The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has announced that the pilot phase of its unified tourist visa is expected to launch by the end of this year. The announcement comes following 2025’s roll-out being postponed due to delays in the installation of biometric kiosks at Dubai and King Khalid International Airports, and full sharing of border databases.
The pilot is said to begin with a two-country corridor that will link the UAE to Bahrain. It involves testing real-time data-sharing, QR code validation at smart gates as well as shared tracking of visa overstays.
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy, confirmed that the six GCC countries had agreed on technical specifications, biometric standards as well as the implementation of a single digital platform.
A draft fee schedule has also been proposed, with the visa expected to cost between US$100 (R1 600) and US$150 (R2 400). It will grant stays of 30 to 90 days. Application processing times are expected to be from three to seven days with travellers receiving approval via email.
