Job Discussion Forums

[Manuel Geere]

Has anyone ever been refused an exit permit? I should think that that is more relevant than the fact that they are needed. I don't see anyone complaining that they need a passport to leave a country, so what's the big deal with exit permits in Qatar. Maybe things are different in other countries, but here I've never known anyone refused an exit permit when they wanted one. Besides, a one time exit costs QR10, while a multi-exit costs QR500 and is valid for one year. Are you sure you will go every week?

[veiledsentiments]

We've never had anyone post here that they had a problem getting an exit visa. In fact, I never knew for years that one was even needed in Qatar as it hadn't been mentioned.

Whereas the process in Saudi has had constant complaints over the years of people being refused the exit by those marginal employers... even for family emergencies back home or severe health issues.

VS

[WantToKnow]

yes. i know of at least one specific case at ccq when an exit permit request was ignored and thus not given/refused due to their lack of organization despite repeated requests and other cases when the exit permits were very much delayed for the same reasons making it challenging and more expensive for people to make travel plans. having to ask for this permission apparently does not bother people who are working here.

[millie18]

Most employers require a leadtime of 4 business days to issue an exit permit online (which I assume CCQ has access to). I also know that people have been issued exit permits on the spot in emergency situations (deaths at home etc.). Sometimes people's exit permits haven't been registered at the airport but most reputable employers have an emergency contact that enables them to make their flights.

Sounds like CCQ has admin issues.

[WantToKnow]

with a passport, one just shows it when entering or leaving a country. with a single exit visa, one has to get permission to enter or leave. there is a big difference in these two in my opinion. the exit visas involve freedom of
movement issues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_movement) whereas the passports do not. also noted in info related to this topic at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_(document) is the following:

Exit visas

Some countries have a requirement that an individual obtain an exit visa (i.e. permit) to leave the country. This happens mostly in countries where there is political, economic or social turmoil that results in a rise in emigration.[22] Sometimes this requirement also applies to foreign nationals.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have an exit visa requirement, particularly for foreign workers. Hence at the end of a foreign worker's employment period, the worker must secure clearance from his/her employer stating that the worker has satisfactorily fulfilled the terms of his/her employment contract or that the worker's services are no longer needed. The exit visa can also be withheld if there are pending court charges that need to be settled or penalties that have to be meted out.

During the fascist rule in Italy, an exit visa was required from 1922 to 1943. Nazi Germany required exit visas from 1933 to until its collapse in 1945 .[23]

are citizens of Qatar required to have exit visas, or can they come and go freely? i can understand the need for people not to leave the country if they owe debts until these debts are paid, but it seems to me that this could be dealt with in a way other than everyone being required to get permission to leave. i would not want to be told i could not leave my favorite place in the world if i wanted to leave. i guess this is not an issue for some people for whom this is unimportant. freedom to one person is not the same as it is to another. i also think it is a big problem for info like this not to be revealed to an employee before an assignment in a country like qatar is accepted in case this is a problem for the employee, which has happened to ccq employees.

going away every week is not the issue in my opinion either. the issue is not having freedom of movement on one's own time away from work however frequently that might be and having that ability to leave or not controlled by others who have the power to say no whenever they choose to do so.

[millie18]

Lots of people have car loans or credit card debts and get exit visas no problem - some have problems with traffic charges (speeding etc not collision) that hold them up at the airport.

Most of us check our traffic fines on line at the MOI website and clear them before we even get to the airport. It's not rocket science.

Getting an exit permit depends on the employer YES if they don't authorize a multiple exit pass - no one I've known in 6+ years has had problems exiting the country other than making a (possibly frantic) phone call to their organization's fixer upon arrival at the airport IF the sponsor has authorized the permit in the first place, we're always given a copy 4 - 7 days in advance - and those held back despite that have all managed to make their planes.

I don't know anyone personally who has been refused exit given the above in 6 years.

[WantToKnow]

To me, it is one thing for employees in Qatar to have been informed by their employers about the single exit visa and permission required for leaving Qatar BEFORE entering the country and a totally different thing for employers NOT to have given their employees this information before they are Qatar and then for employees to learn that this freedom of movement restriction is required in order to get a work permit in Qatar.

The single exit visa restriction on foreign workers is important to some people and not important to others. If employees know about this and are okay with it, that is their choice; however, if they have not been informed prior to their arrival in Qatar, I think that the employers who have not given this information have been negligent and irresponsible. I have been told that CCQ has not given this information to all employees before their arrival in Qatar. I do not know if other employers have or have not informed their employees about this.

[idaho_potato]

Yes, teachers should have been told about the exit visa problems. Some companies get around this by allowing staff to pay 500 QR to immigration for a one year multiple exit visa. They probably want to avoid the fees for 100 staff or something like that. So check if you can pay for the visa. All you need is a letter from your company/employer and go to immigration with the money to pay for the visa.

[WantToKnow]

This option for individuals to pay for their own multiple exit visas at CCQ was suggested but ignored. Was told that the Supreme Education Council refused to allow CCQ employees to have multiple exit visas under any circumstances.

[ntropy]

Wow! Who would have ever thunk that there'd be an organization so messed up that it would CNA-Q right out of the forum pages!!

[idaho_potato]

What happened to all the Texas oil money? Is it now Q oil money?