Schengen Visa Waiver: EU Opens Process for Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Three More Gulf States

Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar have moved a step closer to a possible Schengen visa waiver after the Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on 19 October 2026 welcoming the European Commission’s plan to launch visa-waiver processes with all five Gulf states. The decision does not grant visa-free travel, and no date has been set for any change.

The move matters for millions of Gulf travellers who currently need a Schengen visa for short trips to most of Europe, and for businesses, universities and tourism operators that depend on them. It also brings the five countries closer to the position of the United Arab Emirates, whose citizens have been able to visit the Schengen Area without a visa since 2015.

What Did the EU Council Decide?

The Council adopted five separate sets of conclusions, one for each country, according to VisasNews and News of Bahrain. The documents are numbered ST 14621/26 (Bahrain), ST 14626/26 (Kuwait), ST 14627/26 (Oman), ST 14629/26 (Qatar) and ST 14630/26 (Saudi Arabia).

The five texts use almost identical language. In each, the Council welcomes the Commission’s intention to launch a visa-waiver process with the country concerned and stresses that the Council and EU member states must be fully involved at every stage. News of Bahrain said the conclusions were adopted at the Council’s 4203rd meeting.

The Council also made clear that lifting visa requirements will only be considered once each country has fully met the required benchmarks and criteria. The conclusions follow work by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), the body of EU member states’ ambassadors, which reviewed the conclusions and accompanying action plans earlier in October, VisasNews reported.

Does This Mean Gulf Citizens Can Travel Visa-Free Now?

No. Citizens of the five countries still need a Schengen visa for short stays unless they qualify for a specific exemption. “For travelers, nothing changes immediately: visas will remain mandatory until any future exemption is formally adopted and takes effect,” VisasNews said.

Any eventual exemption would require formal legal decisions at EU level, and possibly a visa waiver agreement with each country. Enis Sljivo, managing partner at Ancova Capital, said a waiver would be positive for Gulf entrepreneurs and families who travel often to Europe, according to ROC Citizenship, but stressed that the gap between starting the process and achieving visa-free travel could still be years.

How Would the Visa Waiver Process Work?

The process appears to follow a new approach set out in the Commission’s EU Visa Strategy, published in January 2026, according to ROC Citizenship. A Commission staff discussion paper dated April 2026 described a sequence in which:

• The Commission consults member states before selecting a country for a visa-waiver process.
• A country-specific action plan is drafted by the Commission and endorsed by the Council.
• The country works to meet benchmarks, which typically cover areas such as travel document security, border management, migration and security cooperation.
• The Commission proposes an exemption if the benchmarks are met.
• Legislative procedures follow, along with negotiations on a visa waiver agreement.

The April paper reportedly identified a visa refusal rate below 3% for nationals applying in their own country as the main proposed condition for starting the process, although it described its thresholds as indicative.

What Is the History of Kuwait and Qatar’s Bid?

Kuwait and Qatar have been part of an EU visa-waiver proposal since April 2022, when the Commission proposed moving both countries onto the list of visa-exempt nations. The Council agreed its negotiating mandate in June 2022, and the European Parliament’s civil liberties committee backed the proposal that December. However, the file is still listed as awaiting Parliament’s position at first reading, according to ROC Citizenship, and it is not yet clear how the new process relates to it.

What Would Visa-Free Travel Allow?

If granted, a Schengen visa waiver would let eligible citizens visit the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It would not give the right to live or work in a Schengen country.

Visa-exempt travellers would still be subject to the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which records fingerprints and facial images at the border, and to the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) once it starts operating. ETIAS is expected to cost €20 and be valid for up to three years, but it is not yet operational and applications are not being accepted.

In October, the UK travel association ABTA said there was “now no official launch date for ETIAS”, after the planned fourth-quarter 2026 launch date was removed from official EU websites, Travel Gossip reported. ABTA also warned that more than 150 websites already claim to sell ETIAS authorisations, even though it cannot yet be bought.

The EES itself is still bedding in a year after its phased launch. Long queues built up at some airports over the summer, and EU countries were allowed to suspend checks at congested crossings. ABTA said the Commission has confirmed it will not take action against countries that stand down checks at busy border points for the rest of 2026, and the association has called for that flexibility to continue into 2027, The Independent reported. Gulf visitors who eventually travel without a visa would still go through these biometric checks on their first entry.

Would Gulf Residents Benefit?

Not automatically. A visa waiver applies to nationality, not residence. Foreign nationals living in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman or Qatar on residence permits would continue to need visas according to their own nationality, ROC Citizenship noted. That distinction is significant in Gulf states with large expatriate populations.

What Options Do Gulf Travellers Have Now?

In the meantime, Gulf nationals can benefit from easier visa rules introduced in 2024. In April that year, the Commission eased rules for nationals of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain applying in their own countries, allowing eligible applicants to receive multiple-entry Schengen visas valid for five years. The Commission later confirmed that citizens of all GCC countries except the visa-exempt UAE could be eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas on their first application, subject to requirements.

The EU initiative should not be confused with the proposed unified GCC tourist visa, which is designed to make it easier for foreign visitors to travel between the six Gulf states, VisasNews noted.

Why Now?

The Council’s decision comes ahead of a planned second EU-GCC summit. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said the five countries would begin the procedures together but complete them according to their own requirements, ROC Citizenship reported, citing a summit scheduled for Riyadh on 24 October.

That summit timing comes during a period of serious disruption in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport reopened only at the weekend after a Houthi attack, and many airlines are still cancelling flights, as we reported in Riyadh airport flights: which airlines are still cancelling. The Future Investment Initiative conference planned for Riyadh later this month has been postponed to 2027. It is not clear whether the summit arrangements will be affected.

For the EU, deeper ties with the Gulf could support trade, investment, tourism and cooperation on energy and security. For Gulf states, visa-free access to Europe has long been a diplomatic goal and a symbol of closer partnership.

What to Watch

• Commission action plans: publication of the benchmarks each country must meet.
• EU-GCC summit: any announcements on visas and mobility, and whether the planned meeting goes ahead as scheduled.
• Kuwait and Qatar file: whether the European Parliament advances the 2022 proposal.
• ETIAS: a new launch date for the travel authorisation system.
• EES: whether border-check flexibility is extended into 2027.

For more, see our Travel & Relocation News section.

Sources

• VisasNews — Schengen Visas: EU opens door to visa-free travel for five Gulf countries (20 October 2026).
• News of Bahrain — EU Council welcomes start of process for Bahrainis to obtain Schengen visa waiver (20 October 2026).
• ROC Citizenship — GCC countries move closer to Schengen visa waiver process (October 2026).
• Council of the European Union — List of Council conclusions.
• The Independent — Calls for EU entry/exit system suspension to continue into 2027 (14 October 2026).
• Travel Gossip — EES checks can be suspended until end of 2026 as ETIAS launch date is dropped (13 October 2026).