UAE travel: GCC citizens can now enter country using state-issued identity cards

Citizens of the UAE can once again travel to GCC countries by using their Emirates ID cards. They are no longer required to carry their passports while travelling to GCC states, UAE officials announced Friday.

The National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security said that UAE citizens could use their national ID cards for travel in GCC countries.

GCC citizens will also be allowed to enter the UAE using their state-issued smart ID cards.

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The new procedures aim to make travel between GCC countries more accessible, NCEMA said. Passports for inter-GCC travel were made mandatory during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since 2020, GCC citizens need to carry a visa to travel within the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also made similar announcements on Friday. Both countries said their citizens would be allowed to travel in GCC countries using their ID cards, and GCC citizens would be allowed to enter both countries using their national cards.