The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to introduce a unified Schengen-like visa for six of its member states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The scheme is expected to go live around 2024/2025 and will allow tourists to visit all six countries with a single visa.
The announcement was made at the 40th meeting of GCC interior ministers in Oman by GCC Secretary General Jassim Al Budaiwi, who praised the initiative as a “new achievement” and an indication of the GCC leaders’ strong collaboration and sound directions.
The unified Gulf tourist visa is a project that will contribute to facilitating and streamlining the movement of residents and tourists between the six GCC countries and will, undoubtedly, have a positive impact on the economic and tourist sectors.
The UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq said the unified visa is a key component of the GCC 2030 tourism plan, which aims to enhance the sector’s economic contribution through more regional travel and higher hotel occupancy rates.
🔺| "أقرَّ أصحاب المعالي والسمو مواضيع هامة أبرزها:
١- التأشيرة السياحية الخليجية الموحدة.
٢- ربط المخالفات المرورية إلكترونيًا بين دول المجلس.
٣- إعداد استراتيجية شاملة لمكافحة المخدرات."👤|بيان الأمين العام معالي جاسم البديوي عقب الاجتماع الـ40 لأصحاب السمو والمعالي وزراء… pic.twitter.com/zo8OFXAs03
— Hala FM | هلا أف أم (@Halafmradio) November 8, 2023
The new visa system is expected to increase the number of tourists to 128.7 million by 2030, representing a 137 percent rise over 2021.
