CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

World / Gulf

GCC-unified tourist visa approved, set for imminent rollout

Published: 17 Jun 2025 - 12:38 pm | Last Updated: 17 Jun 2025 - 12:47 pm
Photo by Freepik

Photo by Freepik

Doha, Qatar: A Schengen-style single tourist visa for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been officially approved and is set to be rolled out soon, a UAE Minister has confirmed. 

UAE Minister of Economy, Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri said this to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the UAE Hospitality Summer Camp press conference.

"The single (GCC) tourist visa has been approved and waiting now to be implemented, hopefully soon. Now it is with the Ministry of Interior and the relevant stakeholders and they should look into it," the Minister told the newspaper. 

The strategic move is seen as a critical milestone for regional tourism, enabling seamless travelling across all six GCC countries - Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, UAE, and Bahrain. 

Once implemented, the visa will enable access to all six GCC countries, simplify paper work for tourists and enable easier travel for residents across GCC.