The European Union has announced a relaxation of the visa rules for citizens of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. As per the new rules, nationals of these three GCC countries will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, allowing them to visit the EU multiple times over five years with the same visa.
The updated visa code is part of a concept known as the “cascade,” a “harmonized approach” to issuing multiple-entry visas with long validity for all eligible applicants, including first-time travellers.
During the validity period of these visas, holders enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals.
This update aims to standardize visa regulations for all GCC countries whose citizens require visas to access the Schengen Area.
The implementation of the five-year visa rule marks a significant step forward in strengthening people-to-people relations between the EU and the GCC.
The Schengen Area, which includes 29 European countries and is the largest free-travel zone globally, expanded last February to include Bulgaria and Romania, eliminating all air and maritime border controls.
| Austria | Denmark | Greece | Liechtenstein | Norway | Slovenia |
| Belgium | Estonia | Hungary | Lithuania | Poland | Spain |
| Bulgaria | Finland | Iceland | Luxembourg | Portugal | Sweden |
| Czech Republic | France | Italy | Malta | Romania | Switzerland |
| Croatia | Germany | Latvia | Netherlands | Slovakia |
