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Travelling around the Gulf is about to change in a big way. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is planning to test a new one-stop travel system starting in December 2025, and if it works, flying within the GCC region could become far quicker and less stressful.

What Is Changing

As of now, when you fly from one GCC country to another, you clear immigration and security at your departure airport, then repeat the process upon arrival. The new pilot program aims to eliminate that second round of checks.

Under the one-stop system, travellers will complete all immigration and security checks only at their departure airport. Once they land in another GCC country, they can walk out like a domestic traveller without standing in any arrival queues.

Where The Trial Begins

The pilot phase will cover only flights between the UAE and Bahrain. It will include both directions, so travellers flying from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Bahrain, and Bahrain to the UAE, experience the same streamlined process.

For now, only GCC nationals will benefit during the test stage. Authorities want to observe how the system works in real time, track queue times, and identify any operational issues before opening it up more widely.

Expansion Plans If The Trial Works

If the pilot is smooth and secure, the goal is to expand the system to all six GCC countries:

• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates

This would mean that a GCC national could fly across the region with a single immigration and security clearance at their departure airport, no matter how many stops or connecting flights they have within the GCC.

Could Non-GCC Travellers Get This Benefit Too?

The interesting part is that the one-stop system might not stay limited to GCC nationals forever. Officials have hinted that future phases could include foreign travellers as well.

There is also growing talk of linking the system to the proposed GCC Grand Tours Visa. This visa idea would allow non-GCC tourists to visit multiple GCC countries with a single visa, similar to how the Schengen visa works in Europe.

If both ideas come together, a visitor could enter one Gulf country and then travel to the others without repeating immigration checks.

Why This Matters For Travellers

Long immigration queues are a major frustration for anyone travelling through busy airports. If the one-stop system succeeds, expect shorter waiting times, less paperwork, smoother transfers, and easier multi-country trips.

It could also boost tourism in the region. A traveller visiting Dubai for a week might be more likely to add Bahrain or Oman to their itinerary if airport formalities become minimal. Business travellers jumping between GCC cities could save hours each month.

Final Thoughts

December 2025 marks the beginning of a big experiment in Gulf travel. The UAE and Bahrain will be the first to test a setup that removes repeated immigration checks and makes regional travel feel almost domestic. If everything goes well, the entire GCC could soon share a travel system that is faster, simpler, and far more convenient.