Long -awaited integrated integrated GCC tourism visa is coming soon, world news confirms GCC General Secretary

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will soon launch an integrated tourist visa that allows passengers to visit all six member states with the same application. The announcement was made on Wednesday by GCC General Secretary Jassam Al Budhavi, who praised the joint efforts of the Gulf countries to improve regional mobility and develop the tourism sector.Speaking during an official announcement, Jasem Al Budhavi said:“Integrated visa reflects the vision of our leaders to integration and strengthen cooperation.” He highlighted that the initiative aligns regional travel with long-term strategic goals of modernizing the infrastructure and expanding non-tables through increased tourism. Visa, officially GCC Grand Tours has been modeling after Europe’s Schengen Visa titled visa and its objective is to enable Seemless Travel:

Integrated visas will allow tourists to travel independently in these six countries without the need for separate visa applications, allowing the area to be much more accessible to international visitors.El Budhavi highlighted that the new visa system is being developed with a strong focus on technology and safety, stating that the members are “eager to keep the latest technologies with the latest technologies growing and rapidly keeping with global security demands.”The visa was formally approved during the 40th GCC internal ministers’ meeting in November 2023, which was held in Oman. The approval was followed after the inter -government coordination and consultation months between the tourism, immigration and security departments of all six states. According to Al Budaivi, this step is not only a tourism initiative, but a part of a broad regional change, aims to reduce dependence on oil revenue and place GCC as a global tourism and investment hub.

Features of GCC Grand Tours Visa

While the final implementation details are still being finalized, the available information underlines the following expected characteristics of GCC Grand Tour Visa:

key features

This structure is designed to reduce travel hurdles by increasing visual experience throughout the region.

Application process and required documents

Although the system is not yet live, authorities have shared a temporary list of documents and steps to be part of the application process.

Possibly required documents

Required application process

Integrated visas are expected to promote regional tourism, attract international visitors and support areas such as aviation, hospitality and travel services. By simplifying access, it encourages long stay in the Gulf and multi-country trips. This step also aligns with the widespread push of the Gulf nations which becomes the major global tourism destination.