The EU will now allow citizens from Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain to apply for five-year Schengen visas. This marks a significant step forward in strengthening people-to-people relations between the EU and the GCC.
The Schengen Area, which includes 29 European countries, was expanded last February to include Bulgaria and Romania, eliminating all air and maritime border controls. Citizens from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia have already been exempted from the UK’s pre-entry visa requirements.
Speaking during the opening session of the first high-level Forum on Regional Security and Co-operation between the bloc and the GCC in Luxembourg, EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said, “I welcome a decision adopted by the European Commission this morning to harmonise the rules for granting multiple-entry visas for the citizens of the GCC countries.”
“The landmark decision allows Saudi citizens to visit the EU multiple times over a period of five years with the same visa. During the visa validity period, holders of the visa enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals. As per the updated visa code, visa regulations are standardized for all GCC countries whose citizens require visas to access the Schengen Area.”
“The implementation of the five-year visa rule marks a significant step forward in strengthening people-to-people relations between the EU and the GCC. The announcement at the EU-GCC Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation will be a big boost to the enhanced ties and bilateral cooperation between the two sides. Saudi Arabia is represented by a high level delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, at the forum.”
On the GCC side, this past October 2023 at at GCC meeting of tourism ministers, Abdulla bin Touq, UAE’s Minister of Economy, offered that a single unified tourist visa system that would simplify travel within the GCC region and boost tourism across the Gulf states, is expected to be rolled out within the next two years.
“Specific regulations and legislation for the visa will be developed, with a targeted roll-out between 2024 and 2025, subject to the readiness of each GCC country’s internal systems,” Mr. bin Touq said.
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