Egypt travel rules & regulations

We have listed here rules and regulations you need to know when you plan to visit Egypt. Some involve papers and documents required to have when you visit Egypt.

Required documents to visit Egypt

Non-Egyptian visitors are required to have a valid passport and entry visas. You may obtain visa from any Egyptian embassy or 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 to obtain an entry visa at any of the major ports of Entry. You can check at the nearest Egyptian consulate for specific details and regulations relevant to your nationality.

Citizens of the following countries are required to be in possession of a pre-arrival visa: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya, Croatia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Lebanon, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldavia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, The Philippines, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Sri-Lanka, Tadzhikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and all African countries.

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.

Visitors entering Egypt at the overland border post to Taba to visit Gulf of Aqaba coast and St. Catherine can be exempted from visa and granted a free residence permit for fourteen days to visit the area.

There are three types of Egyptian visa:

• Tourist Visa: is usually valid for a period not exceeding three months 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.

Fees of visa are waived in the following cases:

• Holders of diplomatic passports.
• Officials of international organizations and specialized agencies and state delegates to conferences.
• Arab League officials.
• Non-national spouses of Egyptian nationals.
• Non-national members of the clergy, prominent scientists, journalists and members of official cultural, educational and sports delegations.
• Non-national students studying in Egyptian institutions.
• Non-diplomatic personnel of diplomatic and consular missions affected in Egypt.
• Parents, siblings and adult children of members of the diplomatic and consular corps affected in Egypt.
• Nationals of Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia and the United States are partially exempt from Egyptian visa fees and will, therefore, pay a reduced fee.

Contact details of some Egyptian embassies worldwide:

Remember to check with your travel agency and the Egyptian embassy in your country about documents required to visit Egypt to avoid any problems regarding travel regulations.