Home›Plan a Trip›Visas and Entry›GCC Unified Tourist Visa
Plan a Trip
The GCC unified tourist visa, often called "GCC Grand Tours," will one day let visitors travel across all six Gulf states on a single permit. It has been approved and is being prepared, but as of October 2026 it is not yet open for applications.
Updated
At a glance
The idea is simple and bold: one visa that lets a traveler move freely between the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, much as a Schengen visa does across Europe. Leaders approved the plan at the 44th GCC Summit in December 2023, and the secretariat and member states have been working through the technical side since, from shared immigration systems to data exchange.
In September 2026, the GCC's Secretary-General said the visa would arrive soon, and Gulf tourism ministers meeting in Manama that month reviewed the work on tourism integration. No date has yet been set. We will update this page as soon as an official launch is announced.
Dubai, Abu Dhabi and five more emirates. Explore the UAE.
AlUla, the Red Sea, Riyadh and Jeddah. Explore Saudi Arabia.
Doha's museums, Lusail and the desert. Explore Qatar.
Manama, pearling heritage and the Grand Prix. Explore Bahrain.
Kuwait City's towers, souks and museums. Explore Kuwait.
Muscat, mountains, fjords and frankincense. Explore Oman.
Official rules have not been published, so treat any detail you read elsewhere as provisional. Reports from Gulf media have described a single online application, a stay of around a month across the member states, and a fee in the region of other Gulf tourist visas, but none of this has been confirmed by the GCC or a member government. Final decisions on validity, single or multiple entry, eligible nationalities and price are still to be announced.
Until the unified visa arrives, Americans can already combine Gulf countries easily under each country's own rules.
| Country | Entry for US citizens today | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|
| UAE | Free 30-day visa on arrival | Free |
| Saudi Arabia | Tourist eVisa or visa on arrival, 1 year multiple entry | About US$130–145 |
| Qatar | Visa-free on arrival, up to 90 days | Free |
| Oman | Visa-free for up to 14 days; eVisa for longer stays | Varies |
| Bahrain | eVisa or visa on arrival | About US$13–45 |
| Kuwait | eVisa or visa on arrival | About US$33 |
Do not wait. For an American, a week combining Dubai, Doha and Muscat needs little or no advance paperwork (check Oman's eVisa portal), and adding Saudi Arabia takes a few minutes online with the Saudi tourist eVisa. Our trip ideas and the full visa guide will help you shape the route.
No. As of October 2026 it has not launched and no official application portal exists.
No date has been announced. GCC officials said in September 2026 that it would come soon.
It is expected to sit alongside them. Each country's own visa and visa-free arrangements should continue.
Ultra-Luxury Real Estate · Own Here
Across the Middle East, the finest resorts and the finest homes now sit side by side, and many international buyers own before they ever visit.
Ultra-Luxury Tourism & Ultra-Luxury Real Estate
Checked October 2026. Prices and dates are approximate and can change. See our standard.