Al-Badawi: We Are Approaching Visa Waiver for Gulf Citizens to Schengen Area

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Al-Budaiwi announced that the process of visa exemption for GCC nationals who are still subject to Schengen visa requirements is nearing completion, predicting progress on the file during the GCC-Europe summit scheduled in Riyadh on October 24. In an interview with the “Arabs in Focus” program on Bloomberg Arabic, Al-Budaiwi stated that it is not possible to set a specific date for the implementation of the exemption, noting that the relevant countries will begin procedures simultaneously, but their completion will depend on each country’s requirements and the speed of providing the necessary information. The countries concerned are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman, while UAE nationals already benefit from exemption from short-stay visas under an agreement with the European Union that entered into force in May 2015. The European Council had previously announced that the second summit between the two sides would be held in Riyadh on October 24. Al-Budaiwi expressed hope that the summit would yield tangible results, including progress on the file concerning the movement of GCC nationals within the Schengen area. When asked about the possibility of achieving the exemption within a year, Al-Budaiwi avoided specifying a timeframe, clarifying that the review of countries’ files would proceed in parallel, but this does not mean that the procedures would be completed at the same time.