GCC Government Services by Country
Each country runs its own portals, fee structure, and quirks. Compare the six Gulf states below, then open a dedicated guide for yours.
Reviewed June 2026 by the Wathim GCC Services Desk
GCC government services by country: an overview
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is made up of six member states: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. Although they share a customs union and broadly similar residency rules, each country runs its own e-government portals, charges fees in its own currency, and issues its own resident identity card. There is no single Gulf-wide portal, so the right starting point almost always depends on which country you live or work in.
In practice that means a UAE resident renews through Emirates ID and ICP or GDRFA, while a Saudi resident uses Absher and Muqeem, a Qatari resident uses the Metrash2 app, and Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait residents work through their own national systems. Residency permits and ID cards typically run on one-to-three-year renewal cycles that you manage online or at an accredited service centre. The table and country guides below map each state to its main portal, ID system, and currency so you can find the correct authority fast.
Compare the six GCC countries
| Country | ISO | Main portal | Resident ID | Currency | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Arab Emirates | AE | ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security) | Emirates ID | UAE Dirham (AED) | UAE guide |
 Saudi Arabia | SA | Absher (Absher Platform) | National ID / Iqama | Saudi Riyal (SAR) | KSA guide |
 Qatar | QA | MOI Qatar (Ministry of Interior - Qatar) | Qatar ID (QID) | Qatari Riyal (QAR) | Qatar guide |
 Bahrain | BH | LMRA (Labour Market Regulatory Authority) | CPR card | Bahraini Dinar (BHD) | Bahrain guide |
 Oman | OM | ROP (Royal Oman Police) | Resident Card | Omani Rial (OMR) | Oman guide |
 Kuwait | KW | PACI (Public Authority for Civil Information) | Civil ID | Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD) | Kuwait guide |
Main portal shows the lead authority for each country from our portals registry; many states run several portals (for example, the UAE lists 25). Currencies and ID systems are the standard national references for each state.
Open a country guide
United Arab Emirates
UAE government services are split between federal (ICP, MOHRE) and emirate-level bodies (GDRFA Dubai, Amer centres).
- •Emirates ID required for all residents
- •ICP Smart Services for most federal services
- •GDRFA Dubai for Dubai residency
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia runs most resident-facing services through Absher (resident-side) and Muqeem (sponsor-side).
- •Absher is the primary resident-facing portal
- •Iqama (national ID) renewed annually
- •Muqeem used by employers and sponsors
Qatar
Qatar centralises resident services under the Ministry of Interior, with the Metrash2 mobile app as the main daily channel.
- •Qatar ID (QID) required for all residents
- •Metrash2 app handles most renewals
- •Exit permits no longer required for most expats since 2018
Bahrain
Bahrain runs an integrated eGovernment portal alongside the LMRA for labour-related services.
- •CPR is the unified national ID
- •LMRA handles work visas
- •bahrain.bh consolidates most online services
Oman
Oman's Royal Oman Police runs most resident services, supported by the central eGov portal.
- •Resident Card issued by ROP
- •Visa renewals through ROP
- •Oman eGov for ministry services
Kuwait
Kuwait's PACI handles Civil IDs and the Sahel super-app aggregates services from multiple ministries.
- •Civil ID is required for all residents
- •PACI for ID services
- •Sahel app for unified daily access
Not sure which country applies to you?
Talk to our deskSix Gulf states, six separate systems. A residence permit issued in one does not transfer to another, the issuing authority changes at every border, and the fee and renewal cycle change with it. These guides cover what each country actually requires.
How the six systems actually differ
The single fact that governs everything else is that residency is national, not regional. There is no GCC-wide permit. Each state issues its own, through its own authority, on its own cycle, and none of them recognise another's as a right to live or work.
That is why the same task has a different shape in each country. Renewing an Emirates ID means ICP, or GDRFA if you are sponsored in Dubai. Renewing an Iqama means Jawazat through Absher and Muqeem, with an employer levy attached that has no equivalent elsewhere. A QID runs through the Ministry of Interior and Metrash2. Bahrain splits it between the LMRA for the work permit and iGA for the CPR. Oman routes almost everything through the Royal Oman Police. Kuwait separates the residency stamp from the PACI civil ID, which is why people there routinely hold one and not the other.
The practical consequence: guidance written for one Gulf state is not merely inexact for another, it is usually wrong about who to ask.
What does and does not transfer between them
- Residency does not transfer. Moving means a new sponsor, a new permit, and in nearly every case a new medical.
- Attestation partly transfers. A degree attested up to your home country's foreign ministry and the destination embassy is done for that destination only. The GCC-side stamp has to be repeated per country.
- Driving licences sometimes transfer. Several GCC states allow conversion between each other and from an approved country list, but the lists differ and the concession is usually applied to light vehicles only.
- Debts and cases follow you. An unresolved financial case in one Gulf state can surface when you apply in another.
- Bans do not automatically follow, but a medical unfit result for certain communicable diseases can effectively close the whole region.
If you are choosing where to move
People compare salary and rent and then get surprised by the paperwork economics. Four things worth pricing before you commit:
- Who pays for the permit. In the UAE, visa and work permit costs are the employer's legal responsibility. Elsewhere the split varies, and an employer levy can change what you are offered.
- Dependant costs. Saudi Arabia charges a monthly fee per dependant; most others do not. For a family of four that difference dominates every other line.
- Renewal frequency. Annual renewal is more administrative burden and often more total cost than a two or three year cycle at a higher headline fee.
- Whether you can sponsor family at all, which depends on a salary threshold and sometimes on your job title, not just your income.
Frequently asked questions
No. A residence permit is issued by one state and is valid only in that state. It does not entitle you to live or work in another GCC country, and moving means a new sponsor, a new permit and in most cases a new medical. Some GCC residents do get easier visit-visa treatment when travelling within the Gulf, but that is a travel concession, not residency.
Headline fees are misleading because renewal cycles differ. Saudi Arabia charges annually and adds an employer levy; the UAE prices per year of validity across a two or three year card; Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait each run their own schedule. Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together rather than the headline number, which is what our per-service cost pages do.
The core set is similar, a passport, photographs, a medical fitness certificate, a sponsor's documents and attested certificates where a qualification or marriage is being relied on. What differs is the attestation chain, the medical provider, the portal you file through and which steps still require a counter visit.
Who issues residency. The UAE splits it between the federal ICP and Dubai's GDRFA, Saudi Arabia runs it through Jawazat via Absher and Muqeem, Qatar through the Ministry of Interior and Metrash2, Bahrain through the LMRA and iGA, Oman through the Royal Oman Police, and Kuwait through the Ministry of Interior and PACI. Everything else follows from that.