The unified Gulf tourist visa project, which was recently approved by the Interior Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, is expected to enter into force at the beginning of 2025. The sources stated that with the Interior Ministers approving the project, the relevant technical committees, whether joint or for each country, will begin work on preparing and reviewing the requirements and conditions necessary for application, in accordance with the laws and regulations of each country.
While the sources praised the project, which will contribute to facilitating and streamlining the movement of residents and tourists between the Gulf countries, with its positive repercussions on the economic and tourism sectors, they pointed out that the adoption of the project does not necessarily mean automatic approval from all countries to allow the entry of the visa holder, reports Al-Rai daily.
The sources explained that according to the initial concepts of the project, the visa applicant will apply for it through a unified platform, where the application will be scrutinized and approvals will be taken from all countries before issuing the visa. If there is an objection in one or more countries, the visa will be issued conditional on entering the approved countries only.
The sources indicated that in this context, Kuwait, for example, has barriers to the entry of some nationalities into the country, and therefore this will be among the conditions that will be presented to the relevant committees, whether before the launch of the project, or after implementation, indicating that with regard to visa applicants deported from the country or those against whom sentences have been issued, their names are automatically circulated among the Gulf states in accordance with the security agreements in this regard.
The sources revealed that the project includes setting special visa fees, indicating that the Residency Affairs Sector in the Ministry of Interior preparing a study that includes amending visa fees of various types, so that they are part of the foreigners’ residency law expected to be discussed in the National Assembly next December, pointing out in this regard that Kuwait among the Gulf countries os the cheapest in terms of visa fees, and there is an urgent need to adjust these fees.
