RIYADH – The citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain would be able to travel seamlessly to the Schengen zone as new regulations have been announced.
The European Union announced on Monday to relax visa rules for citizens of the countries after which travel to the bloc would be much easier.
The announcement made at the EU-GCC High-Level Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation in Luxembourg implies that citizens from three countries would get 5-year multiple entry visas to the Schengen zone as the European Commission has adopted three implementing decisions updating the rules on issuing multi-entry visas for the Gulf countries.
Under the new relaxation, citizens of Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, allowing them to visit the EU multiple times over a period of five years with the same visa – a step welcomed both by the citizens and the governments.
It is to be highlighted that under the existing rules, citizens from the United Arab Emirates do not require a visa to travel to the Schengen Area and can stay for up to three months at a time. In a visible contrast, Qatari citizens are required to apply for a visa.
After the implementation of fresh rules, citizens would be able to explore the 29 European countries, as the Schengen zone expanded last February to include Bulgaria and Romania.
The governments of GCC countries have also agreed upon the introduction of a unified visa regime for its citizens after which a visa like the Schengen visa would be enough for citizens to move across the region.
The citizens of oil-rich countries prefer to go to European countries for vacations but are sometimes unable to travel due to the visa hassle. With the fresh rules, the citizens would be better able to plan their holidays and trip in advance.
