The Gulf Cooperation Council secretary-general has announced that the region’s unified tourist visa is nearing launch and will be introduced “soon”. The scheme will allow international tourists to travel to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait on a single visa.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC, told the Security and History Dialogue 2026 in Riyadh that the visa would facilitate travel between the six member states, strengthen regional integration and enhance the Gulf’s position as a unified tourism destination.

The permit, also known as the GCC Grand Tourist Visa, is similar in concept to Europe’s Schengen visa. Rather than obtaining a separate visa for each country, tourists will be able to visit several member states using a single permit.

However, GCC officials have yet to announce when applications will open, the visa fee, its validity period or the final details of the application process. No official launch date has been confirmed, and prospective applicants must await a formal announcement.

The unified tourist visa was first unanimously approved by GCC tourism ministers in October 2023, followed by approval from GCC interior ministers a month later. Since then, interior ministries and other relevant authorities across the six countries have been working to coordinate the technical and operational aspects of the scheme.

The initiative is separate from the “One-Point Air Travellers” project between the UAE and Bahrain. The latter is designed to streamline travel procedures for GCC citizens, while the unified tourist visa is primarily intended for international visitors planning to travel between several countries in the region.