More than 1.5 million applications have been submitted in Qatar to obtain a Hayya card, which serves as an entry visa and pass to attend the 2022 World Cup which will start on November 20 in this wealthy Gulf emirate, announced a manager on Sunday.
According to Saad Al-Suwaidi, head of the Hayya service center in Doha, between 1.5 and 1.7 million people have applied on Hayya’s internet portal, 35 days before the start of the FIFA Cup. world.
The Hayya card is mandatory for all non-residents who want to travel to Qatar from 1er November, and the application can only be made after purchasing tickets to attend the soccer games and reserving accommodation.
This card also allows its holders to have free access to public transport as well as to certain fan zones.
Qatar expects more than a million foreign fans to visit until the final on December 18, while hundreds of thousands of residents of the emirate have also purchased tickets.
On the official platform, it will be possible to resell tickets until the last day of the competition.
To cope with the influx of soccer fans, Qatar is also boosting its airport capacity and land border facilities.
The two airports in the capital Doha could have to handle 150,000 arrivals a day, officials said.
Supporters using the only land border with Saudi Arabia will have to leave their car there and take a bus to Doha or pay 5,000 Qatari riyals (about 1,400 euros) to drive their vehicle to Qatar.
The customs center set up for the event at the Abus Saura crossing point, 90 km southwest of Doha, will, officials say, be able to process up to 4,000 visitors per hour.