Sunday, May 5

GCC Countries Get 5-Year Valid Schengen Visa

Edited by Hiba Anvar
GCC Countries Get 5-Year Valid Schengen Visa (image-twitter/ludovic_pouille)

The European Union on Monday decided to grant the GCC countries a five-year valid multiple-entry visa. This decision was announced by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. 

This landmark decision which was announced at the opening session of the first high-level EU-GCC Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation in Luxembourg, allows the citizens of the GCC countries to visit the EU multiple times over a period of five years with the same visa. But the citizens with a passport validity of more than 5 years can only enjoy the benefit. 

Ludovic Pouille, French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in his post on X, announcing the recent development wrote, “Saudi citizens will now be able to obtain Schengen visas for a period of five years upon their first request,” he said while emphasizing that the European decision was strongly supported by Paris. “We look forward to seeing more Saudis in France, whether for tourism or work,” he added.

The Schengen Visa renowned for its flexibility in enabling seamless travel across most European Union (EU) member states, holds paramount importance for travellers seeking to explore the cultural and economic riches of Europe. 

This new decision is expected to foster greater socio-cultural exchanges and also to hold promising implications for bolstering economic ties and tourism between the regions. 

As European countries are moving towards a unified visa system, the harmonisation of visa regulations stands as a testament to the commitment towards fostering closer cooperation and connectivity between Europe and its global partners. 

In the open session forum, GCC Secretary General Jasim Albudaiwi said that holding the forum confirms the utmost keenness in further enhancing relation with the European Union. The GCC Countries include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.