{"id":7022356,"date":"2026-02-05T11:33:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T10:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/?p=7022356"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:08:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:08:20","slug":"traveling-to-the-middle-east-how-the-future-unified-tourist-visa-will-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/blog\/voyager-au-moyen-orient-comment-fonctionnera-le-futur-visa-touristique-unifie\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East: how will the future unified tourist visa work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to revolutionize tourism in the region with the long-awaited launch of its unified tourist visa. Often compared to the European Schengen visa, this new sesame will enable travelers to explore all six member countries - the GCC, the European Union and the United States. <strong>Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman<\/strong> - with a single travel authorization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gemini_Generated_Image_rzup67rzup67rzup-1-1024x559.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7022360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gemini_Generated_Image_rzup67rzup67rzup-1-1024x559.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gemini_Generated_Image_rzup67rzup67rzup-1-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gemini_Generated_Image_rzup67rzup67rzup-1-768x419.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gemini_Generated_Image_rzup67rzup67rzup-1-1536x838.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gemini_Generated_Image_rzup67rzup67rzup-1-2048x1117.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Gemini_Generated_Image_rzup67rzup67rzup-1-18x10.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <strong>Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri<\/strong>, Minister of the Economy of the United Arab Emirates, the technical hurdles have been cleared: member countries have agreed on biometric standards and the launch of a single digital portal to manage applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the key details concerning launch date, eligibility and expected costs, according to the latest information available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Launch by 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially scheduled for the end of 2025, the project has been postponed due to the technical complexity of harmonizing immigration and security systems between the six sovereign states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pilot phase:<\/strong> Expected for <strong>end 2026<\/strong>. It could start with tests on specific corridors (such as between the Emirates and Bahrain).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Full deployment :<\/strong> Planned once all biometric and security systems are interconnected, probably in early 2027, although the authorities maintain the target of 2026 for the official launch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who will benefit?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This \u201cGrand Tours\u201d visa is primarily designed for foreign visitors (tourists, business travelers) wishing to <strong>combine several destinations<\/strong> without the need for multiple individual visa applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>THE <strong>eligibility criteria<\/strong> include :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A valid passport (usually with at least 6 months' validity remaining).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Travel documents (return ticket, accommodation reservation).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Travel insurance covering all GCC countries (probable).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The entire procedure should be digitized via a <strong>centralized online application portal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cost and validity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the official price list has not yet been confirmed, the price of a visa is estimated at between <strong>100 and 150 US dollars<\/strong> (around 90 to 140 euros). This rate would make it competitive with the cumulative cost of six separate visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for the length of the stay, several options are on the table:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A visa from <strong>30 days<\/strong> (single or multiple entry).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Possible extensions from <strong>60 to 90 days<\/strong> for long stays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Potentially flexible validity depending on the purpose of the trip (tourism or business).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 This is our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/blog\/towards-a-unified-visa-for-the-gcc-launch-of-the-one-stop-shop-system-emirates-bahrain-des-2026\/\">last news<\/a> about the new unified electronic platform and one-stop shop.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to revolutionize tourism in the region with the long-awaited launch of its unified tourist visa. Often compared to the European Schengen visa, this new sesame will enable travelers to explore the six member countries - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman - with ... <a title=\"Middle East: how will the future unified tourist visa work?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/blog\/voyager-au-moyen-orient-comment-fonctionnera-le-futur-visa-touristique-unifie\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Middle East: how will the future unified tourist visa work?\">Read the article<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7022357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7022356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moyen-orient"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7022356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7022356"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7022356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7022370,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7022356\/revisions\/7022370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7022357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7022356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7022356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visamundi.co\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7022356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}