The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) took a major step toward Schengen-style mobility on 2 December when it activated a pilot “one-stop” border-clearance system on flights between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Under the scheme, citizens of the six GCC states complete immigration, customs and security checks only at their airport of departure; on arrival they are treated as domestic passengers and can walk straight to baggage claim or connecting flights.
The concept was endorsed by GCC interior ministers last month and is now being trialled during the busy National Day travel period. Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, GCC Secretary-General, said the test will run through the end of the year before being expanded to other intra-GCC routes and—if technically successful—to the land borders that carry the bulk of regional business traffic. Officials also confirmed that data-sharing platforms have been set up to exchange passenger information in real time, a prerequisite for mutual recognition of exit and entry checks.
![GCC launches ‘one-stop’ border clearance pilot between UAE and Bahrain]()
For corporate mobility teams the pilot could be transformational. “If rolled out bloc-wide, we would save at least an hour on every short-haul Gulf rotation,” said Sarah Al-Hassan, regional travel manager for a Dubai-based engineering firm. Faster clearances translate into tighter schedules, reduced driver-waiting charges and less duty-of-care exposure in crowded airports. Multinationals running talent pipelines across multiple Gulf states—particularly in oil & gas, consulting and retail—would benefit from friction-free commuter assignments.
Longer term, the one-stop system is seen as a dress rehearsal for the GCC’s planned unified tourist visa, now slated for 2026. Although the pilot applies only to GCC nationals, ministers have hinted that residents and international visitors could be included in future phases. That would give companies a single regional travel policy rather than six separate sets of entry rules, while also supporting the UAE’s ambition to be an onward hub for Gulf tourism.
Practical tip: companies with frequent UAE-Bahrain traffic should brief travellers that exit checks at Dubai and Abu Dhabi will now serve as entry checks for Manama and vice-versa. Passengers must still carry passports, but boarding cards will be stamped “cleared” to speed them through arrival halls. Any passenger who misses the formalities at departure will be subject to full processing—and possible fines—on landing.
The concept was endorsed by GCC interior ministers last month and is now being trialled during the busy National Day travel period. Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, GCC Secretary-General, said the test will run through the end of the year before being expanded to other intra-GCC routes and—if technically successful—to the land borders that carry the bulk of regional business traffic. Officials also confirmed that data-sharing platforms have been set up to exchange passenger information in real time, a prerequisite for mutual recognition of exit and entry checks.
For corporate mobility teams the pilot could be transformational. “If rolled out bloc-wide, we would save at least an hour on every short-haul Gulf rotation,” said Sarah Al-Hassan, regional travel manager for a Dubai-based engineering firm. Faster clearances translate into tighter schedules, reduced driver-waiting charges and less duty-of-care exposure in crowded airports. Multinationals running talent pipelines across multiple Gulf states—particularly in oil & gas, consulting and retail—would benefit from friction-free commuter assignments.
Longer term, the one-stop system is seen as a dress rehearsal for the GCC’s planned unified tourist visa, now slated for 2026. Although the pilot applies only to GCC nationals, ministers have hinted that residents and international visitors could be included in future phases. That would give companies a single regional travel policy rather than six separate sets of entry rules, while also supporting the UAE’s ambition to be an onward hub for Gulf tourism.
Practical tip: companies with frequent UAE-Bahrain traffic should brief travellers that exit checks at Dubai and Abu Dhabi will now serve as entry checks for Manama and vice-versa. Passengers must still carry passports, but boarding cards will be stamped “cleared” to speed them through arrival halls. Any passenger who misses the formalities at departure will be subject to full processing—and possible fines—on landing.
