The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) quietly confirmed on 22 January that its much-anticipated Schengen-style ‘GCC Grand Tours’ visa will not debut until “sometime in 2026,” scrapping the earlier 2025 target (economictimes.indiatimes.com). The single permit is designed to let tourists—including India’s 10-million-plus annual Gulf visitors—move freely among the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain on one authorisation.
Officials blame the postponement on delays in integrating immigration databases and security-screening protocols across six sovereign states. Back-end testing revealed compatibility gaps in API-Passenger Name Record systems and biometric-watch-list integrations, prompting ministers to order phased pilots rather than a region-wide ‘big bang.’
Indian travellers and corporate travel desks looking for a streamlined workaround in the interim can turn to VisaHQ, which consolidates the separate UAE, Saudi, Qatari, Omani, Kuwaiti and Bahraini applications on a single dashboard and offers document checking, courier pick-up and real-time status alerts: https://www.visahq.com/india/. The service also tracks shifting biometric and insurance requirements, sparing users the repetitive data entry and compliance headaches that accompany multi-country Gulf itineraries.
![Gulf bloc delays launch of ‘GCC Grand Tours’ unified visa to late 2026]()
For Indian travellers the deferment means maintaining the current patchwork of national e-visas and on-arrival schemes. Corporate mobility teams sending employees to multi-country project sites—common in energy, construction and IT services—must still juggle separate documentation, duplicate medical insurance and entry-exit reporting requirements. Travel managers should revisit per-diem budgeting: the new visa was expected to lower compliance costs by up to 30 percent; those savings are now at least a year away.
Tourism boards insist the visa will eventually boost intra-Gulf travel by 20 percent. Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism told ET that the extra lead-time would let it expand smart-gate coverage for Indian e-passport holders. Saudi Arabia is simultaneously piloting UPI payments for its e-Visa portal, signalling the bloc’s intent to court the Indian middle class.
Until the unified scheme materialises, experts advise Indian firms to book longer appointment windows between client meetings in different GCC states, and to monitor each country’s evolving COVID-certificate and health-insurance rules, which remain unharmonised.
Officials blame the postponement on delays in integrating immigration databases and security-screening protocols across six sovereign states. Back-end testing revealed compatibility gaps in API-Passenger Name Record systems and biometric-watch-list integrations, prompting ministers to order phased pilots rather than a region-wide ‘big bang.’
Indian travellers and corporate travel desks looking for a streamlined workaround in the interim can turn to VisaHQ, which consolidates the separate UAE, Saudi, Qatari, Omani, Kuwaiti and Bahraini applications on a single dashboard and offers document checking, courier pick-up and real-time status alerts: https://www.visahq.com/india/. The service also tracks shifting biometric and insurance requirements, sparing users the repetitive data entry and compliance headaches that accompany multi-country Gulf itineraries.
For Indian travellers the deferment means maintaining the current patchwork of national e-visas and on-arrival schemes. Corporate mobility teams sending employees to multi-country project sites—common in energy, construction and IT services—must still juggle separate documentation, duplicate medical insurance and entry-exit reporting requirements. Travel managers should revisit per-diem budgeting: the new visa was expected to lower compliance costs by up to 30 percent; those savings are now at least a year away.
Tourism boards insist the visa will eventually boost intra-Gulf travel by 20 percent. Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism told ET that the extra lead-time would let it expand smart-gate coverage for Indian e-passport holders. Saudi Arabia is simultaneously piloting UPI payments for its e-Visa portal, signalling the bloc’s intent to court the Indian middle class.
Until the unified scheme materialises, experts advise Indian firms to book longer appointment windows between client meetings in different GCC states, and to monitor each country’s evolving COVID-certificate and health-insurance rules, which remain unharmonised.
