The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar on Friday announced that its citizens can enter any country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) by using their national ID cards.
Saudi Arabia
On Friday, the General Directorate of Saudi Passports announced the lifting of the suspension of the use of the national identity card to travel to and from the Kingdom for citizens and citizens of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
The ministry explained in a statement that citizens can travel to the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf states using the national identity card while making sure of the entry requirements for the country to which they want to travel.
Qatar
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, on Friday, that travel for its citizens with an ID card between the GCC countries has been reactivated, noting that these measures come to ease the travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ministry confirmed that Qatari citizens can enter the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Kuwait, and the Sultanate of Oman using only their personal cards.
UAE
For their part, the departments of the National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Port Security announced the updating of entry procedures through the country’s various ports, provided that they enter into force starting from Friday.
The new update includes allowing UAE citizens to enter the country using the Emirates ID, in addition to allowing citizens of the GCC countries to enter the UAE using the ID or personal card.
The two bodies confirmed that the updated procedures come within the framework of facilitating travel between citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and in support of the state’s strategy aimed at maintaining the health and safety of society. It also falls in line with efforts for sustainable recovery and the return of a new normal life.
Kuwait
In turn, the General Department of Security Relations and Media at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior stated that the Ports Security Sector announced, based on coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that citizens and citizens of the GCC countries are allowed to travel to and from the GCC countries using the smart national identity card.
The administration indicated that the decision takes effect from Friday.
The ministry explained that citizens can travel to and from the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States using the smart national identity card, as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, after verifying the entry requirements for the countries to which they want to travel.
It is noteworthy that the suspension of travel with the national identity to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) came within the precautionary measures that were imposed at the beginning of the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the requirement of the passport to travel through land, air and seaports.
