The Embassy of India in Doha has launched an online registration drive for Indian tourists and other short-term visitors who have been unable to leave Qatar since the closure of Qatari airspace on 28 February 2026. In an urgent Hindi-language advisory published on 8 March, the mission asked Hayya-A1 visa holders stranded at Hamad International Airport and elsewhere to complete a web form so officials can organise onward travel and assistance(navbharattimes.indiatimes.com).
The notice follows a week of widespread flight cancellations linked to the Iran-U.S. confrontation, which has seen airlines divert or ground services across the Gulf. Indian diplomats are working with Qatari and Saudi authorities to create a land corridor via the Salwa border, enabling travellers to transit Saudi Arabia and board repatriation flights from Riyadh. Several bus convoys have already delivered passengers to the Saudi capital, the embassy said.
![Indian mission in Qatar seeks details of tourists stranded by flight cancellations]()
If travellers need to obtain a Saudi transit visa at short notice—or confirm the latest entry rules for nearby countries—VisaHQ can take much of the administrative burden off their shoulders. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), users can review up-to-date requirements, submit visa applications online and receive status alerts, helping them stay focused on logistics while experts handle the paperwork.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has meanwhile granted an automatic one-month visa validity extension for all categories, easing over-stay concerns for Indians whose visas expired after 28 February. The embassy has also published helpline numbers and WhatsApp contacts for Indians in the UAE who may be affected by knock-on disruptions.
Travel managers should instruct any staff caught in Qatar to complete the online form immediately, carry printouts of embassy correspondence when approaching the Salwa checkpoint, and monitor potential Saudi visa-on-arrival options (which require prior use of a U.S., U.K. or Schengen visa). Companies should also review contingency policies to cover extra accommodation and surface transport costs incurred during the regional crisis.
The notice follows a week of widespread flight cancellations linked to the Iran-U.S. confrontation, which has seen airlines divert or ground services across the Gulf. Indian diplomats are working with Qatari and Saudi authorities to create a land corridor via the Salwa border, enabling travellers to transit Saudi Arabia and board repatriation flights from Riyadh. Several bus convoys have already delivered passengers to the Saudi capital, the embassy said.
If travellers need to obtain a Saudi transit visa at short notice—or confirm the latest entry rules for nearby countries—VisaHQ can take much of the administrative burden off their shoulders. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/), users can review up-to-date requirements, submit visa applications online and receive status alerts, helping them stay focused on logistics while experts handle the paperwork.
Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has meanwhile granted an automatic one-month visa validity extension for all categories, easing over-stay concerns for Indians whose visas expired after 28 February. The embassy has also published helpline numbers and WhatsApp contacts for Indians in the UAE who may be affected by knock-on disruptions.
Travel managers should instruct any staff caught in Qatar to complete the online form immediately, carry printouts of embassy correspondence when approaching the Salwa checkpoint, and monitor potential Saudi visa-on-arrival options (which require prior use of a U.S., U.K. or Schengen visa). Companies should also review contingency policies to cover extra accommodation and surface transport costs incurred during the regional crisis.
