For a trip to Egypt, you need a visa or the lower-priced eVisa. We explain how you can easily obtain the entry permit and your obligations when entering Egypt.
Most travelers without Egyptian citizenship require a visa or electronic entry permit (eVisa) to enter Egypt.
Only a few countries are exempt from this requirement: Bahrain, Hong Kong, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macau, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia. The citizens of these countries do not need a visa or an eVisa to travel to Egypt.
To make international travel easier, many countries have been exempted from the visa requirement for Egypt. Citizens of these countries can travel to the country with the much cheaper and faster electronic travel authorization (eVisa).
eVisas for tourists have a validity of 30 days or 6 months and entitle you to stay up to 30 days at a time for tourist purposes or to visit friends and family. The Egyptian eVisa is available as a "Single Entry" or "Multiple Entry" visa.
The eVisa countries for Egypt include:
eVisa Egypt: eligible countries | |||
---|---|---|---|
Albania | Argentina | Armenia | Australia |
Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Belarus |
Belgium | Bolivia | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Brazil |
Bulgaria | Canada | Chile | China/Hong Kong |
China/Taiwan | Colombia | Croatia | Cyprus |
Czech Republic | Denmark | Ecuador | Estonia |
Finland | France | Georgia | Germany |
Greece | Hungary | Iceland | India |
Ireland | Italy | Japan | Kazakhstan |
Kuwait | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg |
Macedonia | Malaysia | Malta | Mexico |
Moldova | Monaco | Montenegro | Netherlands |
New Zealand | Norway | Paraguay | Peru |
Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Republic of Korea |
Republic of Kosovo | Romania | Russian Federation | San Marino |
Saudi Arabia | Serbia | Singapore | Slovakia |
Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | Sultanate of Oman |
Sweden | Switzerland | Ukraine | United Arab Emirates |
United Kingdom | United States of America | Uruguay | Vatican |
Venezuela |
If you want to travel to Egypt with an eVisa, you must meet the following requirements in addition to being a citizen of a country approved for eVisa:
As an applicant for an eVisa to Egypt, you must upload a digital copy of your passport that meets the following requirements:
The presentation of invitation letters from your hosts, return or onward travel tickets, and hotel reservations is due upon your entry at the Egyptian border. The border officials will make the final decision on whether you are allowed to enter the country or not.
If you are traveling to Egypt with children, each of them requires a separate eVisa. You can apply for this during your application via the "add traveler" option at the same time as your eVisa. This function is also useful for group applications.
The application for your Egyptian eVisa takes between ten and fifteen minutes on the eVisa application page of our partner iVisa and requires the entry of various information. Have your personal information and passport information, including a digital copy of the data page, as well as your travel plans, hotel bookings, and contact information for your hosts or hotels in Egypt ready.
Once you have entered all information and uploaded your passport, double-check all details. It is important to avoid typos or incorrect information. Otherwise, you risk being turned away at the border.
After submitting, you will first receive a confirmation email, and then a few days later, there will be a message about your acceptance. Add your hotel reservations, tickets, and invitation letters (if any) to your travel documents to present them to the relevant officials when entering Egypt.
If you have an eVisa for Egypt, you are allowed to vacation in Egypt for up to 30 days and visit family and friends. If you plan to work in Egypt, you will need a work permit and a work visa.
The rejection of an eVisa for Egypt can have different reasons. Often, it is due to errors in the application, e.g., transposed numbers in passport numbers, typing errors in the name, or incorrect or illegible uploads of the passport data page and photo.
Personal eligibility can also play a role. For example, if you do not meet the eVisa requirements or your information in the application indicates an intent to immigrate illegally, or that you pose a danger to the Egyptian population, it will also result in a rejection of your eVisa application.
In case of rejection, you will receive an email with the reasons for the decision. If your application was rejected only due to a formal or clerical error, you can request a correction of your data within 72 hours and ask for a reconsideration. However, if your eVisa for Egypt has been rejected due to your personal eligibility or security concerns, we recommend that you apply for a classic visa for Egypt at the embassy or consulate.
At the Egyptian border, an official will make the final decision on whether you are allowed to enter the country or not. Have the following documents ready for the moment at the counter:
Answer all questions of the border officials truthfully and remain friendly.
Please follow the current entry regulations, including all safety instructions when entering Egypt.
Inform yourself about the exact import regulations for Egypt before you enter the country. Some medications that are freely available in other countries are considered illegal in Egypt and may not be imported without permission from the Ministry of Health.
Do you have more questions about the Egypt visa? Then you will find what you are looking for in our FAQ:
You must apply for your eVisa at least seven days before your planned entry. However, we recommend applying early, for example, right after booking your hotels and flights.
To prevent the 90-day validity from expiring in the meantime, Egyptian authorities keep early applications unprocessed until the planned entry is only 30 days in the future.
Your tourist visa for Egypt is valid for 90 days after approval. You must have completed your maximum 30-day trip within these 90 days. However, the entry date you specify is not binding, and you can begin your trip at any time after approval.
If your travel plans get so far behind that your departure date would be after the expiration date of your eVisa, you will need to submit a new application.
Suppose you are a citizen of Bahrain, Hong Kong, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macau, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, or Malaysia. In that case, you do not need a visa or eVisa to travel to Egypt.
You are not allowed to work in Egypt with an eVisa. If you plan to take up employment in the country, your future employer must apply for a work permit in your name.
Extending your eVisa for Egypt is usually possible on the spot. To do so, contact the Egyptian passport and immigration authorities. Attention: If your visa has expired for more than 14 days, you are usually not allowed to leave without paying a fine.