Unified Visa for Six Gulf Countries to Launch Soon, Indians to Benefit Most

Soon, all Six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will allow travel with a single visa, similar to Europe's Schengen visa system. The GCC is set to begin testing a single integrated tourist visa this year, to be known as the GCC Grand Tourist Visa. This will eliminate the need for separate visas to visit countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Indians to Benefit the Most

Indians are expected to be the primary beneficiaries of the single integrated tourist visa, as a large number of people from India travel to these Arab nations for employment and tourism. Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE's Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, confirmed this pilot project during World Tourism Day 2025. The UAE government stated that this visa is a strategic step towards regional integration.

To Be Fully Implemented After Pilot Phase

In an interview with the UAE's news agency WAM, Al Marri mentioned that the visa system will be fully implemented after the pilot phase. The official launch date for this visa has not yet been announced. The integrated GCC tourist visa, or GCC Grand Tourist Visa, is modelled after Europe's Schengen visa system, which allows travellers to move freely across multiple countries using a single permit.