A New GCC Visa Coming Soon: Here’s What We Know

In the clandestine corridors of GCC diplomacy, a revolutionary visa structure is quietly taking shape. This covert initiative is poised to unravel the region’s best-kept secret – a travel revolution that transcends borders. While still shrouded in mystery, this enigmatic project holds the promise of a new era in GCC tourism, destined to bewitch both residents and nationals.

Stepping out of the shadows, the UAE’s Minister of Economy, Abdulla bin Touq, hinted at this clandestine vision. Like a modern-day alchemist, he revealed a plan that could reshape tourism within the GCC. The proposal, though in its embryonic phase, carries the potential to redefine how people traverse the mystical landscapes and cultures of the region.

Unmasking the Future of GCC Tourism

Abdulla bin Touq tantalizingly shared, “Hopefully, we are going to see something around a pan-GCC visa, which will allow easier mobility of people within the GCC. A resident of Saudi, for instance, can enter the UAE and vice versa. I think that’s where we see the future of GCC tourism.” The UAE, a realm renowned for its infrastructure and hospitality, stands as a sentinel prepared to usher in a new age of tourism diversity.

Yet, like an arcane spell, the exact date of this innovative visa structure’s arrival remains obscured. As the enchantment unfolds, keep your senses attuned to Time Out for the latest incantations that will conjure a travel experience unimagined.

This initiative weaves itself into a tapestry of transformative changes to the UAE’s visa structure. The UAE Entry and Residence Scheme, introduced at the close of 2022, unfurled a scroll of new possibilities for both residents and tourists.

Among the cryptic options lies the five-year green residence visa, a key to unlock the realm for skilled professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and freelancers. This visa, a path less traveled, beckons freelancers and small business proprietors with the allure of residency. Its magic extends to family members for half a decade.

Criteria for Navigating the Enigmatic Green Residence

• Freelancers: To cross the threshold, one must be armed with a degree, welding annual income of at least Dhs360,000 over the past two lunar cycles.
• Skilled Individuals: Aspiring visa holders in search of their independent path must wield a valid employment pact, signed in blood with a minimum monthly salary of Dhs15,000. Visa categories must align with the hierarchies of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), and the scroll of knowledge, symbolized by a degree or its equivalent.
• Investments: To possess the coveted five-year investor or partner visa, supplicants must present not only the seal of government approval but also tangible proof of their alchemical investments. Those bearing multiple scrolls of licenses will see their combined investments conjured into consideration.

Expanding the Tome of the Golden Visa

The UAE’s ten-year renewable residence visa, known as the Golden Visa, has undergone a mysterious transformation, expanding its enchanted pages. Now, a broader spectrum of skilled professionals, property alchemists, business conjurers, and even apprentices of wisdom may find themselves wielding this formidable parchment. The criteria for unlocking its mysteries now embrace a multitude of paths.

These revised visa incantations extend their charm to families and dependents. Parental spells now resonate until offspring reach the age of 25, with unmarried daughters free from the bonds of age. Green residence sorcerers can channel these enchantments to their closest kin.

Moreover, the UAE government has woven a tapestry of inclusivity by offering residence visas to those ensnared in the web of a “humanitarian crisis.” Widowed enchantresses, parents, and children of UAE citizens, along with spouses of GCC alchemists, find solace in these benevolent scrolls.

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As the shadows lengthen and GCC nations conspire in their clandestine chambers, a new era of travel dawns. The veil of secrecy is about to lift, revealing a world of limitless possibilities within the GCC. Residents and nationals, brace yourselves for a journey that transcends the ordinary, as GCC tourism prepares to cast its spell on all who dare to explore its concealed treasures.