Crewegirl

Hi everyone.
Just a quick question.
Can we leave Doha and fly back to the UK at Christmas if we are still waiting for our resident visa to come through.
We don't get there until 15 November so were wondering are we able to leave whilst its going through.
Thanks in advance
C

Theseus

Morning - they will have your passport while it is going through. So you can't leave during that time. Also your husbands company might not let him have an exit permit if he is on probation. It would be worth checking that he will be allowed to take the time off first x

dubaiguy2011

Crewegirl

It's extremely important you understand which visa you will be coming in on, and the conditions attached to it. I suspect you will be arriving on either a business visa or an official visa visa. Generally, unless specified by your company, neither of these permits you to leave and re-enter (on the same visa) so if you do leave, another application will have to be made for a visa for when you return.

In terms of obtaining your RP, I would err on the side of caution with how long this will take to issue. Our PRO is world class and mine was sorted in less than 7 days from start to finish (i.e. I was only prevented from travelling for 7 days). From others living here, I understand I am a lucky bastard in this regard (albeit depending on your hubbies job title will depend how 'quickly' things move).

It doesn't even matter if you have 2 pports (as I do) as the pport submitted for your RP has to be the one you enter the country with. If you try to leave the country on the pport you didn't enter with, they won't let you leave as they won't be able to 'find you' in the country. I checked this in person at the airport (i.e. made a dummy run and tried to enter on pport No.1 and leave a few days later on pport No.2 before I played dumb and handed over pport No.1).

A fudge which your company may or may not allow is to enter on a tourist visa, pay the QR100 riyals each and then come and go as you please (i.e. over Christmas). This will give you up to 30 days at a time in Qatar (I am presuming both you and hubby are on British passports?) where you can come and go as you please, albeit your hubby will, technically speaking, be working illegally as a tourist visa doesn't grant permission to work in the country (hence why it is called a tourist visa). Some organisations allow workers to do this for a period of time, notwithstanding it is illegal.

Kix

^^^^^^

Good answer.

Theseus

I would have thought that Crewegirl would come in on a tourist visa at first but her hubby will be on a 6 month multi entry business visa. So he can come in as many times as he likes but he will still need to get a permit to leave.

Also her RP will be dependant on her husbands RP as he will have to sponsor her so i'm assuming that they can't be processed at the same time?

Kix

It doesn't much matter what type of visa it is, if the passports are with immigration you're ****ed anyway.

Crewegirl

Morning all.
Hubbys not changing companies so no probation will take place so that's handy but I'm now thinking perhaps we should not build the kids hopes up of that first trip home because I don't want them to think we are full of empty promises for the rest of the years holidays.
Can you also tell me as I've read it somewhere...does hubby need to show qatar bank statements before he can get an rp? Or will UK be accepted? I've heard 6 months worth. X

Crewegirl

Dubaiguy..hi,and yes both on British passports. Am I right then that hubby gets his rp and then I can apply for mine as he will be my sponsor.
We've done as much as we can before hand so not to hold it up.ie blood test for grouping,passport photos....is there anything else we should do?

Kix

Just a thought Crewe bird, he will be changing companies won't he, he'll be employed by a Qatari Company? Check he gets to keep all his pensions etc..

Crewegirl

No kix he will be working for the same company as he does in UK but just transfer to the middle east, so it's continuous service so pension will be kept going in UK .

Kix

Check his tax liability, if i worked for my (German) company, even in ME full time, I'm still liable for kraut tax.

Crewegirl

Checked already. The way it's worked is he leaves UK side of company and joins ME side so just like a new job but with continued service therefore no tax is paid.
Yippee

britexpat76

I was without my passport for 24 hours only during the RP process. If you have a trick PRO he can get the whole thing done in days, The longest wait is for the blood results which is a few days. Only once the Medical and fingerprints have been done do they need your passport. You will be fine as you will be tourist Visa initially - I cannot see your husband having many problems.

Crewegirl

What blood tests do you have to have there?

Crewegirl

And also if we can't come home until we get RP,can the kids come out to us for Xmas if we are on a visitor visa?
Now there's a thought. They would love that.