The GCC will begin testing a single unified tourist visa in the fourth quarter of 2025, allowing travel across all six member countries under one permit. UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, confirmed the pilot rollout during World Tourism Day 2025.In an interview with the UAE news agency WAM, Al Marri said the visa, also referred to as the GCC Grand Tourist Visa, will be fully implemented at a later stage following the pilot phase. While a specific launch date has not been disclosed, the announcement marks a major milestone for regional travel integration and comes just months after the visa was officially approved earlier in June 2025.
What the Unified GCC Visa is and what it aims to achieve
At its core, the unified GCC tourist visa, also referred to in some discussions as the “GCC Grand Tours Visa” — is modeled after Europe’s Schengen visa system, offering travelers the ability to move freely across multiple countries using a single permit. The visa will cover all six GCC member states: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait. According to the minister, the visa is intended as a “strategic step towards deeper regional integration and will enhance the Gulf’s collective appeal as a single tourism destination.” By allowing tourists to travel between GCC countries without the need for multiple visas, the initiative seeks to position the Gulf as a more accessible and unified travel hub for international visitors. This policy shift comes at a time when the region is actively expanding its tourism offering and infrastructure. The unified visa will eliminate repetitive paperwork and multiple applications, and instead offer multi-entry access across all six countries, simplifying travel logistics significantly.
Official approval and implementation status
The groundwork for the visa was laid months earlier. On June 16, 2025, speaking on the sidelines of the UAE Hospitality Summer Camp press conference, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri confirmed in an interview with Khaleej Times that the unified visa had already received formal approval.“The single (GCC) tourist visa has been approved and waiting now to be implemented, hopefully, soon. Now, it is with the Ministry of Interior and the relevant stakeholders and they should look into it,” he said. This comment pointed to ongoing coordination among internal ministries and agencies across the Gulf. As of now, the visa is under active review by the UAE’s Ministry of Interior and other relevant GCC authorities. While no exact date has been given for full implementation, officials across the region have consistently indicated that the launch is expected “soon.” The upcoming pilot phase in Q4 2025 will test the system’s operational readiness before full deployment across all six countries.
Tourism data and regional integration goals
The visa initiative comes at a time when travel between GCC countries is already on the rise, and there’s a strong push to build a shared regional tourism identity. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri pointed out that in 2024, 3.3 million visitors from GCC countries came to the UAE, making up 11 percent of all hotel guests. Breakdown by country of origin:
- Saudi Arabia: 1.9 million visitors (58% of GCC total)
- Oman: 777,000 (24%)
- Kuwait: 381,000 (12%)
- Bahrain: 123,000 (4%)
- Qatar: 93,000 (3%)
These figures underscore the significant volume of regional movement already taking place, reinforcing the potential impact of a unified visa system in making intra-Gulf travel even more efficient and accessible. Officials believe that simplifying cross-border movement through a shared visa will deepen tourism cooperation, increase visitor stays, and encourage wider exploration of the Gulf’s varied destinations — from Saudi heritage sites to Emirati beaches, Omani mountains, and Qatari cultural landmarks.
What the visa will enable and what lies ahead
While final logistics are being worked out, the goals of the unified GCC visa are clear:
- Multi-country access under a single tourist permit
- Removal of visa redundancies for each GCC country
- Streamlined documentation and processing for visitors
- Greater regional tourism alignment and joint branding
These practical outcomes are aligned with the GCC’s long-term vision for economic and infrastructural integration. The visa is not only a tourist facilitation tool but also a broader policy lever aimed at reinforcing the Gulf’s position as a globally competitive tourism destination.
