EU announces five-year Schengen visas for Saudi, Omani and Bahraini citizens – The National

EU announces five-year Schengen visas for Saudi, Omani and Bahraini citizens – The National

The EU has announced five-year Schengen visas for citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain that allow them to visit the bloc several times during the period.The announcement was made by EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, during the opening session of the first high-level Forum on Regional Security and Co-operation between the bloc and the GCC in Luxembourg.“I welcome a decision adopted by the European Commission this morning to harmonise the rules for granting multiple-entry visas for the citizens of the GCC countries,” he said.The visa regulations have been standardised for all GCC countries whose citizens require permits to visit the Schengen Area.The changes are a significant step forward in strengthening relations between the EU and Gulf countries.UAE citizens do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen Area and are allowed to stay for up to three months at a time. However, Qataris are required to apply for the visa.President Sheikh Mohamed, Bahrain's King Hamad, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Sayyed Fahd bin Mahmoud, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Salem Abdullah Al Sabah and Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, Secretary