The Gulf Cooperation Council recently announced that it has approved the one-stop travel system. This has been designed to simplify the cross-border movement for citizens of member states. As it happens, this was mentioned in a report of the Gulf News. It also mentioned that the pilot phase is set to launch between the UAE and Bahrain. As it happens, it could be as early as December this year!
GCC Approves Of One-Stop Travel System
The report mentioned how the GCC has approved a one-stop travel system. With the aim of simplifying cross-border travel for citizens of member states, this is an initiative that was taken at the 42nd meeting of the GCC Interior Ministers in Kuwait City. The report mentioned Kuwait News Agency had revealed that the new system will allow national travellers from states to complete their immigration, customs, and security checks at a single checkpoint. This will be on an on-arrival basis. As a result, it will eliminate multiple inspections and even reduce arrival processing time.
UAE & Bahrain To Be The First Participating Countries
So under this plan, the UAE and Bahrain will be the first participating countries. They will be applying the system to air travel between the two states. And if this pilot ends up being successful, the travel clearance model will then be expanded to all the other member states. For those who are wondering, the GCC states include Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain.
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To Be Supported By A Unified Electronic Platform
It should be noted that this new system, as mentioned in the report, will be supported by a unified electronic platform. This will allow authorities to track and share travel-related violations among member states. With the aim of making regional travel faster and more efficient, it is similar to the style coordination which is seen in the European Union. However, it’s worth noting that one must not confuse the one-stop travel system with the unified GCC Visa. The latter is expected to be introduced in 2026.
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