Gulf residents to receive a common tourist visa

The Gulf Cooperation Council has announced the approval of a new unified tourist visa. This will allow residents of the Gulf states to easily travel between the six countries.

The new visa rules were approved at the 40th meeting of the Gulf Interior Ministers, which was chaired by the Minister of Interior of Oman. The meeting was attended by the interior ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, according to the ArabianBusiness.

During the official meeting, the Gulf ministers approved a unified tourist visa project that will facilitate the movement of residents and tourists between the six member states. The new simplified visa rules are expected to have significant positive effects on the economy and tourism.

According to Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the approved draft of the GCC unified tourist visa is a new achievement that will have a positive impact on the development of tourism in the region.

The approval of the unified GCC tourist visa was announced last week. Once approved, the GCC Unified Tourist Visa is expected to come into effect between 2024 and 2025. The final rules will be approved depending on the internal regulations of each Gulf country.

The initiators of the innovation emphasize that the new visa policy will allow residents and visitors to the region to visit the six GCC countries, focusing on attracting and retaining tourists in the region to strengthen economic integration.

In addition, during the meeting in Oman, the launch of the first phase of the project for electronic communication of traffic violations between the GCC countries was also approved.

It should be added that the GCC participants also adopted a directive to develop a comprehensive Gulf strategy aimed at combating drugs, which have become a burden for the Gulf countries and the world community at all levels.