(Seychelles News Agency) - Qatar is giving residents of Seychelles visas on arrival as a result of negotiations with the Seychelles Foreign Affairs Department.

“Qatar is one of the many countries we have been negotiating with on the question of visas and today we have seen the result,” Jean-Claude Adrienne, the director for consular affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs, said on Tuesday.

The Russian Sputnik news agency reported earlier this week that Qatar's authorities have introduced a visa-on-arrival system for nationals of 37 countries.

"According to the circular received from the Ministry of Interior, Qatar with immediate effect, nationals of the below mentioned countries will be granted an immediate tourism entry visa in Qatar for a period of one month," the news agency reported.

Adrienne noted that Seychelles does not require visas for residents of any country, and that the Department of Foreign Affairs is negotiating with other countries to reciprocate.  

Visitors to Seychelles have an easy time travelling, as they do not have to apply for a visa in advance; travellers are given a visitor’s permit upon arrival. The island nation was one of 13 countries ranked first as a welcoming country in the passport index 2017.

Visas to Qatar will be granted for $27 (370 SR) subject to the following conditions — passport validity must not be less than 6 months; customer must have a return onward ticket; customer must have hotel booking confirmation and money equivalent to $1,500 or a credit card, Sputnik reported.

Previously, citizens of Seychelles had to apply for a visa when travelling to Qatar with the Qatar Airways in order to get a visa in Doha airport.