Gulf travel from Qatar in 2026: the visa changes residents should know

What changed for Gulf travel in 2025 and 2026

If you live in Qatar, short trips around the Gulf are getting easier, but not all at once and not in the same way for everyone. Some changes help expat residents, some help Qatari citizens, and one much-talked-about change, the single GCC tourist visa, has still not started. Here is the timeline, with the newest items at the bottom.

Kuwait: visa on arrival for residents

This is the biggest change for most expats in Qatar, and it is older than many people think. Kuwait published the rule in its official gazette, Kuwait Alyoum, on 10 August 2025, and it took effect straight away. It replaced a 2008 regulation.

According to the Marhaba report on the decision, it covers foreign nationals who live in any GCC country and hold a valid residency of at least six months. The visa is for tourism and is issued at the port of entry. Your residency is your Qatar ID (QID), the residence card you carry. If your QID has less than six months left, renew it before you book.

Fees, the online e-visa option, family members and driving there through Saudi Arabia are all covered step by step in our Kuwait visa guide for Qatar residents.

Canada: an eTA for Qatari citizens

From 25 November 2025, Canada lifted the visa requirement for Qatari citizens visiting for business or leisure. Instead, Qataris flying to Canada need an eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization), a short online approval linked to the passport. Visas already issued stay valid until they expire or the passport is replaced.

Check before you act: this change is about the Qatari passport, not about living in Qatar. An expat with a QID still needs whatever Canada asks of their own nationality, which for most nationalities is a visitor visa with fingerprints.

Our Canada visa guide explains both routes: the eTA for Qataris and the visitor visa for most residents.

Paying while you travel: Himyan across the Gulf

Himyan is Qatar's own national payment card, issued by local banks as a debit or prepaid card. Until recently it only worked inside Qatar. Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has been linking it to neighbouring countries one by one:

• Kuwait: a similar agreement was announced in December 2025.
• Bahrain: from 4 June 2026, Himyan holders can make purchases at points of sale and withdraw cash at ATMs in Bahrain.
• Saudi Arabia: on 15 September 2026, QCB and the Saudi Central Bank announced that Himyan is accepted in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia's mada card in Qatar. The start is gradual, so it may not work at every shop or ATM yet.

Online payments in these countries were not mentioned in the announcements. If you are relying on Himyan for a trip, carry a second card, and ask your bank about foreign transaction fees, which each bank sets itself.

Getting there: the Bahrain ferry and the one-stop checkpoint

The passenger ferry between Al Ruwais Port in northern Qatar and Sa'ada Marina in Bahrain started on 6 November 2025. It is passenger-only, so you cannot take your car. Tickets are booked in the MASAR app, and every trip goes through both countries' security and customs checks.

At launch, the first phase was announced for GCC nationals only. Whether expat residents can book depends on the current rules in the MASAR app, so check there before you plan around it. You still need a Bahrain visa if you are not a GCC citizen: see our Bahrain visa guide.

The GCC has also approved a "one-stop" travel system, where travellers clear immigration, customs and security at a single checkpoint instead of twice. In November 2025 it was described as being for Gulf citizens, with a first pilot on flights between the UAE and Bahrain from December 2025. It is not something expat residents of Qatar can use today.

The GCC unified tourist visa: still not live

You may have seen headlines about one visa for all six Gulf countries, sometimes called the "GCC Grand Tours" visa. Here is where it actually stands.

• GCC tourism ministers backed the idea in October 2023, and interior ministers approved it the following month.
• It was first expected by the end of 2025, then moved to 2026.
• On 6 September 2026, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said in Riyadh that the visa will "see the light soon". He did not give a launch date, and gave no details on cost, validity or how to apply.

Not announced yet: the launch date, the price, how long it lasts, how to apply, and whether it will be open to people who already live in a GCC country. Prices and "how to apply" pages you see online are estimates or guesses, not official.

So, as of late October 2026, there is no unified GCC visa you can apply for. Every Gulf trip still needs that country's own visa or entry route.

What has not changed

It is easy to assume the Gulf now works like one zone. It does not, yet.

• Each country still sets its own rules for residents. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait each have their own visa, fees, and conditions such as how long your QID must have left or which job titles qualify.
• Your passport and QID both matter. Many resident routes check your job title on the QID, so look at it in Metrash, the Ministry of Interior app, before you apply.
• Driving still means two borders. A road trip to Kuwait, the UAE or Oman goes through Saudi Arabia first, so you need a Saudi visa as well as one for your destination.

What to do now

1. Check your QID and passport expiry dates. Several resident routes ask for at least 3 or 6 months left.
2. Pick your destination guide and follow it in order: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait or Bahrain.
3. Apply only on official government portals. Ignore sites that offer a "unified GCC visa" now.
4. If you plan to pay with Himyan, carry a backup card, especially in Saudi Arabia while acceptance is still being rolled out.