EU starts the Schengen visa-waiver process for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar: visa still required

Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar still need a Schengen visa for short stays. No date has been set for any change.

On 19 October 2026, the Council of the European Union approved five sets of conclusions, one for each country. Each one welcomes the European Commission's plan to launch a visa waiver process with that country. This is the first formal step. It is not a visa waiver.

What the Council decided

The five texts use the same wording. For Saudi Arabia, the Council "welcomes the intention of the Commission to launch a visa waiver process" and says the Council and the Member States will be associated "with each step of the process". It adds: "The possibility to lift the visa obligation for the nationals of Saudi Arabia will only be considered upon the complete fulfilment of the benchmarks."

Each conclusion comes with a visa waiver action plan, which the Council endorsed. The plans set the benchmarks each country has to meet. Their full text is not public yet.

What happens next

The Commission now has to assess each country against the benchmarks. Only then can it propose moving a country to the EU's visa-free list. The Council and the European Parliament then have to adopt the change.

EU visa waiver processes can take years. The Commission proposed visa-free travel for Kuwait and Qatar back in 2022, and that proposal has not been adopted.

The EU-GCC summit planned in Riyadh for 24 October has been postponed, with no new date. Do not expect an announcement there.

If a waiver does come, these travellers would then need an ETIAS travel authorisation once ETIAS starts operating.

What travel sellers should do

OTAs

TMCs

Airlines

How SimpleVisa handles it

Nothing changes in the SimpleVisa requirements data for these five nationalities today. Schengen visas stay required. Any waiver would only apply once the EU adopts it and sets a start date.

Related reading:

FAQ

Do Saudi, Bahraini, Kuwaiti, Omani and Qatari citizens still need a Schengen visa? Yes. The process launched on 19 October 2026 does not lift the visa obligation. A Schengen visa is still required for short stays.

When will the visa requirement be lifted? No date has been set. The Council will only consider lifting it once a country completely fulfils the benchmarks. The Commission would then propose the change, and the Council and the European Parliament would have to adopt it.

What are the benchmarks? They are set in a visa waiver action plan for each country, which the Council endorsed. Their full text is not public yet.

Does this change anything for UAE citizens? No. UAE citizens have been visa-free for short Schengen stays since 2015.

Will these travellers need ETIAS? Only if a waiver is adopted. Visa-free travellers would then need an ETIAS travel authorisation once ETIAS starts operating.

Do airlines need to change document checks? No. These passengers still need a Schengen visa on flights to Schengen countries.

Operational guidance for travel sellers, not legal advice. Updated 21 October 2026.