Gulf countries soon to offer a Schengen-style visa

are preparing to roll out a long-anticipated unified tourist visa, with the official launch expected by the end of 2025. Member countries of the GCC have been working for many years to launch this visa which would simplify travelers’ movements in the region.

Currently, the UAE offer visa on arrivals to 85 countries and the 5 GCC countries. Qatar and Oman also provide free visa on arrivals depending of the stay duration to citizens of approximately 100 nationalities. Visitors to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia need to apply for an e-visa.

Kuwait is the latest to provide e-visa for 90 days as the new facility being available since July 1, 2025.

Official launch should take place at the end of 2025
The new GCC visa system, modeled after Europe’s Schengen visa, will allow travelers to move freely between all six member states with a single entry permit. The goal is to boost regional tourism, encourage longer stays, and position the Gulf as a collective global travel destination.

The visa is the result of growing coordination between GCC tourism ministries. It is a key step in realizing the region’s tourism diversification strategies. By simplifying cross-border travel, the bloc hopes to attract more international visitors by promoting multi-country itineraries. Travelers could organise for example a trip that begins in Dubai, continues to Muscat, and ends in Riyadh — without the need for separate visa applications.

While technical and policy details are still being finalized, the visa is expected to ease entry procedures, create new opportunities for tour operators, and reinforce the Gulf’s emerging status as a unified tourism hub. GCC members are confident that the visa will be available before the end of the year.

The unified visa project has been in development for several years. However it gained momentum recently amid record-breaking tourism figures across the region. Once implemented, it will mark a major milestone in regional integration. It could also serve as a model for other parts of the world.

GCC countries with over 68 million travellers in 2023
The six GCC countries continue effectively to attract more and more international travelers year after year. Data issued last December by the GCC Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council revealed that about 68.1 million international tourists visited GCC countries in 2023. Intra-GCC tourism had a share of 26.9% in 2023.

This represented an increase of 42.8% compared to 2019. Total international tourism revenues in the GCC countries increased by 28.2% by the end of 2023 compared to 2019. Revenues reached US$110.4 billion.

The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the largest share of tourist incoming markets to the GCC countries by 38%. It was followed by the Middle East with 25.1%, Europe with 22.9%, Africa with 8.8%, and the Americas with 4.3%.