The GCC Grand Tours Visa—a unified “Schengen style” tourist visa covering all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—has been officially approved and is set for rollout as early before the end of 2025. Designed to allow seamless travel across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, this Schengen-style visa marks a transformative moment for Gulf tourism.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Al-Budaiwi. Al-Budaiwi confirmed this during the 146th Ministerial Council meeting held in Kuwait on Monday, 2 June 2025. The meeting was chaired by the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister and Chairman of the current session of the Ministerial Council, Abdullah Al-Yahya. Those in attendance included delegations of the GCC countries and foreign ministers.
UAE Minister of Economy, Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri is also reported to have confirmed this on the sidelines of this week’s UAE Hospitality Summer Camp press conference. According to reports from media at the event, the Minister stated that the single GCC tourist visa has been approved and waiting now to be implemented, “hopefully soon”. The Minister added that details are being concluded with the Ministry of Interior and relevant stakeholders.
The initiative, introduced through a joint GCC effort, and under discussion for several years already, will allow non-nationals to explore multiple member countries using a single visa, simplifying logistics for travellers and unlocking enormous economic and strategic value for the region.
For Saudi Arabia, the impact will be particularly profound.
The Kingdom is ideally positioned to serve as a central hub for regional itineraries. With large-scale investment in tourism infrastructure, mega-projects such as NEOM, Diriyah, AlUla, and The Red Sea, Saudi Arabia stands to gain significantly from this collective visa approach over the coming years.
The GCC Grand Tours Visa—also known as the Unified GCC Tourist Visa—will offer:
- A digital application process, expected to be user-friendly and fast
- Multiple-entry access across all six GCC countries for up to 90 days
- Validity for a range of travel purposes including leisure, family visits, and short-term stays
- A cost-effective alternative to applying for multiple visas separately
Tourists will be able to apply online by submitting documents such as a valid passport, proof of accommodation, travel insurance, travel itineraries, and evidence of sufficient funds. Once issued electronically, the visa will allow freedom of movement between all participating countries, encouraging longer stays and deeper exploration of the Gulf’s rich cultural and natural offerings.
Why Saudi Arabia is poised to lead
This regional development comes as Saudi Arabia continues to scale up its tourism offering. Having already introduced e-visas, visa-on-arrival options, and streamlined entry processes for citizens of more than 60 countries, the Kingdom is ready to integrate seamlessly into this new system. With flagship events such as Riyadh Season, Formula 1 in Jeddah, and the upcoming Asian Winter Games in Trojena, Saudi is capturing the world’s attention—and the unified visa will make participation even more accessible.
The GCC visa not only makes travel easier; it makes it more appealing. Tourists arriving in Dubai or Doha will now find it logistically simple to extend their journeys to Riyadh, Jeddah, or AlUla, discovering the diversity and scale of Saudi Arabia as part of a broader Gulf adventure. In doing so, the Kingdom cements its role as both a destination and a gateway.
Economic and cultural dividends
Beyond convenience, the GCC Grand Tours Visa is expected to generate significant economic returns. With the Gulf tourism market projected to reach over 120 million visits by foreign visitors annually by 2030, the unified visa will drive spending across hospitality, aviation, entertainment, and retail. For Saudi Arabia, where tourism is forecast to contribute 10% of GDP by 2030, this could be a catalyst for further growth and private-sector investment.
Culturally, the initiative encourages greater exchange between visitors and local communities. It opens up the region’s rich heritage, archaeological treasures, art, cuisine, and spiritual traditions to a wider global audience.
The visa’s rollout is also expected to spark new collaborative marketing campaigns across the GCC, as member countries begin to promote the Gulf as a single, connected destination.
As the final logistics and regulatory frameworks are put in place, the GCC Grand Tours Visa will redefine how the world sees the Gulf—not as six separate destinations, but as one interconnected, world-class region. For Saudi Arabia, it’s not just a policy success—it’s a strategic leap forward in achieving global tourism leadership.
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Header image: AI-generated visual for illustrative purposes only. Not a real document.
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Read also: Government warning: only use official sources for Hajj & Umrah visas
