UK visa requirements for GCC nationals to end from 2023

Nationals of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will be exempt from UK visa requirements to visit Britain from 2023, the UK government has announced. Under the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme set to launch next year, citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will no longer need to apply for a UK visa.

Eligible GCC countries will join the likes of the USA and Canada whose citizens will be exempt from needing a UK visit visa to travel to Britain. UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said: “This move means that Gulf states will be among the first countries in the world to benefit from ETAs and visa-free travel to the UK.”

“Our number one priority is the security of the UK border and by launching ETAs we can ensure that everyone wishing to travel to the UK has permission to do so in advance of travel and refuse those who pose a threat,” Patel added.

Electronic Travel Authorisation system 

Britain’s new ETA system is part of a wider UK government plan to fully digitize British borders by the end of 2025 and mirrors the list of nationals who do not currently need UK visas for short stays in Britain or transiting through the country. 

Once granted, the ETA acts a multi-travel visa that covers extended stays in the UK. However, until its launch, GCC nationals can still benefit from access to the Electronic Visa Waiver scheme, which can be completed online prior to travelling to Britain.

The Home Office has described the new ETA process as ‘straightforward’ and that the scheme will provide an ‘additional security measure that allows the government to block national security threats, but will also give individuals more assurance at an earlier point in time about their ability to travel to Britain’. 

Landmark moment

The UAE state-owned media agency, WAM, described the UK government’s announcement as a ‘landmark moment’.

A spokesperson for the agency said: “The decision will further cement the UK as one of the most popular tourist destinations for Emiratis and will hugely benefit the many UAE citizens visiting the UK each year. In addition, granting the UAE greater access to the UK will further strengthen the significant economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries.”

An official statement from the news agency said: “The UAE is one of the UK’s most important trading partners in the region and one of the fastest-growing markets for UK exports.”

“The UAE and UK signed a Partnership for the Future and the Sovereign Investment Partnership last year, strengthening collaboration across a variety of areas, such as energy transition, sustainability, education, and cultural development,” the agency statement added.

UAE ambassador to the UK, Mansoor Abulhoul, said: “Achieving greater ease of travel for Emiratis seeking to visit the UK has been one of our top priorities. Their travel to the UK for leisure or business will be hugely simplified. This is a historic achievement and indicates the high regard in which the UAE is held in the UK and internationally.”

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