The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is preparing to launch a unified tourist visa — the GCC Grand Tours Visa — modeled on the European Union’s Schengen system. The visa will allow seamless travel across all six member nations: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
Announcing the plan, UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri confirmed that discussions are in their final stages, with interior ministries and relevant authorities working to implement the new system. Once operational, the visa will eliminate the need for multiple country-specific visas, offering tourists a smoother, borderless Gulf experience.
After years of planning and approval from the GCC Supreme Council, the initiative is now gaining traction through high-level consultations. The unified visa is expected to boost tourism, attract foreign investment, and create thousands of new jobs, especially benefiting expatriates and job seekers.
In 2023 alone, the Gulf welcomed 68.1 million tourists, generating a staggering $110.4 billion in tourism revenue. With the new visa, those numbers are expected to surge even higher — fueling hospitality, retail, and service industries across the region.
For expatriates, particularly Indians and the Malayali community, the unified visa promises not only easier travel but also increased job prospects and business opportunities. The simplified mobility is also expected to attract entrepreneurs and investors looking to explore multiple Gulf markets with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.
While the exact launch date of the visa has not yet been confirmed, the announcement has already sparked widespread excitement and anticipation among Gulf residents and global travelers alike.
