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All Travellers Now Need A Visa Before Entering Egypt

March 17, 2015
Stock

All travellers hoping to enter Egypt, whether it be for business or tourism, will be required to obtain a visa from an Egyptian consulate or Embassy prior to departure from their home countries.

According to Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised tourist groups, through Egyptian travel agencies or travel agencies approved by the government, will be exempted from this requirement.

The Ministry added that the decision will come to force from 15 May 2015 and will remain indefinitely.

Previously, many travellers visiting Egypt were exempt from having to obtain a visa prior to arrival and could simply obtain it at the airport in Egypt.

According to Ahram Online, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sees this as an attempt to protect its borders.

“This is an act of state sovereignty. Every country has the right to protect its borders,” said the Ministry’s spokesperson to Ahram Online.

Egypt, lately, has expressed concerns of foreign militants coming to the Sinai and fighting along ISIS-affiliated militants.

It is not yet clear what impact this move will have on tourism, however tourism officials, includingEgypt’s Federation of Tourism Chambers, have expressed concerns.

Comments (181)

  1. Wolfcookie says:

    In the 16 trips I made to Egypt the 2003 to 2009 timeframe, I always got my visa at the airport upon arrival. Simple and efficient, especially if you have an excellent tour guide like American Star. Egypt’s new requirement will make it more difficult to travel, but not impossible.

    1. Karim says:

      I agree. Especially we do not have that flexible embassies across the world and they do not provide rapid services when it comes to obtain a visa to Egypt.

    2. 4giveand4getclowns says:

      This is the exact problem: not all countries have Egyptian embassies, also not all countries are threatening. As a matter, isn’t only a few, a handful maybe?

    3. Key says:

      Countries are irrelevant when it comes to a terror suspect. Terrorists can be of any nationality in the World hence the security measure Egypt is taking to protect its citizens.

    4. 4giveand4getclowns says:

      Sure, fanatics can come from anywhere in the world, but you have to admit, just some countries more likely than others.

    5. Key says:

      Terrorists are not limited to just well funded fanatics who cover their faces and head carrying black flags. Terrorists are also politicians in the West who support black flags while sporting $5000 dollar suits telling the World the ME should be more democratic!

  2. Big Mike from Australia says:

    My wife an I visited Egypt in 2013 and we got our Visa before we left Australia as it was easier to do an ensured us a smooth passage though the airport once we arrived, it gave us peace of mind that once we set foot on Egyptian soil we had already complied with our requirements for a visa and we could meet our tour guide and leave the airport without added delay. I am unsure why anyone wouldn’t do it this way as it makes sure your holiday runs smoothly.

    1. traveler says:

      Big Mike, just because you visited Egypt once in your life does not make you an expert. Yes, that was a holiday to a foreign land, of course you wanted everything to be smooth and easy. But you still have zero knowledge and experience how the things are running there. If you had, you would know that getting a `visa` is about 2 minutes to buy at the airport and about half the price of the equivalent what you can get from a consulate. Frequent travelers prefer to buy it at the airport (it is still a `smooth passage through` , we are out before you even figure out where to collect your luggage from..), even because we travel at short notice, so no time to wait for the Embassy.

    2. Riserasta says:

      and how do you get a visa before? there is no consulate near where I live?

    3. Minymina says:

      You mail it.

    4. Lena Saint Germain says:

      In Mexico, there is only one Egyptian Embassy, no consulates in other cities of the country, and they do not send visa by mail. So it´s not as easy as to
      say: you mail it.

    5. Minymina says:

      Thats what they proposed. I’m sure this is temporarily until some sort of evisa system is in place.

    6. 4giveand4getclowns says:

      Inch’allah.

    7. Mo Megeed says:

      Easy to locate the nearest Egyptian consulate. .call them..they will give you the wibsit to download the visa application. .fill it up online ..submit it and send your passport by overnight registered mail with a check for the fee…after 3 working days you’ll receive it back stamped with the visa.

    8. Zeyad says:

      This is exactly why you need to get a visa beforehand! It ensures that there’s a full knowledge about the persons visiting Egypt and their intentions, thus insuring additional safety to everyone!

    9. Lena Saint Germain says:

      This is true, one minute or two to get the visa on arrival, you could even exchange foreing currency into local one, and this was as smooth as it can be. Maybe I am not an expert, I had been only 3 times in Egypt, but every time was easy to get the visa.

    10. Ikhwanii Extincticus says:

      So easy that jihadists can easily get them too. Do you get the point now?

    11. 4giveand4getclowns says:

      We all did (get the point). The problem is that you seem to think all foreigners don’t get it. That being said I’m not a terrorist and I enjoy my life in Egypt. I wish there was a way for me to convince the government of that so I could keep on enjoying it. Guess not.

    12. Big Mike from Australia says:

      I never claimed to be an expert, I claimed to be an average tourist and as an average tourist I found it easier to pre arrange my visa in fact my travel agent did most of it for me, the point I was making was I don’t think it will affect tourism that much, yes it might affect some that travel at short notice but I am sure as others have pointed out it is better for security and allows further checking of persons entering the country.