New unified tourist visa approved by interior ministers, represents a major achievement for the GCC says Secretary General

GCC countries have approved a unified tourist visa to allow easy movement between six nations for residents and tourists.

The announcement was made in the 40th meeting of the Interior Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which took place under the chairmanship of the Minister of Interior of Oman and President of the current session, Sayyed Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, in the Omani capital Muscat.

Present in the meeting were the Ministers of Interior in the Gulf Cooperation Council member states.

GCC approves unified tourist visa

The ministers approved the unified Gulf tourist visa project to contribute to facilitating movement of residents and tourists between the six member countries.

The step will undoubtedly have positive effects on the economic and tourism sectors.

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, said that the unified GCC tourist visa project represents a new achievement which is added to the accomplishments made by the Cooperation Council.

Last month, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE Minister of Economy, announced that the tourism ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have given their approval for a unified Gulf tourist visa.

Following the approval, the unified Gulf tourist visa is expected to come into effect between 2024 and 2025, depending on each GCC country’s internal regulations.

This visa will allow its holders to visit six GCC countries, focusing on attracting and retaining tourists within the region to enhance economic integration.

The ministers also approved the launch of the first phase of the project to link traffic violations electronically among the GCC countries.

They also adopted a directive to develop a comprehensive Gulf strategy tailored to combat drugs, which have become a burden for the Gulf and global society at all levels.