GCC unified visa delay reshapes Middle East travel

The GCC unified visa delay has become a defining story for regional travel planning in 2025. What began as a formally approved plan in November 2023 , the so‑called ‘GCC Grand Tours’ tourist visa , moved through accelerated technical work in 2024 and 2025 but has been pushed from an initial end‑of‑2025 target into 2026.

Officials and ministers continue to frame the project as transformative for Gulf tourism even as they acknowledge unresolved issues. Pilots and one‑stop processing trials are now the near‑term focus, and travellers, airlines and tour operators are already adjusting plans to reflect a phased implementation rather than an immediate Schengen‑style rollout.

Timeline: approvals, promises and a revised launch window

The unified visa idea advanced formally when GCC interior ministers approved the ‘GCC Grand Tours’ tourist visa in November 2023. Technical work accelerated across 2024 and into 2025, with public briefings and ministerial statements tracking progress.

On June 2, 2025, GCC Secretary‑General Jasem Al‑Budaiwi reported to the Ministerial Council that technical preparations had advanced and the visa was expected to be finalised ‘before the end of 2025.’ That statement reflected earlier optimism and a clear public timetable.

By November 2025, however, Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al‑Khateeb publicly revised expectations, saying the unified visa was now expected in 2026. The shift confirmed a delay from earlier targets and formalised a move from a single launch date toward a phased and pilot‑driven approach.

Why rollout slipped: security, data and national differences

Officials repeatedly cited security risks and the need for robust data‑sharing frameworks as primary reasons for slowing the timetable. Different national rules on admissibility and nationality restrictions proved harder to reconcile than early political statements suggested.

Oman’s Minister of Heritage & Tourism, Salim Al‑Mahrouqi, told the Omani Shura Council on March 26, 2025 that ‘the unified GCC visa is still in the research phase,’ explicitly highlighting security issues, data‑sharing frameworks and immigration control as unresolved items that can delay rollout.

Beyond politics, technical integration , real‑time traveller verification, biometric links across national systems and cross‑border violation tracking , places heavy demands on a shared digital platform. Those operational dependencies, coupled with legal and privacy considerations, underpinned the decision to slow a full roll‑out.

Design and user experience: Schengen‑style, digital portal, and visa options

Public reporting and regional briefings have described the unified tourist visa as Schengen‑style for tourism and family visits, with digital applications processed via a central portal. The aim is streamlined, multi‑destination travel for eligible tourists, with clear online workflows and visa management.

Reported pilot specifications indicate likely validity options of about 30 or 90 days and choices between single‑country entry or multi‑country access , proposals intended to balance flexibility with national sovereignty over admissibility. Provisional fee ranges were circulated during briefing rounds to help planners estimate costs.

Despite the blueprint, authorities stress that digital and biometric integrations must meet security and legal standards before full deployment. Until those pieces are signed off, the portal, pilot enrolments and final business rules remain subject to change.

Economic stakes: passenger flows, spending and jobs

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GCC ministers and tourism officials have framed a unified visa as a way to capture untapped travel demand inside the region. Saudi and UAE officials noted regional airlines carried nearly 150 million passengers in the prior year, but only about 70 million trips were intra‑GCC , a gap that a single permit could help close by simplifying multi‑stop itineraries.

Regional media cited WTTC forecasts to underline the stakes: the UAE’s international visitor spending was projected to reach AED 228.5 billion (≈USD 62.2bn) in 2025, with the travel and tourism sector supporting roughly 925,000 jobs. Those numbers are used to argue that streamlined mobility is a strategic priority for economic diversification.

For governments and investors, the promise is clear: easier regional travel could lift hotel occupancy, cross‑border tours and airline multi‑stop bookings. For citizens and businesses, the question is whether the security, legal and technical tradeoffs are worth the anticipated gains , and whether pilots will validate the model.

Operational pilots: one‑stop travel and the UAE‑Bahrain trial

To make progress without full harmonisation, GCC interior ministers approved a ‘one‑stop’ travel system for GCC nationals and set a pilot between the UAE and Bahrain for December 2025. One‑stop processing completes immigration and security checks at departure only and, if successful, can be expanded to other members.

The one‑stop pilot reflects a pragmatic sequencing: prioritise intra‑GCC citizens for faster gains while deferring the more complex international‑tourist unified visa until technical and legal frameworks are in place. Early trials will test airport integrations, biometric handoffs and the operational rules for departure‑based clearance.

Officials and analysts say the pilot will be a bellwether. Its technical success , from biometrics to airport IT upgrades (discussions have even referenced next‑generation Wi‑Fi and other ICT investments) , will inform the pace and shape of subsequent rollouts for non‑citizen tourists.

Market and industry implications: near‑term reshaping of travel patterns

Analysts and industry stakeholders told regional press the delay and the move to a separate one‑stop pilot reshapes near‑term outcomes. GCC citizens may see tangible speed and convenience gains sooner, while international multi‑destination tourists will likely wait longer for single‑permit convenience.

Airlines and tour operators are already adjusting route and itinerary strategies: short‑term product plans will favour existing bilateral and national visa arrangements, and marketing will stress one‑stop benefits for GCC travellers where pilots apply. Multi‑stop promotions targeting foreign visitors may be scaled back or restructured until multi‑country access is operational.

For the travel ecosystem, the phased approach reduces immediate disruption but prolongs uncertainty for large‑scale multi‑destination campaigns. Investors and destination managers will watch pilot outcomes closely to decide on promotional budgets and product investment across 2026.

What to watch next: pilots, portal and data agreements

Three official milestones will determine the program’s trajectory: (1) the results and evaluation of the UAE‑Bahrain one‑stop pilot scheduled for December 2025; (2) any public release of a unified‑visa portal or pilot details during late‑2025 or 2026; and (3) formal agreements on data‑sharing, admissibility lists and national exceptions , the items Oman and others have flagged as outstanding.

Operational transparency will matter. Clear public criteria for admissibility, privacy safeguards for biometric data, and published technical interoperability standards will increase industry confidence and help travellers plan multi‑stop trips with less risk.

Conversely, any further slippage or opaque handling of security exceptions could delay commercial rollouts and keep multi‑destination tourists applying for separate national visas for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion: The GCC unified visa delay alters more than a launch date. It shifts the sequence of reforms, places a premium on pilots and technical proof, and reframes how airlines, hotels and tour operators design products for the Gulf market. Travellers should plan on national visa requirements and watch the December one‑stop trial and 2026 signals for the next major change.

Policymakers present a familiar tradeoff: accelerate convenience and risk gaps in security and data protection, or delay to build robust interoperability and legal frameworks. The coming months will tell whether the phased, pilot‑led path produces a secure, scalable unified visa or simply prolongs a complex integration that the region still needs.