The Gulf Cooperation Council's unified tourist visa—officially named the "GCC Grand Tours Visa"—is set to launch its pilot phase in the fourth quarter of 2025, with UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri describing the Schengen-style initiative as "a strategic step towards deeper regional integration" that will position the Gulf as a single, globally competitive tourism destination.
This groundbreaking visa system, officially approved by GCC ministers in 2023 and now in its final technical and digital implementation stages according to GCC Secretary-General Jassim Al-Budaiwi, will allow foreign tourists and expatriate residents to travel seamlessly across all six member states—the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain—using a single permit accessible through a dedicated digital platform, eliminating the current requirement for separate visa applications for each country.
While specific details regarding visa fees and validity periods (expected to range from 30 to 90 days) have not yet been announced, tourism officials emphasize that the multi-country option will be significantly more cost-effective than obtaining six separate visas, with the system designed for tourism, short-term stays, and family visits but not permitting employment or long-term residence in member states.
The unified visa addresses a massive existing market, as the UAE alone recorded 3.3 million visitors from GCC countries in 2024 (representing 11 percent of total hotel guests), with Saudi Arabia contributing the largest share at 1.9 million visitors, followed by Oman with 777,000, Kuwait with 381,000, Bahrain with 123,000, and Qatar with 93,000, demonstrating the Gulf's already interconnected tourism landscape that the new visa will further expand.
The initiative's success will depend heavily on sustained connectivity investments including the planned GCC Railway designed to link member states by high-speed rail and the UAE's Etihad Rail passenger train set for 2026, while the visa is particularly expected to benefit Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 mega-projects including Neom and Red Sea resorts.
