Security Risks Cited by Oman to Potentially Delay GCC Unified Visa

In a recent meeting with the Shura Council, Oman’s Minister of Heritage and Tourism, Salem Al Mahrouqi, stated that the unified tourist visa program for Gulf countries was still in a “research phase” and is unlikely to be implemented in the near future.

The Omani minister cites numerous reasons for delaying or scrapping the unified visa program, including:

• Unresolved security issues
• Divergent views and policies between Gulf countries
• Problems with data sharing
• Poor immigration control

Currently, travelers to the Gulf region can use the GCC Unified Visa for hassle-free travel throughout Gulf countries. Rather than going through the lengthy process of applying for separate visas for each country a traveler intends to visit, they can apply for the GCC Unified Visa to cover entry to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

However, the visa is still in a testing phase and, after concerns raised by the Omani minister and other officials in the Gulf region, the program may be withdrawn or delayed rather than implemented fully.

Despite this, Minister Mahrouqi did admit that the direct added value of tourism to Oman has increased from 873 million Omani rials (approximately 2.27 billion USD) to 1 billion Omani rials (approximately 2.6 billion USD).