UK to Exempt Gulf Citizens from Entry Visa as of 2023

The GCC ambassadors and British Home Secretary at the Bahrain Embassy in London. (SPA)
The GCC ambassadors and British Home Secretary at the Bahrain Embassy in London. (SPA)
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UK to Exempt Gulf Citizens from Entry Visa as of 2023

The GCC ambassadors and British Home Secretary at the Bahrain Embassy in London. (SPA)
The GCC ambassadors and British Home Secretary at the Bahrain Embassy in London. (SPA)

Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) nationals will be exempted from the visa requirements to enter the UK as of 2023 and benefit from the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) scheme.

The ambassadors of the GCC countries in London met with British Home Secretary Priti Patel at the Bahraini Embassy. They lauded the British government's decision to exempt GCC citizens from entry visas and implement the new ETA system starting next year.

During the meeting, officials discussed the friendship between the UK and the GCC member states.

The ambassadors stressed the importance of the security and safety of GCC citizens in the UK, calling on the Home Secretary to raise the level of security response to repeated incidents targeting Gulf citizens in the UK.

Patel underscored the British government's interest in boosting cooperation between the security services, expressing the UK's aspiration to deepen cooperation with the GCC in all fields.

The British minister stressed the security authorities' keenness on the security and safety of all residents and visitors, adding that the concerned authorities are working to increase security and respond to reports of crimes.



Lebanese President Arrives in Bahrain on Official Visit

This handout picture from the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) shows Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa (C-R) meeting with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (C-L) in Manama on July 22, 2025. (BNA)
This handout picture from the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) shows Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa (C-R) meeting with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (C-L) in Manama on July 22, 2025. (BNA)
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Lebanese President Arrives in Bahrain on Official Visit

This handout picture from the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) shows Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa (C-R) meeting with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (C-L) in Manama on July 22, 2025. (BNA)
This handout picture from the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) shows Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa (C-R) meeting with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (C-L) in Manama on July 22, 2025. (BNA)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, accompanied by Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday on an official two-day visit.

Aoun said he was visiting at the invitation of King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. The trip underscores “the depth of the historic and fraternal bonds between Lebanon and Bahrain,” he added.

It is also a “valuable opportunity to boost cooperation between our fraternal countries in various political, economic and cultural fields,” he went on to say.

Aoun stressed that he was looking forward to holding “productive” meetings with King Hamad and senior officials to discuss means to develop bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues of common interest.

“Lebanon is proud of its deep-rooted ties with Bahrain and highly values its stances in support of it at international and regional arenas,” he continued.

“This visit will help in opening new chapters of strategic partnership between our countries, especially in the economic, investment and tourism fields,” he added.