Guides / Travel & leaving Qatar / Travel from Qatar
Road trips from Qatar: driving to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman
Every road trip from Qatar starts at the Abu Samra border with Saudi Arabia. This guide covers routes and distances, visas, owner permission for company or financed cars, the insurance each country needs, tolls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, children's documents and how to get through the borders faster.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Only land border
- Abu Samra (Qatar) to Salwa (Saudi Arabia), about 100 km from Doha
- Doha to Dubai
- About 720 km, 7 to 9 hours plus 1 to 3 hours at borders
- Doha to Manama
- About 450 to 500 km via Saudi Arabia and the King Fahd Causeway
- Qatar–Bahrain causeway
- Not built; still at planning stage in 2026
Qatar has only one land border, Abu Samra, and it opens onto Saudi Arabia. That means every road trip, whether to Riyadh, Dubai, Manama or Muscat, starts by crossing into Saudi Arabia at Salwa. If you are not a GCC citizen you need a visa for each country you enter, including Saudi Arabia even if you are only driving through. Your Qatar car insurance does not work abroad, so you buy local insurance for each country. This guide is for residents driving their own, a company or a financed car. Work through it in order: choose your route, sort out visas and fines, get the owner's permission if the car is not yours, buy insurance, pre-register in Metrash, then cross.
Before you start
- Passport valid at least 6 months, and a QID that stays valid well beyond your return date
- A visa for every country on the route: Saudi Arabia always, plus the UAE, Bahrain or Oman if you go there
- Qatar driving licence, valid Istimara (car registration) and Fahes inspection that will not expire during the trip
- No unpaid traffic fines: since September 2024 you cannot leave Qatar with fines outstanding
- If the car is a company, leased or bank-financed car: a signed permission letter (NOC) from the owner, and the owner's authorisation in Metrash if they ask for it
- Local third-party car insurance for Saudi Arabia, and for the UAE, Bahrain or Oman if you continue, bought online or at the border
- For children: their own passports, QIDs and visas, birth certificates, and a consent letter if only one parent is travelling
- Printed copies of visas, insurance and the Istimara; some checkpoints still ask for paper
- Metrash pre-registration for Abu Samra done, with every passenger added
- Spare tyre, jack, warning triangle, first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, plenty of water and snacks
Step by step
Choose your route and plan the timing
From Doha it is about 100 km to Abu Samra. To Dubai, you cross about 150 km of Saudi Arabia to the Al Batha (Saudi) and Al Ghuwaifat (UAE) borders, about 720 km in total and 7 to 9 hours of driving. To Bahrain you drive through Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province and over the King Fahd Causeway, about 450 to 500 km and 5 to 6 hours. To Oman you can go through the UAE (over 1,000 km) or take the newer Empty Quarter road through Saudi Arabia straight to the Oman border near Ibri. Add 1 to 3 hours for borders, more on holidays, and leave early so you cross in daylight and cooler hours.
Get a visa for every country you will enter
GCC citizens do not need visas, but most residents do. Saudi Arabia comes first on every route, so you need a Saudi visa even just to drive through to the UAE or Bahrain; most residents use the Saudi tourist e-visa, which any Qatar resident can apply for. The UAE, Bahrain and Oman each have their own rules for Qatar residents, often linked to your job title and how long your QID has left. Apply for all of them before you leave, one per person, including children, and print them. The unified GCC tourist visa had not launched at the time of writing, so do not plan around it.
Read guide: Saudi visa for Qatar residents: tourist e-visa, Umrah and driving across →Clear fines and check your car's papers
Check for traffic fines in Metrash and pay them before the trip: people with unpaid traffic fines cannot leave Qatar by land, air or sea. Make sure your Istimara and Fahes inspection will still be valid when you return, because a Qatar-registered car cannot have its registration renewed while it is abroad; it needs the Fahes inspection in Qatar first. Check that your driving licence is valid. Fines you pick up abroad may also follow the car, so drive carefully.
Read guide: Traffic fines in Qatar: check, pay, object, and avoid the travel ban →Company, leased or financed car? Get the owner's permission
For trips to GCC countries, Qatar does not ask for a vehicle exit permit as long as the car has no fines and is driven by the owner or someone the owner has authorised. If the Istimara is in your company's, a leasing firm's or a bank's name, you are not the owner, so ask them for a signed no-objection letter (NOC) naming you as the driver, the car's plate and chassis number, the countries and the dates. Saudi and UAE officers may ask to see it. Some owners also register you as the driver through Metrash's Vehicle Exit Permit service (Traffic services, then Vehicles); ask your company or bank which they want. Rental cars need the rental company's written permission for cross-border travel.
Buy insurance for each country
Your Qatar policy only covers you inside Qatar, and even a GCC extension on a comprehensive policy usually covers damage to your own car, not the third-party insurance each country requires. For Saudi Arabia, buy third-party cover online through the Manafith platform (manafith.com.sa or its app) a day or two before you go; you enter your plate, chassis number and dates. For the UAE, you buy insurance at the Al Ghuwaifat border desk. For Bahrain you can buy it at the causeway or through the Jesr app, and for Oman at the border. Keep the receipts: Saudi officers check them on the way out and back.
Read guide: Car insurance in Qatar: third-party vs comprehensive →Sort out your children's documents
Every child needs their own passport, valid QID and their own visa for each country, even babies. Take copies of birth certificates. If only one parent is travelling with the children, carry a signed consent letter from the other parent with a copy of their ID; it is not always asked for, but officers can request it. Check that each child's QID is valid for at least three months after your return. Use proper child seats: it is a long drive at highway speeds.
Read guide: Newborn in Qatar: birth certificate, passport and residence permit →Prepare the car and pack for the desert
Have the car serviced a few weeks before: oil, coolant, air conditioning and tyres, including the spare. Fill up just before Abu Samra, because Saudi petrol stations near the border are sparse. Carry water, snacks, a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher; Saudi officers may check for basic safety equipment. Petrol stations on the main highways usually have toilets and prayer rooms, but on the Empty Quarter road to Oman there are very few. Do not carry alcohol, unregistered medicines, drones without permission, or anything you would not want X-rayed.
Pre-register your trip in Metrash
The Ministry of Interior strongly recommends pre-registering before you reach Abu Samra. In Metrash, open the Travel section and choose the Abu Samra pre-registration service, then pick exit or entry, your expected arrival date and the car, and add the driver and every passenger; the app can scan passports to save typing. Your details reach the passport officers before you arrive, so checks take seconds and you can use the fast lane for pre-registered cars. Do it again for your return trip, and keep the confirmation.
Read guide: Metrash: registering and using Qatar's Ministry of Interior app →Cross at Abu Samra and Salwa
At Abu Samra you clear Qatar exit, then drive a short way to Saudi immigration and customs at Salwa. First-time visitors to Saudi Arabia usually give fingerprints and a photo, which takes longer, and cars may be X-rayed or searched. On normal days the whole crossing can take under an hour; at the start of Eid, national holidays and long weekends, queues can stretch for kilometres and take several hours. Coming home, you show your Saudi insurance receipt, clear Saudi exit at Salwa, then scan your QID and passport at Abu Samra. Leave early, keep everyone's documents in one folder, and keep fuel and water in the car while you wait.
Driving to the UAE: border, Salik and Darb
After Salwa, the road crosses about 150 km of Saudi Arabia to Al Batha (Saudi exit) and Al Ghuwaifat (UAE entry), where you go through a vehicle scanner, immigration with an iris scan, customs and the insurance desk. Dubai's Salik toll gates charge every car, including foreign ones: about AED 4 off-peak and AED 6 at weekday peak times. A car registered outside the UAE needs a Salik tag or account; unregistered cars get a short grace period and then fines, so set it up on arrival. Abu Dhabi has its own toll system, Darb (AED 4 per crossing at weekday peak times), which works by plate registration; check how it applies to your car on the Darb or TAMM platform. When you leave the UAE by road, you pay a small exit fee at the border.
Read guide: UAE visa for Qatar residents: who needs one and how to apply →Driving to Bahrain: the King Fahd Causeway
There is still no direct road between Qatar and Bahrain. The Qatar–Bahrain causeway, also called the Friendship Bridge, was revived by both governments in 2023 and is still at the planning stage, with no construction or opening date announced. So you drive through Saudi Arabia towards Dammam and Al Khobar, fill up there, and cross the 25 km King Fahd Causeway, which has a toll of SAR 25. You need a Saudi visa, a Bahrain visa and insurance for both countries. If you do not need your car, a passenger-only ferry has run since November 2025 between Al Ruwais Port in north Qatar and Sa'ada Marina in Bahrain, booked through the MASAR app.
Driving to Oman: the Empty Quarter road or via the UAE
The Empty Quarter road avoids the UAE, so you need only Saudi and Omani visas. From Salwa you drive about 85 km towards Al Batha, turn south onto the Saudi–Oman highway, then about 564 km across the desert to the Oman border, and about 161 km more to Ibri. Facilities are extremely limited: the only well-known stop is a petrol station about 370 km from Salwa, so fill up fully, carry extra water and food, and avoid driving at night because the road is two-lane with heavy trucks. The alternative is through the UAE, which is over 1,000 km and needs a UAE visa and insurance too. Either way, buy Oman insurance and check your Oman visa before you go.
Read guide: Oman visa for Qatar residents: e-visa, visa-free options and how to apply →
What it costs
| Saudi third-party car insurance on Manafith (Gulf News, Aug 2025, incl. VAT) | SAR 120 (1 week), SAR 200 (2 weeks), SAR 250 (1 month) |
| UAE car insurance at Al Ghuwaifat (QIC, Nov 2025) | About QAR 209 (15 days) to QAR 313 (30 days) |
| Oman border car insurance (QIC, 2026) | From about QAR 105 |
| King Fahd Causeway toll to Bahrain (QIC, Dec 2025) | SAR 25 (about QAR 24) |
| Salik toll in Dubai, per gate | About AED 4 off-peak, AED 6 at weekday peak times |
| Darb toll in Abu Dhabi, per crossing at peak times (Gulf News, Aug 2025) | AED 4 |
| UAE land border exit fee (QIC) | About AED 30 to AED 35 |
| Qatar–Bahrain passenger ferry, one way (QIC, Jan 2026) | QAR 174 standard, QAR 257 VIP |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Assuming you do not need a Saudi visa because you are only driving through to Dubai or Bahrain.
- Driving a company or financed car without the owner's written permission, then being turned back at the border.
- Thinking your Qatar comprehensive policy or a GCC extension covers third-party liability in Saudi Arabia or the UAE.
- Forgetting an old traffic fine: unpaid fines stop you leaving Qatar at Abu Samra.
- Letting the Istimara expire while abroad: it cannot be renewed until the car is back in Qatar and passes Fahes.
- Leaving on the first day of Eid without pre-registering in Metrash, and spending hours in the queue.
- Driving through Dubai without setting up Salik, and collecting toll fines.
- Starting the Empty Quarter road with half a tank and little water, or driving it at night.
Questions people ask
Is the Qatar–Bahrain causeway open? Can I drive straight to Bahrain?
No. The causeway has been planned since the early 2000s and both countries agreed to revive it in 2023, but as of 2026 it has not been built and no opening date has been announced. To drive to Bahrain you go through Saudi Arabia and the King Fahd Causeway. Without a car, you can take the passenger ferry from Al Ruwais to Sa'ada Marina, booked in the MASAR app.
Do I need a Saudi visa just to drive through to Dubai?
Yes, unless you are a GCC citizen. The road to the UAE crosses about 150 km of Saudi Arabia, so you must enter and leave Saudi Arabia legally. Most residents use the Saudi tourist e-visa, which is multiple-entry and also useful for later trips. Saudi Arabia also offers a short transit visa for road travel; check the current options before you apply.
Can I drive my company car to Saudi Arabia or the UAE?
Only with the company's permission. Qatar does not need a vehicle exit permit for GCC trips when the owner or an authorised person drives, so carry a signed letter from the company naming you, the car and the dates, and ask whether they also want to authorise you in Metrash. Financed and leased cars work the same way: if the Istimara shows the bank or leasing firm as owner, you need their letter.
Does my Qatar car insurance cover me abroad?
No. Each country requires its own third-party insurance: Saudi Arabia through Manafith, the UAE at Al Ghuwaifat, Bahrain at the causeway or through the Jesr app, and Oman at its border. A GCC extension on a comprehensive Qatar policy may cover damage to your own car in some countries, so check which countries your policy names.
How long does it take to cross at Abu Samra?
On a normal day, passport checks take seconds once you reach the counter, especially if you pre-registered in Metrash, and the whole Qatar and Saudi crossing often takes under an hour. At the start of Eid and long weekends queues can stretch for kilometres and take several hours. First-time visitors to Saudi Arabia also give fingerprints, which adds time.
Do I pay Salik in Dubai with a Qatar-registered car?
Yes. Salik charges every car that passes a gate, including foreign-registered ones. Buy a Salik tag at a petrol station in Dubai or register your car with Salik soon after you arrive; unregistered cars get a short grace period and then fines. Abu Dhabi's Darb system is separate, so check how it applies to your car.
Can a mother drive to Saudi Arabia or the UAE with the children without the father?
Usually yes, if everyone has valid passports, QIDs and visas. Carry a signed consent letter from the other parent with a copy of their ID, plus the children's birth certificates, because officers can ask for them. If there is a travel ban or a custody dispute, sort it out before travelling.
Can I take my car on the Qatar–Bahrain ferry?
No. The ferry between Al Ruwais Port and Sa'ada Marina, running since November 2025, is passenger-only, and cars and motorbikes are not allowed. It takes about 70 to 80 minutes and is booked only in the MASAR app. To take your car, drive via Saudi Arabia.
Official sources
- The Peninsula (July 2026): what motorists need to know before leaving Qatar by car ↗
- The Peninsula (July 2026): MOI urges Metrash pre-registration for Abu Samra ↗
- QIC (Nov 2025): Doha to Dubai by road, borders, insurance and tolls ↗
- QIC (Dec 2025): Qatar to Bahrain by road via the King Fahd Causeway ↗
- Gulf Times (May 2026): driving from Qatar to Oman on the Empty Quarter road ↗
- QIC (Jan 2026): Qatar to Bahrain by passenger ferry ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.