The leaders of the European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held their first summit in Brussels, during which they shared their goals for the future and plans to build bridges between the people.
As part of their move to enhance people-to-people contacts, the EU and GCC leaders affirmed once again that they will continue to work together towards reaching a visa-free travel agreement, Schengen.News reports.
Gulf countries have for quite some time now been requiring the EU to take into consideration dropping the visa requirements for their citizens. No decision has been made yet on the matter, but the EU has already facilitated some of the visa conditions for these nationalities.
In addition to confirming that they will continue to take steps towards a visa-free travel agreement, the authorities of both parties also said that they will continue to work together for a deeper involvement of GCC students and academia in the Erasmus programme and in the development of support instruments in different fields, including sport, youth, and education, among others.
Of all the countries that are part of the GCC, only UAE is exempt from the visa requirements. Nationals of other countries – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman – need to hold a valid Schengen visa in order to be permitted entry into the EU.
Schengen Countries Have Been Offering Multiple-Entry Visas With 5-Year Validity for Saudis, Omanis & Bahrainis Since April
Since April of this year, nationals of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain have been eligible for multiple-entry Schengen visas with a validity period of five years as the Commission decided to facilitate the visa rules for them.
Under the eased visa rules, passport holders of these three countries with multiple entry visas are able to enter the territory of the Schengen Area several times within a year without needing to undergo any other procedures.
However, they must still meet the 90/180-day rule, which means that Saudis, Omanis, and Bahrainis are not permitted to remain within the area for more than three months within any six-month period.
Kuwaitis also enjoy facilitated Schengen visa rules. They are eligible for multiple-entry visas with five-year validity, just like the other nationalities mentioned above.
Most recent data from the Schengen Statistics Portal show that in 2023, nationals of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait filed a high number of Schengen visa applications.
Saudis applied for 428,954 visas, Omanis applied for 38,876 visas, Bahrainis applied for 22,709 visas, and Kuwaitis applied for 179,444 visas last year.
Source: https://schengen.news/eu-gcc-leaders-committed-to-working-together-to-reach-visa-free-travel-agreement/
