The long-anticipated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) unified tourist visa has officially been approved and will be rolled out in the near future, according to a United Arab Emirates government official familiar with the matter. The move is seen as a critical milestone that could reshape the region’s travel landscape, enabling seamless tourism across all six member states: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.
The visa, sometimes called the GCC Grand Tours Visa, is designed to function similarly to the Schengen visa in Europe, allowing tourists to travel freely across participating countries with a single permit. This unified document will simplify travel by eliminating the need to apply for separate visas to each country in the Gulf bloc, despite the countries being well-connected by air and road.
Outlook Traveller had previously reported that the visa would be rolled out in 2023 and 2024, so evidently it has been delayed for a while.
This visa isn’t just a win for travellers; it’s also designed to boost tourism and economic growth across the Gulf. By making it easier for visitors to tour the region, the GCC aims to increase hotel stays, airline traffic, retail spending and cultural exchange.
While the final terms are still being confirmed, here’s what’s expected from the GCC Grand Tours Visa:
Multi-country access with one visa
Valid for tourism and family visits
Online application only
Likely validity of 30 to 90 days
Option to choose between one-country or six-country access
The GCC Grand Tours Visa will reportedly come with extended validity and lower overall costs, especially compared to getting six separate visas. That means more travel, less paperwork.
The visa rollout comes on the back of strong post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery figures in the Gulf's travel sector. According to data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf, the region recorded:
68.1 million visitors in 2023
USD 110.4 billion in tourism revenue—a record high
a 42.8 per cent increase in tourist arrivals compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019
Once the visa officially goes live sometime this year, here’s how the application process is expected to work:
Visit the official visa website (to be announced)
Choose your visa type: one-country or unified multi-entry
Fill out your travel details and upload documents
Pay the visa fee securely online
Receive the e-visa in your email
Print it or keep a digital copy for airport checks
(With inputs from multiple news reports)