After missing its original 2025 target, the long-awaited Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Unified Tourist Visa is now officially slated for introduction in 2026, according to senior officials quoted by The Times of India. The so-called ‘Grand Tours Visa’ will allow travellers to move freely across all six GCC states—United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman—on a single permit, echoing Europe’s Schengen model.
For UAE-based companies, the single visa promises smoother regional project work, sales tours and incentive travel. Today, executives hopping from Dubai to Riyadh to Doha must juggle multiple e-visa portals, payment systems and lead times; under the unified scheme only one application and fee will be required, cutting administrative overhead and enabling same-day cross-border itineraries.
To simplify preparations, VisaHQ offers an online portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) where corporates and leisure travellers can pre-assess documentation, get real-time updates and set up one-click applications the moment the GCC Unified Tourist Visa is activated—mirroring the streamlined experience the new permit promises.
![Schengen-style GCC Unified Tourist Visa confirmed for 2026 roll-out]()
Tourism authorities expect the visa to boost combined Gulf arrivals by up to 40 percent within three years, as operators package multi-country desert-to-city itineraries. Dubai’s Department of Economy & Tourism is already designing stop-over add-ons that slot neatly between meetings in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District and leisure weekends in Oman’s fjords.
Key details—price point, validity (rumoured at 30 or 90 days) and biometric enrolment—are being finalised by GCC interior ministries. Analysts believe the UAE will push for full digital issuance via existing ICP and GDRFA platforms, leveraging its mature e-border infrastructure.
Mobility teams should start mapping how the new visa could replace current multi-entry UAE visit visas for road-warrior staff who regularly cross into Saudi Arabia or Qatar. Travel-policy updates may be needed to reflect unified-visa eligibility, medical-insurance rules and potential local-sponsor requirements that still vary by emirate.
For UAE-based companies, the single visa promises smoother regional project work, sales tours and incentive travel. Today, executives hopping from Dubai to Riyadh to Doha must juggle multiple e-visa portals, payment systems and lead times; under the unified scheme only one application and fee will be required, cutting administrative overhead and enabling same-day cross-border itineraries.
To simplify preparations, VisaHQ offers an online portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) where corporates and leisure travellers can pre-assess documentation, get real-time updates and set up one-click applications the moment the GCC Unified Tourist Visa is activated—mirroring the streamlined experience the new permit promises.
Tourism authorities expect the visa to boost combined Gulf arrivals by up to 40 percent within three years, as operators package multi-country desert-to-city itineraries. Dubai’s Department of Economy & Tourism is already designing stop-over add-ons that slot neatly between meetings in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District and leisure weekends in Oman’s fjords.
Key details—price point, validity (rumoured at 30 or 90 days) and biometric enrolment—are being finalised by GCC interior ministries. Analysts believe the UAE will push for full digital issuance via existing ICP and GDRFA platforms, leveraging its mature e-border infrastructure.
Mobility teams should start mapping how the new visa could replace current multi-entry UAE visit visas for road-warrior staff who regularly cross into Saudi Arabia or Qatar. Travel-policy updates may be needed to reflect unified-visa eligibility, medical-insurance rules and potential local-sponsor requirements that still vary by emirate.
