GCC Grand Tours Visa

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What is the GCC Grand Tours Visa?

The GCC Grand Tours Visa is a newly introduced unified visa that allows seamless movement across all six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain) with just a single visa application. Using the same application platform, travelers can also choose a visa to visit a single GCC country of their choice.

Validity will extend beyond citizens of the GCC, who already enjoy visa-free travel between member states, to include non-national residents and tourists. The advent of the unified GCC visa is therefore sure to make travel in the region a whole lot easier!

We’ve got all the GCC visa news you need right here, so you have the answers to questions including what is the unified tourist visa for GCC residents?



Benefits of the GCC Grand Tours Visa

With the six countries involved in creating the unified GCC tourist visa all sharing land borders, there are going to be several benefits of the new scheme to those looking to travel in the Gulf region. These benefits include:

Easy multi-country travel within the GCC

The GCC visa will allow significantly easier travel to the six countries forming the economic block, which are some of the most important nations in the Middle East.

Simplified visa process

The fact that non-nationals and international tourists will need to apply just once for a GCC unified multi-entry visa will make planning travel to the GCC much easier. From its launch, travellers will be able to complete a single application to visit all six countries. There’s also an option to apply for a visa to visit a specific GCC member state of their choice.

Cost-effective

By obtaining an approved unified GCC tourist visa just once, the entire process will become more cost-effective, giving travellers more flexibility to enjoy their holiday.

Increased tourist numbers

From the view of GCC nations themselves, they hope that the GCC tourist visa attracts more travellers to the region to see its extraordinary array of sights, from the ancient rock-carved Nabatean city of Al Ula in Saudi Arabia to The Louvre Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

When Will the GCC Grand Tours Visa Be Available?

The creation of the unified visa for GCC countries was approved unanimously at a meeting of ministers which was held in Oman in the latter half of 2023.

Since then, the relevant countries have been working hard to make the GCC Grand Tours visa a reality, and it is believed that the first unified tourist visa will be issued either by the end of 2024 or at the start of 2025.

The main process that needs to be unified is each GCC member’s internal visa-issuing network. Once they can each issue a unified GCC visa, the system will be in operation for travellers from across the world, whether that’s a GCC visa for the UAE or any of the other member states.

When Will the GCC Grand Tours Visa Be Available?

Visa Requirements

Like all visa applications, obtaining a unified tourist visa “GCC Grand Tours” before travel will have certain requirements that applicants must meet. The known requirements for obtaining a GCC Grand Tours visa are as follows:

Valid Passport

As with all visa applications, to obtain a GCC unified visa, applicants will require a valid passport. It’s likely that applicants will need at least six months of validity before the expiry of their passport. So if your passport is going to expire soon, it is probably worth obtaining a new one right away.

Completed Application Form

The application form will likely request basic personal information, including the applicant’s name (as it appears on their passport) and passport details. Applicants will also be asked to choose between a single-country visa or a unified GCC visa. If other visa schemes are anything to go by, it’s likely GCC Grand Tours visa applicants will also be required to demonstrate proof of an intent to return home (such as an onward air ticket) if they don’t live within one of the countries of the unified tourist visa of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Passport-sized Photograph(s)

For security, the GCC visa will include a photograph of the applicant. Standard-sized passport photographs measuring 45 mm high by 35 mm wide will likely be needed. It also seems probable that the submitted photographs will need to have been taken in the last six months.

Visa Fee

The cost would likely vary between the two visa types, with the unfiied GCC visa costing more than the single-country visa. Visas for Saudi Arabia currently cost between US$90 and US$130 depending on nationality. It would seem logical to imply that the new unified GCC Grand Tours visas will cost around the same or more, but of course, would present the option to travel to six countries rather than just one.

Visa Application Process

Our current understanding is that travelers looking to obtain a GCC Grand Tours visa will be able to do so via an online portal, saving the need to visit a physical embassy or mission in person.

Details are still being confirmed. However, we predict that the GCC visa process will be similar to the following steps:

Visa Application Process

Our current understanding is that travelers looking to obtain a GCC Grand Tours visa will be able to do so via an online portal, saving the need to visit a physical embassy or mission in person.

Details are still being confirmed. However, we predict that the GCC visa process will be similar to the following steps:

1

Complete the Online Application Form

Have your passport on hand so that you can fill out the online application form speedily and without making errors that might affect your GCC unified visa application success

2

Upload Requested Documents

Be sure to successfully upload any documents requested, including an electronic version of your passport photograph. This may be a scanned version of a physical photograph, or a digital image.

3

Confirm You Have Completed the Application Truthfully

Applicants will either need to tick a box or submit an electronic signature to confirm the details they have submitted are correct. Supplying incorrect details is a serious offense and will lead to your GCC unified visa application failing without a financial refund being offered.

4

Pay the Visa Fee

Use a valid payment method to pay the GCC Grand Tours visa fee when prompted to do so.

5

Await the Visa Decision

It has not been confirmed how long it will take to receive a decision on GCC visa applications. Standard visa processing times take anywhere from four working days to three weeks.

GCC Tourist Visa: A Gateway Similar to the Schengen Visa

The unified GCC visa will be similar to the European Union’s better-known Schengen Area visa. The Schengen visa allows the free movement of travellers across the Schengen Area’s 29 participating member states and associated nations. Similarly, the GCC Grand Tours visa will give travelers the option of choosing a visa to a single GCC member state or a unified visa to freely move across the six nations.

In short, what is the one visa for GCC countries all about? When an applicant gets approved for a unified GCC Tourist Visa, it will provide the holder with borderless travel to those looking to explore the nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council. If the traveler only wants to visit one GCC member state, they can also choose to apply for a single-country visa on the same platform.

FAQs

Officially known as the GCC Grand Tours Visa, the idea is that non-national residents and international travellers to the GCC can apply for either a visa to visit one GCC member state or a unified visa to freely move between all the GCC member states.

All six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have agreed to be a part of the GCC Grand Tours visa: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The unified GCC tourist visa is set to launch at the end of 2024 or the start of 2025. Applications will probably be online.

Travellers who choose the unified GCC visa need just one visa to visit all GCC countries, simplifying the process and making it cheaper for travellers too. They can also choose the single-country visa option if they only want to visit one GCC member state.