Hopes that Indian travellers could zip around the Gulf Cooperation Council on a single permit next year have been dashed. Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister confirmed on 30 December that the bloc’s much-touted unified tourist visa will not launch until 2026 because of the complexity of integrating six separate immigration and biometric systems.
Indian leisure and MICE traffic to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE has been growing at 24 % year-on-year, and tour operators had already bundled multi-country itineraries for the 2025-26 peak season. Airlines such as IndiGo, Air India Express and Vistara—together running more than 660 weekly flights to the GCC—will now have to retain separate visa-advice modules for each destination, increasing call-centre loads and passenger confusion.
If the extra paperwork feels daunting, Indian travellers can save headaches by using VisaHQ, which helps individuals and corporates navigate the differing visa requirements for all six GCC countries in one place. The Delhi-based portal offers step-by-step checklists, document pickup and real-time tracking so applicants don’t have to chase multiple consulates. Details are at https://www.visahq.com/india/.
![GCC’s ‘Schengen-style’ unified tourist visa postponed to 2026, denting Indian travel plans]()
Until the single visa arrives, corporates with regional hubs in Dubai, Doha and Riyadh must juggle differing medical-insurance rules, sponsor-letter formats and multiple-entry validity periods. Mobility advisers recommend applying at least three weeks in advance for Saudi and Qatari business visas and note that the UAE’s 60-day multiple-entry e-visa remains the quickest workaround.
GCC ministers insist the initiative is “delayed, not derailed” and hint at pilot e-visa trials by late 2025. Meanwhile, travel-management companies are updating clients’ cost models to reflect the need for up to six separate permits for multi-stop projects.
The postponement comes as the EU moves to tighten Schengen rules—a reminder that seamless regional mobility projects are difficult even for well-resourced blocs.
Indian leisure and MICE traffic to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE has been growing at 24 % year-on-year, and tour operators had already bundled multi-country itineraries for the 2025-26 peak season. Airlines such as IndiGo, Air India Express and Vistara—together running more than 660 weekly flights to the GCC—will now have to retain separate visa-advice modules for each destination, increasing call-centre loads and passenger confusion.
If the extra paperwork feels daunting, Indian travellers can save headaches by using VisaHQ, which helps individuals and corporates navigate the differing visa requirements for all six GCC countries in one place. The Delhi-based portal offers step-by-step checklists, document pickup and real-time tracking so applicants don’t have to chase multiple consulates. Details are at https://www.visahq.com/india/.
Until the single visa arrives, corporates with regional hubs in Dubai, Doha and Riyadh must juggle differing medical-insurance rules, sponsor-letter formats and multiple-entry validity periods. Mobility advisers recommend applying at least three weeks in advance for Saudi and Qatari business visas and note that the UAE’s 60-day multiple-entry e-visa remains the quickest workaround.
GCC ministers insist the initiative is “delayed, not derailed” and hint at pilot e-visa trials by late 2025. Meanwhile, travel-management companies are updating clients’ cost models to reflect the need for up to six separate permits for multi-stop projects.
The postponement comes as the EU moves to tighten Schengen rules—a reminder that seamless regional mobility projects are difficult even for well-resourced blocs.
