Date Confirmed for Launch of Single Tourist Visa for 6 Gulf Countries

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will begin the pilot phase of its unified tourist visa in the last quarter of this year, according to Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council.

The initiative, often compared to the Schengen visa, will enable travelers to move freely across all six GCC member states — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. Al Marri described the project as a “strategic milestone” that strengthens regional integration and positions the Gulf as a single, attractive tourism destination.

Speaking to WAM, the minister said the visa — referred to as the GCC Grand Tourist Visa — will initially roll out in phases, with full implementation planned later. While he did not specify an exact launch date, he noted in an earlier June 16 interview with Khaleej Times that the system had already been approved and was awaiting final clearance from the Ministry of Interior and other stakeholders.

The cost and duration of the visa are yet to be announced. However, industry leaders anticipate it will transform the tourism sector, creating thousands of jobs and providing a significant boost to regional GDP. The visa is also expected to encourage both religious tourism and the growing trend of “bleisure” travel, combining business and leisure.

Tourism experts predict that all GCC countries will gain from the initiative, though the UAE and Saudi Arabia are likely to attract the largest share of visitors. In 2024, the UAE hosted 3.3 million tourists from GCC nations, making up 11 percent of total hotel guests. Saudi visitors accounted for the majority at 1.9 million, followed by Oman (777,000), Kuwait (381,000), Bahrain (123,000), and Qatar (93,000).

Highlighting the sector’s rapid growth, Al Marri said that by mid-September 2025, the UAE had issued 39,546 commercial licenses in areas such as tourism, hospitality, aviation, and digital travel services — a 275 percent increase compared with the same period in 2020.