Traveling across Gulf countries will soon become easier. The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — will soon be accessible with one single visa.
The GCC plans to test an integrated tourist visa later this year, allowing visitors to move freely across all six member nations under a single permit.
This new visa system will remove the need to apply for separate visas for each country.
This change will directly benefit Indian travelers, as a large number of tourists and workers from India frequently visit these countries.
Pilot Project and Launch Details
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, confirmed the project during World Tourism Day 2025.
In an interview with the UAE news agency WAM, he said the visa, called the GCC Grand Tourist Visa, will first go through a pilot phase before being officially launched.
The official launch date for the full rollout has not been announced yet.
How the GCC Grand Tourist Visa Will Work
The unified GCC tourist visa is modeled after Europe’s Schengen visa system.
It will allow travelers to move between all six GCC countries — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait — using a single visa.
According to the UAE government, this initiative is part of a regional integration strategy.
It aims to promote the Gulf region as one connected tourist destination, making travel smoother and more attractive for international visitors.
Boost to Tourism and Regional Cooperation
The GCC countries are currently investing heavily in tourism and infrastructure development.
The new unified visa will simplify travel by removing repetitive paperwork and multiple visa applications.
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri confirmed that the visa has already received formal approval and will be implemented soon.
Although no specific date has been given, officials have indicated that the rollout is expected in the near future.
