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A Schengen visa exemption for GCC nationals could be coming soon: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations are looking to strike an agreement with the European Union that would see Gulf citizens exempted from Schengen visas, GCC Secretary General Jasem AlBudaiwi told Saudi TV in an interview (watch, runtime: 3:00). Al Budaiwi said he’ll travel to Brussels next week for talks with the EU on the visa waiver scheme.
What AlBudaiwi is saying: “Our presence in Europe as Gulf citizens is positive … whether in the aspects of tourism, education, healthcare, and trade exchange.,” he said, adding that the GCC “deserves to be exempted from the visa”. He also highlighted the UK’s new no-visa travel waiver for GCC citizens, which went into force last month.
ALSO- Technical committees are currently reviewing the unified Schengen-style GCC visa adopted by the council in the Doha summit in December, he said. Holders of the visa would be allowed to travel easily between the six GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman and Qatar, he said. “They are currently reviewing the scheme in order to present it in its final form to member countries to adopt it,” he said.
