Indian corporates with operations in the Gulf should begin updating their travel playbooks after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) quietly published the first comprehensive application guide for its long-awaited Unified Tourist Visa. Released on February 8, the document confirms that a single digital permit will soon cover Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Under the scheme, travellers – including Indian passport holders, the largest visitor segment for several GCC states – will complete one online form, upload core documents (passport, photo, itinerary, hotel bookings, insurance and proof of funds) and pay a consolidated fee. Once approved they will be able to move freely across all six countries for the duration of their stay, replicating the border-less experience of Europe’s Schengen Area.
Although officials say pilot roll-outs will run later in 2026 before full launch, the publication of step-by-step instructions signals that technical integration between immigration systems is nearing completion. Travel managers should therefore prepare staff briefing notes, especially for project personnel who routinely shuttle between multiple Gulf worksites and currently juggle half-a-dozen separate visas.
![GCC’s new Schengen-style unified visa edges closer, promising smoother Gulf trips for Indians]()
For companies and individual travelers looking for a seamless way to keep track of these developments, VisaHQ can help. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the platform already consolidates visa requirements for each GCC country, offers real-time alerts on regulatory changes, and will enable users to submit the new Unified Tourist Visa as soon as applications open – all backed by dedicated support teams familiar with corporate compliance needs.
For Indian tour operators, the unified visa could be a game-changer: Gulf itineraries that combine Dubai shopping weekends with religious tourism in Saudi or desert adventures in Oman will be easier to market. Airlines are also expected to benefit as multi-city tickets become more attractive. However, corporates must watch for final rules on maximum stay, extension procedures, and whether business activities will require an upgrade from the tourist category.
In the short term the advice is to keep conventional visa processes in place but start mapping internal approval workflows to a single-application model. Early adopters are likely to enjoy shorter processing times and lower compliance spend once the system goes live.
Under the scheme, travellers – including Indian passport holders, the largest visitor segment for several GCC states – will complete one online form, upload core documents (passport, photo, itinerary, hotel bookings, insurance and proof of funds) and pay a consolidated fee. Once approved they will be able to move freely across all six countries for the duration of their stay, replicating the border-less experience of Europe’s Schengen Area.
Although officials say pilot roll-outs will run later in 2026 before full launch, the publication of step-by-step instructions signals that technical integration between immigration systems is nearing completion. Travel managers should therefore prepare staff briefing notes, especially for project personnel who routinely shuttle between multiple Gulf worksites and currently juggle half-a-dozen separate visas.
For companies and individual travelers looking for a seamless way to keep track of these developments, VisaHQ can help. Through its India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the platform already consolidates visa requirements for each GCC country, offers real-time alerts on regulatory changes, and will enable users to submit the new Unified Tourist Visa as soon as applications open – all backed by dedicated support teams familiar with corporate compliance needs.
For Indian tour operators, the unified visa could be a game-changer: Gulf itineraries that combine Dubai shopping weekends with religious tourism in Saudi or desert adventures in Oman will be easier to market. Airlines are also expected to benefit as multi-city tickets become more attractive. However, corporates must watch for final rules on maximum stay, extension procedures, and whether business activities will require an upgrade from the tourist category.
In the short term the advice is to keep conventional visa processes in place but start mapping internal approval workflows to a single-application model. Early adopters are likely to enjoy shorter processing times and lower compliance spend once the system goes live.
