VISA

General Regulations
Non-Egyptian visitors arriving in Egypt are required to be in possession of a minimum 6 months valid passport. Entry visas may be obtained from Egyptian Diplomatic and Consular Missions abroad or from the Entry Visa Department at the Travel Documents, Immigration and Nationality Administration (TDINA). It is, however, possible for most tourists and visitors to obtain an entry visa at any of the major ports of entry. Please check with the nearest Egyptian Consulate for specific details and regulations relevant to your nationality.

Although we will be constantly updating the content of our information, it is the responsibility of the traveler to check that the below regulations are still valid. In case of any doubt please contact the Egyptian Embassy or Consulate in your country. Remember you will need to carry your passport with you at all times. If you are traveling between Red Sea cities or to a national park in Egypt, it is especially important to have your passport to be able to enter and cross possible check points between cities.

There are three types of Egyptian visa:

• Tourist Visa: is usually valid for a period of 30 days and granted on either single or multiple entry basis.

• Entry Visa: is required for any foreigner arriving in Egypt for purposes other than tourism, (e.g. work, study, etc); the possession of a valid Entry Visa is needed to complete the residence procedure in Egypt.

• Transit Visa. In case your nation is not on the list of countries that need a pre-arrival-visa (please see list below), you can get your visa when you arrive in Egypt. The process is straightforward. You have to buy "visa stamps" for the amount of the fee required for your nationality. These fees vary from 15 to 50 US$ and can not be paid in Egyptian pounds. The stamps are stuck in your passport and you can proceed to the customs desk.

Passports and Identity Cards

All nationalities, except for Italian and German, need a passport with minimum 6 months validity.
Italian and German citizens can enter Egypt with their identity cards; the identity card must be valid for travel abroad and have a minimum validity of at least 6 months from arrival date. In such a case visitors need to have:
-  2 recent pictures
- 1 photocopy of the identity card

Upon arrival (or during the flight) they will be asked to fill in a form that will be handed over in the customs desk.

Children

Children must be in their parents’ passport or being in possession of their own passport or (for Italian and German citizens) identity card valid for travel abroad.

If the child is more than 10 years old, a recent picture must be on parents’ passport. Children more than 11.99 years old cannot be in parent’s passport and need a personal passport.

Nationalities that need pre-arrival-visa

Most European citizens can purchase an entry or tourist visa upon arrival in Egypt. Citizens of the following countries though are required to be in possession of a pre-arrival visa:
 

To apply for a visa, please contact the nearest Egyptian consulate. For a list of all diplomatic missions, see the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs' website Your application requires the following documents:

a passport that is valid for at least another six months§
one passport-sized photograph§
a completed application form§

The visa fee depends on your nationality. South African and Sudanese citizens pay no fee; others pay between 20 and 60 US$. A tourist visa is valid for three months from the date of issue and allows you to stay in Egypt for 30 days from the date of your arrival

Transit Visa

• Foreigners arriving in Egypt on board cruising ships are granted a permission to visit the port of arrival for 24 hours and catch their ship at the same port. They can also be granted a permission to enter the country for a visit not exceeding a period of 2 days before catching their ship at the port of arrival or at any other port.

• Air passengers transiting in Egyptian airports are allowed entry for a quick trip not exceeding the period of 24 hours. In the event of emergency landing, passengers are entitled to enter Egypt for a period of:

o 24 hours in case of poor weather conditions.
o 48 hours in case of technical faults to the aircraft.

Notes:
Visitors entering Egypt at the overland border post to Taba to visit Gulf of Aqaba coast (from Taba to Sharm el Sheikh excluding Ras Mohammed National Park) and St. Catherine only, can be exempted from visa and granted a free residence permit for fourteen days to visit the area.
Those in possession of a residence permit in Egypt are not required to obtain an entry visa if they leave the country and return to it within the validity of their residence permit or within six months, whichever period is less.