Visa Information
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.
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.
1. Countries that do not need a visa to enter Egypt:
Nationals of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Egypt:
Bahrain, Djibouti, Guinea, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia (For 15 days stay), Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen; Palestinians holding an Egyptian residence card. All other nationals will need a visa.
2. Countries that require pre-arrival Visa
:: All African countries
:: Afghanistan :: Armenia :: Azerbaijan :: Bangladesh :: Bosnia and Herzegovina :: Chechnya :: Croatia :: Georgia :: India :: Indonesia :: Iran :: Iraq :: Israel :: Kazakhstan |
:: Kyrgyzstan
:: Lebanon :: Macau :: Macedonia :: Moldova :: Pakistan :: Palestine :: Philippines :: Serbia and Montenegro :: Sri Lanka :: Tajikistan :: Thailand :: Turkey :: Turkmenistan :: Uzbekistan |
3. Countries that can acquire entry visa upon arrival
Nationals of countries not mentioned above are allowed to receive entry visa upon arrival.
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.