Your 2026 travel bucket list just got that much more achievable.
After Europe’s Schengen visa took the world by storm, the GCC has launched its own unified tourist visa.
The GCC unified tourist visa will allow you to travel to six different nations in the region. Yes, six, you read that right.
The single tourist visa has been approved and is to be rolled out soon, as confirmed by Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE’s Minister of Economy in June 2025 through Khaleej Times.
First introduced a couple of years ago by the Gulf Cooperation Council, the visa has been renamed as the GCC Grand Tours Visa and will be a game-changer for the business and leisure tourism department for the GCC.
What’s more, the unified tourist visa about to enter its pilot phase soon.
So, grab your passports and get ready to travel without visa hassles. Here is everything to know about the unified visa.
GCC unified tourist visa 2025
Get ready to explore the Gulf like never before. The upcoming GCC Grand Tours Visa, a joint effort by six Gulf nations, will let you travel across the region with just one visa. This unified visa aims to make regional travel easier and boost tourism, giving non-GCC residents the freedom to hop between countries for holidays or family visits without the visa hassle. The details are still being fine-tuned, but one thing’s clear, your next Gulf adventure is about to get a whole lot simpler.
GCC unified tourist visa 2025 locations
The unified single tourist visa will allow holders to visit and explore the following countries without needing multiple documents.
- Bahrain
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
GCC unified tourist visa 2025 pilot phase
The pilot phase is set to begin in Q4 of this year, as confirmed by Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council.The exact dates of the trial launch have not been announced yet, but check bac with Destination KSA to learn when they do.
GCC unified tourist visa 2025 duration
The exact duration of the visa is still being fine-tuned and will be confirmed at a later date.
How to apply for the GCC unified tourist visa 2025
More information will be revealed once the visa has been rolled out.
Tourism pros are buzzing about the upcoming unified GCC tourist visa as it has the potential to revamp the tourism sector.
Not only could it supercharge the region’s tourism and boost GDP, but it’s also expected to spark a business and leisure boom where business travelers tack on a few extra days to explore neighboring countries. With 68.1 million visitors and over $110 billion in tourism revenue raked in across the Gulf in 2023, the region’s travel scene is clearly on a hot streak.
Other visa updates in Saudi
In other visa news, Saudi Arabia recently announced that exit-reentry visas are not refundable. looking to explore China? The Asian nation has lifted visa restrictions for Saudi nationals.
Coming soon, gccvisa.com.
