Dubai: A unified tourist visa is on cards allowing tourists to visit all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
GCC countries are finalising plans to launch the unified GCC tourist visa just like Schengen visa allowing foreign tourist to visit all the six GCC countries with one visa without any restrictions. Currently, only GCC citizens are allowed to move freely in the Gulf region.
Just as Schengen visa allows tourists to visit 29 countries in the Schengen zone, holder of the unified GCC visa will be able to visit six GCC countries including: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. According to reports, both GCC residents and tourists will be able to benefit for the new unified tourist visa.
UAE Minister of Economy, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, has confirmed during a recent meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh that the GCC countries are continuing to work to launch a unified tourist visa.
The exact date of launch in not final yet but it is expected to be rolled out by 2025.
Minister Al Marri believed that the unified GCC tourist visa would retain more tourists in the regions and help these countries become popular destinations.
What is Unified GCC Tourist Visa?
The unified tourist visa will work similarly to the Schengen visa allowing freedom of movement between residents in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.
This means that if a tourist gets a visa of any of the GCC countries, he or she will be able to enter Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait with the same document without having to apply for another visa.
How it will work
The unified GCC visa will function as a multi-entry visa, allowing travellers to move freely among the GCC countries. It is designed to streamline the tourism process, making it significantly easier for visitors to explore the rich cultural and economic landscapes of the Gulf.
What is the advantage
The unified GCC visa will offer numerous benefits, such as boosting the tourism sector, simplifying travel logistics for tourists, encouraging cross-border business opportunities, and contributing to the economic diversification strategies of the GCC countries.