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LCN OutdoorsTravelTravel TipsVisa Requirements for Entry and Tourism in Egypt (2021) and 9 Tips

Visa Requirements for Entry and Tourism in Egypt (2021) and 9 Tips

Visa Requirements For Entry And Tourism In Egypt (2021) And 9 Tips
Visa Requirements For Entry And Tourism In Egypt (2021) And 9 Tips

Below is a brief explanation of the requirements for entering Egypt. I have summarized all the important elements, including sources from the U.S. and German Foreign Ministries and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry web pages. LCN Outdoors This article will learn how to get a visa to travel into Egypt and the issues involved.

I hope this list will help you plan your trip faster and easier. First, let’s talk about the necessary documents to enter the country and visas to Egypt.

Please read the section on required documents and visas carefully! Then, I will talk about special cases, such as entering Egypt with children, taking a cruise ship, or by land.


The 9 most important points to entering Egypt

1. The first visa for travel to Egypt

You always need a visa to enter Egypt! This applies to Americans, Germans, Austrians, and Swiss. A visa for about $25 will allow a single entry for 30 days for tourist purposes!

  1. Visa2egypt.gov.eg: Official government website (identifiable by the .gov extension) for online visa applications.
    https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/
  2. Visa Services: In addition to the official website, another option is to apply through a visa agency. With the support of the United States and Germany for Egyptian visas, they have made the forms more clearly written. In addition, there are more payment options besides credit cards.
  3. Airport on entry: There are possibilities upon entering the airport.
  4. Embassies: The Egyptian embassies in Berlin, Vienna, and Bern and the consulates in Frankfurt and Hamburg.
  5. Land and sea: You must get your visa before entering the country! A special case is the land border with Israel and entry by cruise ship, which I will explain in detail in points 6 and 7.

The easiest and cheapest way to apply for a visa is online or at the airport.

In Egypt, it is cheaper to apply for a visa online than at the airport. The reason is that at the airport, you pay a higher visa fee in Euros than on the website. I recommend those who have the patience to apply on the official government website. Other visa services are not worth the price. You will pay more for their services than for an Egyptian airport visa.

There are still some special cases of entering Egypt. Most cases are entering by land from Israel, or by cruise ship. I will explain this in detail later. Other rules for nationals can be found in the FAQ on the official Egyptian visa page.

2. Necessary entry documents

Below are the required documents for Americans, Germans, Austrians, or Swiss. You can find more tips on how to enter Egypt in my checklist and packing list for travel to Egypt.

A. Egyptian Visa for U.S. Citizens

In the following section, you will get information on how to apply for a visa to enter Egypt for U.S. citizens.

Passport and visa requirements.
To enter Egypt, U.S. citizens must obtain a visa. You must determine the type of visa that is appropriate for you based on the purpose of your trip.
Visa Fee $ USD 25: U.S. citizens can obtain a renewable single-entry 30-day tourist visa at the Egyptian airport. A multiple-entry visa is also available for $60.

You can use the Egyptian government’s website to post an “e-Visa.” There are other websites that claim to offer e-visas, some of which reportedly charge twice the official price, but this is the only official portal of the Egyptian government that offers this service. Citizens of the United States and 44 other countries are eligible to apply prior to travel.

U.S. citizens with questions about their visa status in Egypt or concerns about their eligibility for a visa upon arrival should apply for a visa at an Egyptian embassy or consulate prior to travel; however, obtaining a visa prior to entry does not guarantee entry into Egypt.
A visa for employment or study in Egypt must be obtained prior to travel.

B. Visa for Egypt for German and other citizens

  1. Passport: must be valid for at least 6 months after your stay! The passport must also have at least one page free for visa and entry/exit stamps!
  2. ID card: For German nationals, it is sufficient to have two symmetrical photos in your passport and the ID card must be valid for at least six months after your stay. You will then receive a membership card with a photo and stamp. Swiss and Austrian nationals can only enter Egypt with a passport.
  3. Temporary ID card: you will not be allowed to enter Egypt with it.
  4. children’s passports: children need their own travel documents!
  5. Business travel: only possible with a passport!
  6. your passport has expired: in case of emergency, the nearest citizenship office will issue a temporary passport or a fast passport. Some major airports have an office that issues temporary passports. This can only be done at the airport in exceptional cases!
  7. Vaccination certificate: required for entry from countries outside Europe. More information can be found on the websites of the US and German Foreign Ministries.

3. enter Egypt with children

Children must have their own travel documents to enter Egypt! You must bring your passport (or ID card with two symmetrical photos) and a visa!

If your children do not have a valid travel document (passport or ID card) with them, the authorities will refuse to let them enter the airport. In this case, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the American and German embassies can do nothing! What can the U.S. and German embassies and the Foreign Office do in this case?

Make sure that your children have all the necessary valid documents with them! Also, pay attention to the instructions for leaving Germany with your children in separate custody! This usually requires a declaration of consent for minors.

Here you can find detailed information about the declaration of consent on the website of the Federal Foreign Office. Without a declaration of consent, the German border guards may not let your child through passport control!

4. Insurance in Egypt

Germany does not have a health insurance agreement with Egypt. The European health insurance card is not valid in Egypt. Therefore, I highly recommend purchasing international health insurance for your trip to Egypt. In Egypt, 99% of tourists end up in private hospitals with treatment costs similar to those in Germany.

Your mandatory health insurance does not cover repatriation from Egypt to Germany. When comparing prices, you can find health insurance for one person for 10 euros or for a family for 30 euros. In either case, the money will pay off.

5. What all travelers should know about customs regulations!

Warning: Importing painkillers (with or without prescription) in Egypt can lead to serious imprisonment If in doubt, always consult your doctor or the Egyptian Embassy!

Note: Cultural products (such as carpets) can only be exported with permission from the Ministry of Trade Exporting excavated finds without permission is punishable by imprisonment!

Do not change all your money into Egyptian pounds before entering Egypt. Only a small amount of local currency (Egyptian Pounds) is allowed to be brought in when entering the country. The limit for bringing in Egyptian pounds is constantly changing.

According to my latest information, 1000 Egyptian pounds (equivalent to about 50 euros) are allowed to enter.

Even the Egyptian Embassy does not state the exact amount on its website. It is allowed to bring euros, dollars, or other currencies into Egypt up to the equivalent of 10,000 USD. How to cheaply convert euros to Egyptian pounds

Also, keep in mind that goods from Egypt to Germany can only be imported duty-free for up to 430 Euros. You can read more about this on the website of the German customs.

Please always pay attention to the Egyptian criminal law regulations. For example, taking pictures of soldiers, police, and military barracks is strictly forbidden in Egypt!

6. Special case: Entry from Israel via land route

Entry into Egypt through the Taba (Eilat) border crossing is only for 14 days. The visa issued by land is valid only for the Sinai Peninsula on the Asian side of Egypt. It ends at the Suez Canal.

If you plan to travel to other parts of Egypt, you must apply for a visa at the Egyptian Consulate General in Eilat or at the U.S. or German embassies. Also, always remember to follow the recommendations of the U.S. and German Foreign Ministries regarding the safety of traveling in the Sinai Peninsula.

7. Enter by cruise ship

A preliminary visa is always required for individual entry on a sailing ship. For entry with a cruise ship, it depends on the specific conditions and the duration of stay in Egypt.

Unfortunately, there is hardly any good information about it online, even on the Egyptian side. Therefore, if in doubt, I recommend contacting your cruise line or the Egyptian Embassy.

8. Spouses and children of Egyptian nationals

Spouses and children of Egyptian nationals are exempt from paying visa fees. According to the German Foreign Ministry, under Egyptian law, minor children (under 21 years old) who (at the same time) have Egyptian nationality cannot leave the country without the consent of their (Egyptian) father. Unfortunately, the Embassy in Cairo cannot help in this case.

9. Travel warning for Egypt (Sinai and the Libyan Desert)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a no-entry warning for the seaside resorts of the Red Sea, Luxor, Cairo, and Alexandria.

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now issued travel warnings for the Sinai Peninsula and the Libyan Desert on the border with Libya. The Egyptian military is conducting ongoing operations in these areas and there have been attacks on the military and police.

The military controls the border between the Suez Canal and the Sinai Peninsula as if it were another country. The same applies to the Nile Valley westward toward the Libyan desert. To enter these areas, one must pass through several police and military checkpoints.

This also applies to traveling on Egypt’s highways. The roads are guarded by military or police checkpoints every few kilometers. This also applies to the road from Cairo and Luxor to the Red Sea.

The area of Sharm el-Sheikh in the Sinai Peninsula is not covered by the travel warning issued by the German Foreign Office. Nevertheless, please check the current safety situation for travel to Egypt on the website of the German Foreign Office.


Conclusion on Visas to Egypt

Egypt is a tourist country. Corresponding entry requirements. Nevertheless, Egypt still requires visas to be issued to German, Austrian and Swiss nationals. At around $30 per person, Egyptian visas are still in the medium price range.

It is relatively easy to apply for a visa online or at the airport. During the summer months, queues at Hurghada, Marsa Alam, and Sharm El Sheikh airports can sometimes be regrettably large. The cooperation of travel agency staff speeds up entry into Egypt during the tourist season. It is much more difficult to enter Egypt by land. You should always find out about this in advance.

If you still have questions about entering Egypt, the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin can help you. This is especially true for people with nationalities other than German, Austrian or Swiss.

I have been updating my guide on the entry requirements in Egypt. However, I cannot guarantee that all information is correct, as some rules may change at short notice. The German Foreign Office also does not guarantee its information about entry requirements to Egypt.

Only the Egyptian embassies and consulates can provide legally binding information. This is especially true for entering Egypt by land. That’s why I always link all sources.

If you have any new information about entry requirements in Egypt, please send me an email in the comments below.

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