EU Opens Visa Waiver Roadmap for Five Gulf Nations, but Visas Still Required

The Council of the European Union formally endorsed the launch of a visa waiver process for citizens of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain on October 19, 2026, though short-stay visa requirements remain fully in effect for all five nations.

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The decision applies directly to nationals of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain traveling to the Schengen area for short stays.

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Travelers from these five states cannot enter the Schengen area visa-free today. Full visa exemption will require a formal proposal from the European Commission, approval from both the European Parliament and the Council, and individual bilateral visa waiver agreements signed with each government once technical benchmarks are met.

In 2025, citizens from these five Gulf countries submitted 881,901 Schengen visa applications, representing 7.2% of all applications worldwide. Saudi Arabian nationals accounted for the bulk of this volume, filing 553,967 applications, a 40.5% increase compared to 2019 levels.

The Council adopted five separate decisions (documents 14630/26 for Saudi Arabia, 14629/26 for Qatar, 14626/26 for Kuwait, 14627/26 for Oman, and 14621/26 for Bahrain). Each text establishes that lifting the visa obligation will only be considered after a country completely fulfills all regulatory benchmarks.

Currently, the United Arab Emirates remains the only Gulf Cooperation Council member whose citizens hold Schengen visa exemption, under an agreement active since May 6, 2015. A previous 2022 proposal to grant visa waivers to Kuwait and Qatar has remained stalled in the European Parliament since December 2022.