UAE and Bahrain to pilot GCC 'one-stop' travel system

GCC residents are set to benefit from faster and easier cross-border travel as the UAE and Bahrain prepare to pilot a new ‘one-stop’ travel system from December 2025. 

 

The initiative, unveiled at the GCC Interior Ministers’ summit in Kuwait City, will allow travellers to complete all immigration and security checks at a single checkpoint before departure, easing passenger flow between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, while standardising procedures across the region.

 

For travellers, this process will make journeys between GCC countries as simple as domestic flights once rolled out. 

 

Supporting this move is a unified electronic platform enabling member states to instantly share travel-relevant records, which is expected to reduce delays and enhance cooperation at border control. 

 

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The pilot paves the way for full regional deployment in 2026 and coincides with the launch of the long-awaited GCC Unified Visa – also referred to as the Grand Tours Visa – which is expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2026.

 

Set to further simplify journeys for residents and visitors, the GCC Unified Visa will grant seamless access across all six Gulf states for up to 30 days, eliminating the need for individual visas. Officials estimate it could boost tourist arrivals by up to 10 million annually.

 

Parallel developments, including the expansion of the Cruise Arabia alliance – which recently added Saudi Arabia and Qatar as members – and the ongoing development of the GCC railway network, are further supporting regional integration, making multi-destination itineraries more accessible and attractive to travellers and fuelling tourism growth across the region.

 

For more information, visit www.gcc-sg.org