Crossing from Iran to Qatar by ferry with a van

Question

I'm planing a trip by car from Portugal to Qatar for the WC2022 and I'd like to know if it's possible to cross from Iran to Qatar by ferry with a van and, in case there are multiple crossing locations, what's the best option. Thank you.

Answer 1

According to Caravanistan,

Ferries between Iran and Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia are not currently operating.

There does appear to have been a ferry from Bushehr to Doha that started operating in 2019, but this does not appear to be in operation any longer.

The above link lists three Persian Gulf ferry routes that might conceivably be useful:

• Bandar Abbas (Iran) – Sharjah (UAE)
• Bandar Lengeh (Iran) – Dubai (UAE)
• Khorramshahr (Iran) – Kuwait

Any of these three ferries would then involving transiting by road through Saudi Arabia. This is not as difficult as it once was; in particular, Saudi Arabia starting issuing tourist visas to citizens of several countries (including all EU countries) in late 2019.

---

UPDATE (08/30/22): Iran is considering operating ferries to Qatar during the 2022 World Cup. According to the Tehran Times,

Iran considers operating passenger ferries to and from Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by the neighboring state in November and December.

“Iran has considerable capacities to support and facilitate maritime traffic for [football] fans who are willing to travel between the country and Qatar during the World Cup,” the head of Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) said on Sunday.

Preparations for the sea routes are expected to become finalized by late September, Ali-Akbar Safaei added.

“For the safe transportation of tourists and fans of World Cup teams, the services will be offered by standard and advanced vessels, which are currently operating in the passenger ports of Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan province,” the official explained.

Answer 2

There is a ferry line between Iran (Bushehr) and Qatar which is not operating currently. Based on the evidence, this ferry will not start operating soon, so we suggest rerouting your itinerary if you really want to go Qatar.