Qatar has announced new rules about visas that directly affect Nigerians, especially men. According to the new policy, Nigerian men who want to travel alone are no longer allowed to apply for tourist visas or transit visas.
This means if a Nigerian man is planning to go to Qatar by himself, he will not be given a visa. Qatar’s officials explained that this rule was introduced because they want to reduce the number of people who enter the country and then refuse to leave after their visa expires.
The new law was put in place by Qatar’s Ministry of Interior and began working around September 5, 2025. It applies to both new visa applications and old ones that were already in progress. Under this law, only Nigerian women or families are allowed to apply for a visa. A man can only apply if he is traveling with his wife, children, or family members. Any Nigerian man who plans to travel alone cannot get a visa.
There are also more requirements added. Anyone who applies must show that they already have a return ticket booked. On top of that, they must also prove that they booked a room in a five-star hotel in Qatar. Without these conditions, the visa application will not even be processed. These steps make traveling to Qatar more expensive and more difficult.
This new rule is a big problem for many Nigerians. For example, many businessmen, students, and travelers who usually pass through Qatar’s capital, Doha, on their way to Asia or Europe, will now face challenges. A travel expert explained that many Nigerians use Qatar Airways as a connecting flight to Asia or Europe, and with this new policy, it will almost act like a “travel ban” for men traveling without family. In short, if a Nigerian man wants to travel but is not with his family, he will not be able to use Qatar as an option.
Qatar has defended the decision by saying it is necessary to stop people from overstaying their visas. But some analysts and observers believe this decision might create problems between Nigeria and Qatar. They say it could weaken the relationship between the two countries and make it harder for people to connect for business, education, or tourism. Nigerian men who want to travel now have to make difficult choices: they can either cancel their trips, change their travel routes, or spend much more money to meet the strict new requirements.
This is also not the first time Qatar’s visa rules have caused problems for Nigerians. In 2019, Nigeria’s former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, asked Qatar to make it easier for Nigerians to get visas. Again in 2023, Nigeria’s former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, also called on Qatar to create a fairer system for Nigerian travelers. However, the latest rules appear to be even stricter, and they especially target Nigerian men traveling alone.
