Gulf Cooperation Council: Regional Tourist Visa

Key Points  

• Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council unanimously approved the introduction of a regional tourist visa 

Update – September 2025 

The GCC’s unified tourist visa, now branded the GCC Grand Tours Visa, is entering its final implementation phase. Following a key meeting in Riyadh, officials confirmed the visa will launch via a digital platform by the end of 2025. It will allow multiple-entry travel across all six GCC countries for 30 to 90 days. For full details, see our latest news alert.  

Overview  

Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) unanimously approved the introduction of a regional tourist visa. Member states include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). GCC members shared that the visa will be introduced sometime in 2024 or early 2025 and will resemble the European Union’s Schengen visa.  

What are the Changes?  

Officials of the GCC plan to introduce a GCC-specific tourist visa beginning in 2024. According to officials, the unified Gulf tourist visa is a project that will contribute to facilitating and streamlining the movement of residents and tourists between the six GCC countries. 

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