DUBAI – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are now inching close to revolutionizing travel between the countries with the approval of a unified visa scheme.
During a meeting of GCC ministers in Muscat last week, Salim bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism in Oman, announced that the unified visa has been approved unanimously which means that the citizens from these countries would have extended liberty to fly throughout the region.
The unified visa is a tourist’s ticket to explore the six-member Gulf bloc comprising the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait without requiring separate visas.
The news regarding the Schengen-style visa circulated in May this year when Fatima Al Sairafi, Minister of Tourism in Bahrain, said discussions have been taking place at the ministerial level among GCC nations on how to achieve a unified single visa.
The Gulf countries are now looking to implement a visa that would allow visitors to travel between countries that make up the Gulf bloc with ease and comfort as currently, tourists have to get visas for the six Gulf countries separately.
Regarding the timeline of implementation of the visa, Omani media quoted Minister Mahrouqi as saying that the scheme would be launched “very soon”, without specifying the timeline.
Moreover, local media in Oman reported that participants at the regional interior ministers meeting in November would discuss the matter.
Once implemented, the scheme would expand the travel options of GCC residents besides creating an opportunity for a common booking platform and a joint tourism website.
The original Schengen zone – on whose pattern the GCC countries are promulgating visa regime – was created in 1985 and allows people and goods to travel freely, usually without showing travel or customs documents. This creates opportunities for tourism related revenue for the countries and offers virtually no hurdle for travelers.
