Dubai Immigration has announced that the requirement for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) residents to apply for and obtain an e-visa before entry will be made mandatory from 1 October 2015 instead of 15 May 2015. In the interim, the e-visa will be made available as an optional process to facilitate travellers' entry to the UAE and to avoid long queues at the airport. It is expected the visa-on-arrival will continue to be granted to GCC residents up to 1 October 2015.