Update – Europe: Entry-Exit System (EES) Approved, Implementation Slated for 2020. As an update to our earlier story, last week the European Council adopted the proposed regulations establishing an Entry-Exist System (EES) for EU member countries. Now that the European Council has adopted the regulation, the proposal is now headed for signature by the Council and The European Parliament. Once signed, the regulations will be published in the EU Official Journal and will enter into force 20 days later. The actual implementation of the EES is expected to begin in 2020.
Qatar: New Procedure for Extending 30-Day Tourist Visa. Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has launched an online portal for visitors to Qatar wishing to extend their 30-day tourist visa. As we previously reported, Qatar recently expanded its list of visa waiver eligible countries. Nationals of 46 countries,including the US, UK, and China, can obtain a visa on arrival that is valid for 30 days and can be extended for an additional 30 days. These extensions will now be processed exclusively through the online portal, and will no longer be processed by the Airports Passports Department.