The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have planned to start a joint tourist visa system by first targeting expatriates, according to a report.

Expatriates with valid residency permit of a GCC state would be issued a unified visa so they could visit other member states, said the Peninsula report.

The plan is set to be done on an experimental basis for security reasons and later, national of as many as 35 countries will enjoy the privilege.

The joint entry visa scheme is aimed at boosting tourism for the six member states, it said.

The system would be be implemented soon, Sameera Al Ghareeb, assistant undersecretary at Kuwait's Ministry of Commerce, was quoted as saying.

"Not even by next year," she said, adding there are formalities to be completed and the ministries of interior of member states have to look into security aspects before clearing the proposal.

The plan is one of the seven recommendations of the GCC tourism promotion committee meeting in Kuwait to help boost tourism, she said.

The rules for the visa would be framed by the committee, while all the recommendations are being forwarded to the GCC Secretariat-General for approval, the report added.