GCC single Tourist Visa likely by next year..
A senior official at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said the six member states are currently working on setting up an automatic system for exchanging information online, to facilitate enforcing a single tourist visa system.
Abdullah Al Shobaili, Assistant Undersecretary at the GCC for Economic affairs, told Saudi-based daily Al Hayat that an agreement between the AGCC countries requires enforcement of different technical elements, especially the presence of an automatic system that links the member countries, a matter involving several entities at the government machineries in every country.
“The issue had been discussed at the joint meeting between the Tourist Cooperation Committee in the AGCC and the GCC Tourist counterpart in the AGCC Chambers of commerce and industry, which was held in Fujairah last year,” he said, noting that, the meeting had been subjected to extensive study.
He, however, a unified GCC law on combating trade fraud and a statute for the protection of consumers are near to completion. The two laws aim at protecting the parties concerned in the whole manufacturing process- producers, consumers, distributors, importers, exporters and the economic environment in general.
Meanwhile, security sources disclosed that the draft bill of issuing the GCC single tourist visa, which is similar to the European single one (Schengen Visitor Visa), is subject to the completion of some technical procedures and is expected to commence in mid-2014.
The sources said the draft bill would be the most comprehensive in the field of security cooperation among the GCC states, as it will create a unified GCC security enquiry and information that issues a GCC visa without reservation as per a code suitable for use in the GCC states.
The system will enable the visitor with a GCC visit visa from entering all GCC countries. Moreover, it is connected with the blacklists which contain names and fingerprints of persons banned from entry to each and every member country. [email protected]
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/governme...
This article, and the others circulating on the net, are derived from two sources - Abdullah Al-Shobaily, assistant secretary-general for economic matters at the GCC, and anonymous security sources, whose background and place of employment is not disclosed. The GCC official has, at no point, given an indication of when the changes will be implemented, so instead the headline has relied on reports from the anonymous sources. Not terribly reliable, in my view.
It's main purpose is security. Can't see a single visa working - especially in Kuwait or Saudi.
It has to happen before they finalize the Rail thing or how will they send labourers on the Railway all the way from here to Nepal... at Qr 200
Qatar Airways will lose 80% traffic...lol
Thanks Blistering. I don't typically read paragraphs that rely on 'sources' to 'disclose' details!
It reminds of a story from 2003, when the GCC states agreed to the goal of a unified currency by 2010.
I don't know which will happen first - a common currency, or a common visa system. My bet would be neither will ever happen, as long as the GCC states continue their fighting.
Fubar 5th Para
"Meanwhile, security sources disclosed that the draft bill of issuing the GCC single tourist visa, which is similar to the European single one (Schengen Visitor Visa), is subject to the completion of some technical procedures and is expected to commence in mid-2014."
thinking mode!
Where does it actually say in that article that there will be a single visa, allowing for a visa holder to travel freely from one country to another?
What it does say is that there will be a 'single visa system' - ie they will pool together all the data about visa applicants, and if you have a bad debt, or a criminal problem in one GCC country, you will be blacklisted from all the others.
So GCC Union complete?
When is the india+Pakistan+Bangladesh+Srilanka+Nepal Union coming?
And Philippines+Indonesia+Malaysia Union = Maphilindo
It must happen according to the One World Order...lol
but possible in some of the member states ......
mmmmmmmmmmmmm
wishful thinking like common currency!!!
will never happen!
Does anyone really believe that Saudi will allow tourists to enter at will ?
Nothing new, only system integration.
I believe the last sentence really sums it up -
"Moreover, it is connected with the blacklists which contain names and fingerprints of persons banned from entry to each and every member country."