If you wish to travel to Egypt shortly then you may know that it is necessary for you to hold an official visa that authorises you to embark for this country. In this article we will examine different types of visa available in detail and the procedure you need to complete to apply for and obtain this travel document. We will also give you information on the price of this document. In this way you are sure to have all the information you need to ensure your visa application is successful and your travel plans run smoothly.
Egypt e-visa application form: Key points
- The Egypt e-visa is an online procedure for obtaining a tourist visa before departure.
- The Egypt e-visa is valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
- The price of an e-visa for Egypt is between €25 and €55, depending on processing and service charges.
- It takes an average of 6 working days to obtain an e-visa for Egypt.
Is it obligatory to hold a visa to visit Egypt?
We will first reply to a question that is often asked by people planning a visit to Egypt in the not too distant future which relates to whether or not a visa is actually required for such a visit. In fact, it is obligatory to hold a visa to visit Egypt, whatever the reason for your visit to this country.
It is therefore obligatory for all visitors that wish to travel to this country to complete the application procedure necessary to procure this official travel document as it will be systematically checked on your arrival at the airport. For this there are various methods that we will examine more in detail shortly such as the possibility of visiting the consulate or Embassy in your home country or using the e-visa programme which was implemented only a few years ago and enables you to complete your visa application online.
The visa you obtain will have an initial validity period of 30 days beyond which you can extend your stay to three months, six months or a year under certain conditions by renewing this document. It should however be noted that a year long visit will require you to complete the application for a long stay visa application that can only be undertaken at the Egyptian Embassy in your home country or on your arrival at the destination airport. It will still be necessary to firstly apply for an initial three month extension to your visa before being eligible to apply for an extension to a maximum one year visa. It is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that is responsible for examining the renewal and extension applications for visas.
The different types of visa for travelling to Egypt:
Let us now examine another subject relating to obtaining your visa for Egypt, this concerns the types of visa you can apply for. There are in fact two types of visa for Egypt; the single entry visa and the multiple entry visa.
These two visas have a validity period of 6 months once they have been issued and enable you to stay in Egypt for a maximum stay of 60 days or two months for the single entry visa, or 90 days, three months for a multiple entry visa.
We can also differentiate between the different types of visa according to the reason for your visit with a transit visa, a tourist visa or temporary residential visa.
The transit visa is only necessary if you are travelling to another final destination but you need to transit through an Egyptian airport which will last for less than 24 hours. For this visa you will of course be required to hold an ongoing flight ticket that confirms your transit details including the flight details for your final destination.
The tourist visa is of course the most requested visa and notably authorises visitors to enjoy holidays in Egypt. It can be obtained through the consulate or Embassy in your home country or by applying on your arrival at the airports of Cairo, Luxor or Sharm El Sheikh.
Finally, a temporary residential permit is only required in certain precise situations by the immigration authorities, this will authorise you to stay in Egypt for a longer period of time.
What other formalities need to be undertaken to travel to Egypt?
Of course, in addition to obtaining a visa, you will need to meet other entry requirements before you can travel to Egypt.
For example, you will of course need to hold a passport to visit this country, a simple piece of identity will not suffice as Egypt is not part of the European Union. Also you should check that your passport is valid for at least 6 months following the issue date of your visa.
Another major formality you should be aware of when visiting Egypt relates to visitors that live in a country outside the European Union or the United States. If this is the case for you then you will need to register with the Egyptian police in the week following your arrival in the country. It should however be noted that you can often complete this registration directly from the hotel where you are staying by simply using your passport.
The e-visa service for Egypt and its numerous advantages:
As we explained earlier, obtaining a visa for Egypt previously required a visit to the Egyptian Embassy or consulate in your home country and the application procedure was generally long and complex. However, fairly recently the Egyptian government decided to create an e-visa service that greatly simplifies the administrative procedure and enables you to complete this visa application procedure rapidly online from the comfort of your own home.
This e-visa programme therefore enables you to complete the entire visa application procedure without visiting any authorities and directly through the internet. It is in fact a service available to citizens of 46 different countries of which the United Kingdom is of course one of them.
This e-visa is actually very similar to a visa obtained through the traditional procedure. It also is valid for a maximum of three months. We do recommend however that you complete and submit your e-visa application at least one full week before your departure date for Egypt.
Once you have obtained this e-visa you simply need to present a printed copy of it with your passport when you arrive and enter the country. Please note that you will also need to provide details relating to your accommodation in Egypt as well as your planned visit itinerary in this country.
As you may notice, the objective of the Egyptian government for implementing this e-visa service corresponds to the desire of the country to simplify the procedure for visitors as much as possible by using digital methods that are increasingly popular nowadays. The visa application procedure has thereby been greatly simplified which makes it more accessible to a greater number of visitors which in turn favours the tourism in Egypt.
How to proceed to obtain an online visa or e-visa for Egypt:
We will now examine more in detail the procedure to follow if you wish to obtain a visa for Egypt using the e-visa system. It should be remembered that this programme is an advantageous alternative to the classic paper visa and will authorise you to travel to Egypt under the same conditions. This is how to proceed with the completion of this visa application online in order to obtain this visa as rapidly as possible:
Firstly, you will need to visit a website that offers a visa application form for Egypt, preferably in your native language, such as the website we recommend on this page. Ensure you have your passport with you before you start the application procedure as your passport number will be requested. Various information will be requested on this application form and it is important you respond to all questions honestly and clearly.
You then simply need to pay the fees for the transfer and processing of your application online, using a credit or debit card through a secure server. You then have nothing else you need to do as you will receive your visa directly by email within just a few days.
