How to get a visa to Egypt

Visa policy of Egypt

The visa must be taken from one of the Egyptian diplomatic missions for those who wish to visit beloved Egypt unless they come from one of the countries or countries exempt from the visa to obtain an entry visa upon arrival. Visitors must also carry passports that are valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival in Egypt

Egypt Tourist Visa

In March 2015, it was announced that all foreigners traveling to Egypt for tourism will need pre-entry visas from May 15, 2015. The only exemption for organized groups visited by an Egyptian travel agency will be. In April 2015, the Egyptian authorities announced that they had postponed the decision until the electronic visa system was implemented
Visa exemptions

Citizens of the following 9 countries and territories may visit Egypt without a visa for 3 months (unless otherwise noted):

• Bahrain
• Hong Kong
• Kuwait
• Lebanon – at Borg El Arab Airport, Hurghada Airport, or Sharm El Sheikh Airport if arriving on a charter flight
• Macao
• Oman
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• Malaysia[ (14 days)

Visa on arrival

According to the Egyptian Consulate General in the United Kingdom, citizens can the following countries obtain a visa upon arrival to any of the Egyptian ports: the European Union and all citizens of the European Union.

• Australia
• Canada
• Georgia
• Japan
• South Korea
• New Zealand
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Russia
• Serbia
• Ukraine
• United States

Electronic visa

From 3 December 2017 citizens of 46 countries may apply for tourist or business types of visas for 30 days online through the Visa system.
European Union and All European Union citizens

• Albania
• Australia
• Canada
• Iceland
• Japan
• North Korea
• South Korea
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Russia
• Serbia
• Switzerland
• Ukraine
• United States
• Vatican City

Sinai resorts permission stamp
According to the Egyptian Consulate General in the United Kingdom citizens of all European Union countries, the United States, and Israel (only through Taba Border Crossing) do not require a visa before traveling as a free entry permission stamp will be granted upon arrival if they are traveling to Sharm El Sheikh Day Tours, Dahab, Nuweiba, and Taba resort only without leaving them and for a maximum of 14 days.

According to the data, Egyptian Government provided to IATA citizens of all countries may obtain a Sinai resort visa on arrival at Sharm el-Sheikh, Saint Catherine or Taba airports valid for 15 days except for the citizens of the following 81 countries and territories: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, R Congo, DR Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, DPR Korea, R Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey (except those aged below 20 and above 45), Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Authorized visa required

According to the Egyptian Consulate General in the United Kingdom visitors holding passports of the following countries must apply for a visa in person and visa approval must be sought for them from the competent Authorities in Egypt which takes several weeks to process.
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Burundi, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Morocco, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia.

Transit without a visa

Holders of onward tickets can transit for a maximum time of 48 hours. This does not apply to nationals of Iran who are required to hold a transit visa. Leaving the airport is permitted for passengers with transit time between 6 and 48 hours. Passengers with a transit time of fewer than 6 hours may leave the transit area but not the airport. This does not apply to nationals of Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine, and the Philippines who must remain in the transit area (airside) and must continue by the same or first connecting aircraft.
State Security approval

Citizens of the following countries need prior approval from the Egyptian State Security Authorities in addition to holding a visa:

• Iran
• Iraq
• Kazakhstan
• Kosovo
• Lebanon
• Mauritania
• Somalia
• Sri Lanka
• Syria
• Yemen

Arriving by Sea:

Although Egypt has many ports situated both on the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, the number of passengers arriving in Egypt by boats or ferries has greatly decreased because of cheap airfare and package holidays that use air travel. There is only one exception to this: the crossing by ferry from Aqaba, Jordan to Nuweiba in Sinai. The boats that used to sail directly from Greece or Cyprus to Egypt's Mediterranean ports no longer exist.

Most means of entering Egypt by sea are no longer open, Ferries from Italy, Cyprus, and Greece are no longer working, and several cruise lines are operating in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, which stop at various ports in Egypt and Jordan. Cairo Top Tours is happy to offer short private tours for cruise passengers passing quickly through Egypt or Jordan, who do not wish to use the tour services offered by the cruise companies. Passengers will be granted a visa by the port authorities at the point of their arrival and tours will begin from there. Please take a look at the Shore Excursions section of our website if you are planning a cruise that will come to Egypt. Our specialist in Egyptology will provide you with a lot of information about the history of Egypt or the historical sites.