website, but not on board buses. Smartcard 24 Limited - An initial fee of QR10 allows 2 trips on the bus (one return trip) within 24 hours of first tapping-in. You only need to tap-in, and should not tap-off. Can be bought on board the bus for travel in Greater Doha only. Smartcard 24 Unlimited - An initial fee of QR20 gives the user unlimited travel throughout Qatar within 24 hours of first tapping-in. Again, there is no necessity to tap-off. Can be bought aboard the bus. A large number of routes criss-cross the country, with the network stretching north to Al Khor, west to Dukhan, and as far south as Mesaieed. Timetable and ticketing information can be obtained by calling +974 4436 6053.

The only land route to Qatar is from Saudi Arabia. There are plans for a major bridge to link Qatar with neighbouring Bahrain, although these are constantly delayed.

Travel by car is not recommended. The roads between Qatar and other major cities/countries are poor. If you are travelling during the day, be cautious of speeding cars and trucks. Always wear your seat belt and do not speed over 80 km/h. Travelling at night is risking your life, with poor visibility and semi-suicidal drivers.

There are no specific boat routes, but there are commercial freight boats coming into Doha from all over the world, as well as small commercial boats coming in from Dubai and Iran.

A metro opened in 2019 serving Doha and its suburbs. You can travel from point A to B for QR2 per person per trip or buy a day pass for QR6. However, if you are planning to use the metro very frequently, you can buy a metro card for QR30. Free metro link bus services are available from/to metro stations to/from nearby destinations. The metro opens at 06:00 and closes at 23:00. 71.181.93.211 (talk) 10:46, 2 July 2021 (UTC)