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| The Port of Alexandria, a major point of entry into Egypt |
All foreign nationals need to show a passport in order to enter Egypt. Moreover, most of them are also obliged to hold a tourist visa of which there are two different categories: 1 - entry visa issued at any of the major ports of entry (most foreign nationals); 2 - tourist visa issued at an Egyptian diplomatic and consular missons (some foreign passport holders). Before applying for an Egyptian visa, be it at the port of entry to Egypt or at an embassy abroad, make sure your passport is valid for six months from the date of your expected arrival. Most of the visitors will get their visa upon the arrival at the airport. Both types of tourist visas are valid for three months and allow you a one-month-stay if they are of a single-entry type. In case you hold a multiple-entry visa, it is valid for three months, but the duration of the allowed stay is the same like in the case of a single-entry visa. Visa extensions are possible once you're in Egypt (see Visa extensions section below)
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| Hurghada Airport, the fourth busiest airport in Egypt (after Cairo, Luxor and Sharm el-Sheikh) |
Entering Egypt
Most of the travellers enter Egypt at Cairo International Airport. Since the number of foreign passengers at Africa's second busiest airport is huge and constantly growing, the visa procedure is simplified in the extreme. Right after the duty-free shops there is a booth where you can buy visa stamps. Once you have them proceed towards the customs picking up and filling in a pink immigration form along the way. You're done with the customs in 20 minutes on average. Entering overland is much more time consuming and entry/departure taxes are charged. Apart from that you can count on an extensive search of your luggage by the customs officers.
All the foreign nationals not mentioned above can obtain tourist visas upon the arrival in the country. The cost of the Egyptian visa varies between USD15 and 90, depending on your passport. The US citizens are charged a 12 pound (USD 2.3) fee for any type of visa while the South Africans get the visa for free. The entire process of having your visa issued at a border crossing shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. Please note that if you're travelling overland from Israel you must arrange your tourist visa in advance at the embassy in Tel Aviv or at the consulate in Eilat no matter what passport you hold. Unlike in most other Arab countries having an Israeli stamp in your passport will not preset a problem at an Egyptian border crossing.
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| Sinai entry stamp |
It should be noted that the visitors travelling exclusively around the Eastern Siani coast can enter Egypt on a free entry stamp which allows them to stay in the country for up to 15 days. The area covered by this border pass includes all the coastal resorts as well as the area around St Katherine's Monastery. Points of entry where these passes are issued include: Taba (overland crossing and port), Nuweiba (port), Sharm el-Sheikh (port and airport), St Katherine's Monastery (airport). It should be noted that this pass does not allow you to visit the Ras Mohammed National Park.
Visa extensions are easy to obtain once you're in the country. Moreover, you are given a short period of grace of normally 14 days before you ask for a visa extension. This is done at passport offices and the paperwork required includes the photocopy of the visa page in your passport and a photo. Depending on the length of the extension the procedure will cost you from 11 to 68 Egyptian Pounds.
Some parts of the country are off-limits for foreigners unless they obtain special permits which are issued by the Ministry of Interior. It's best to entrust a travel agency to arrange this for you. The usual processing time is 10 to 15 days. The areas covered by the travel permit include:
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| A series of torture-related scandals involving the Egyptian police has shocked the domestic and the international public |
Entering the Egyptian territory puts you automatically under the jurisdiction of the Egyptian law. Foreigners are not excused from breaking the law and may receive equally harsh punishments like the Egyptian citizens. However, in some cases the Egyptian authorities will opt for deportation rather than a trial. This especially applies to foreign gay male travellers arrested for breaking the law by engaging or attempting to engage in gay sex. If, on the other hand, a foreigner is caught with drugs, he or she is likely to receive the death penalty (by hanging). Be extremely careful when it comes to drug-related issues, there has been a number of executions for drug abuse as of 1989. In case you are arrested you have the right to phone your embassy without delay. Upon arrival you may bring into the country up to 1L of perfume, 1L of alcohol, 200 cigarettes and 25 cigars. Within 24 hours from entering Egypt you can shop at Egypt Free shops where a wide range of duty-free products is on offer. According to the law all visitors crossing the border are obliged to fill in the Customs Declaration Form D, however foreigners are rarely given the form on arrival and nobody ever bothers to check if they have it with them when leaving Egypt. The purpose of this form is for you to list all the valuables you're bringing into the country. In spite of sloppiness in this respect the immigration officers are very dilligent when it comes to asking the tourists to declare their video cameras. Sometimes they expect you to pay a tax for bringing it into the country. There is a long list featuring the prohibited items which are under no excuse allowed into Egypt. It includes pornographic material, certain books and newspaper, as well as video and audio material which the Government might find subversive. Recently, Egypt has undergone a major tax reform. The obsolete taxing system was replaced by one that closely resembles the system used in the developed countries. Some of the consequences of this shift (a dramatic increase of foreign direct investment) are already felt, but it will take years before the new taxing policies are properly implemented. None of this is of much concern to a foreign traveller though. However, what might interest a foreign visitor are the taxes added to the bill in upmarket restaurants and four or five-star hotels. These hover around 25%, but the ones levied on the accommodation may be higher.
