Five Gulf States Near Start of Schengen Visa-Waiver Process, GCC Chief Says

Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar are 'very close' to beginning the formal procedural process that could lead to visa-free travel to Europe's Schengen area, according to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, Gulf News reported.

Speaking on Arab News's Arab Views programme, Al Budaiwi said the second GCC-EU summit scheduled for October 24 in Riyadh is expected to yield progress across multiple dossiers, adding that he expects 'something positive' regarding Schengen visa exemptions for the five remaining GCC nations.

Al Budaiwi clarified that the anticipated step marks the start of the formal procedural track required for a full exemption rather than an immediate implementation of visa-free travel. The UAE is currently the sole GCC member state whose citizens can enter the Schengen area without a short-stay visa under a May 2015 agreement permitting stays up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

In recent years, the European Union has eased visa policies for other Gulf states while broader waiver negotiations continued. Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman have been eligible for five-year multiple-entry Schengen visas since April 2024, following similar arrangements implemented for Kuwaiti and Qatari nationals in 2023.

A 2022 European Commission proposal to grant short-stay visa exemptions to Kuwait and Qatar remains pending before the European Parliament awaiting its first-reading position.