Egyptian Visa Regulations

Non-Egyptian visitors arriving in Egypt are required to be in possession of a valid passport. Children under 14 may be added on the passports of their parents. Entry visas may be obtained from Egyptian Diplomatic and 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 and visitors to obtain an entry visa at any of the Major Ports of Entry. Please check with the nearest Egyptian Consulate for specific details and regulations relevant to your nationality.

Notes

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.

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.

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.

Major Ports of Entry to Egypt

Airports:

Cairo International (2 terminals)
Alexandria Nozha
Luxor, Upper Egypt
Aswan, Upper Egypt
Hurghaga, Red Sea
Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai

Marine Harbors:

Alexandria, Mediterranean
Port Said, Mediterranean
Damietta, Mediterranean
Suez, Gulf of Suez
Nuweiba, Gulf of Aqaba
Hurghada, Red Sea
Safaga, Red Sea
Sharm El-Sheikh, Red Sea

Overland Entry Posts:

Salloum, northwestern border (to and from Libya)
Rafah, northeastern border (to and from Gaza strip, the Occupied Territories and Israel)
Taba, eastern border (to and from Israel)

Go to Top

Exemptions from Visa Fees

Egyptian visa fees do not apply to the following:

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.

II) Residence in Egypt for Foreign Nationals

Egypt grants legitimate foreign nationals the right for temporary residence in the country. There are two main cases of residpermits in Egypt:

Special Residence: is usually granted for a period of 10 years, renewable. Special residence is granted to those born in Egypt prior to 26/5/1952 or those having resided in the country for the 20 years preceding 26/5/1952 and whose stay has been uninterrupted; it is also granted to their wives and minor children.
Ordinary Residence: is granted for a period of either 3 or 5 years.

Three-Year Residence

Non-nationals are entitled to obtain temporary 3-year residence (renewable) in Egypt if they belong to any of the following categories:

1. Non-national husbands of Egyptians.

2. Children:

Minor children entitled to special or ordinary residence in like manner to their deceased father.
Adult children whose father is entitled to special, ordinary or 3-year residence provided a source of income is available to them.
Adult Palestinian male children of those employed by the Department for the Governor General of Gaza, or of those retired therefrom, who have completed their studies and are not working in the country.

3. Those employed by the government, public institutions, public sector companies and public business sector.

4. Palestinians employed by the Department for the Governor General of Gaza and those retired therefrom.

5. Palestinians in possession of travel documents issued solely by Egyptian authorities who have been resident in Egypt for a period of 10 years.

6. Non-nationals who receive a monthly pension from the National Authority for Insurance and Pensions.

7. Non-national residents of homes for the elderly and disabled.

8. Political refugees.

9. Refugees registered at the UN Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

10. Spouses of those non-nationals entitled to special or ordinary residence.

11. Egyptian spouses who forfeited their nationality of origin following marriage to non-nationals and the acquisition of the latter's citizenship.

12. Spouses and children of those non-nationals exempt from residence permits and restrictions.

13. Non-nationals who, for any reason, waived their entitlement to special or ordinary residence.

14. Those non-nationals employed by the Swiss Institute for Architectural and Archeological Research in Egypt.

15. Non-nationals who, according to international treaties, are entitled to obtain 3-year residence.

16. Those granted approval on 3-year residence from the Ministry of Interior.

17. Spouses and children of those non-nationals entitled to 3-year residence under any of the previous cases.

Five-Year Residence

Non-nationals are entitled to obtain temporary 5-year residence (renewable) in Egypt if they belong to any of the following categories:

1. Investors.

2. Egyptians and their minor children who forfeited their nationality of origin due to their admission to a foreign citizenship.

3. Children:

a. Of Egyptian mother.

b. Whose father was granted Egyptian citizenship.

c. Adult children whose mother is entitled to special, ordinary or 5-year residence in case of the death of the father.

4. Those of age 60 or more who have been resident in Egypt for 10 years provided that a source of income is available to them.

5. Non-nationals who, according to international treaties, are entitled to obtain 5-year residence.

6. Spouses and widows of Egyptians.

7. Spouses of those non-nationals entitled to ordinary residence.

8. Spouses and children of those non-nationals entitled to 5-year residence under any of the previous cases.

III) Special Services

Foreigners arriving in Egypt on board of ships are granted a permission to visit the port of arrival for 24 hours and catch their ship at the same port. They can also be granted a permission to enter the country for a visit not exceeding a period of 3 days before catching their ship at the port of arrival or at any other port.
Air passengers transiting in Egyptian airports are allowed entry for a quick trip not exceeding the period of 24 hours. In the event of emergency landing, passengers are entitled to enter Egypt for a period of:
24 hours in case of poor weather conditions.
48 hours in case of technical faults to the aircraft.

IV) Petitions

The Foreigners Section at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt receives and examines petitions filed by non-nationals against Egyptian nationals before Egypt's consular missions overseas and foreign embassies and consulates in Egypt. The petitions are investigated and the outcomes forwarded to the plaintiff.

V) Notaries Duties

The Foreigners and Legalization Section performs notaries duties including:

Legalization of powers of attorney and authentication of signatures of Egyptian nationals abroad.
Legalization of all documents:
Issued by Egyptian authorities.
Issued by local authorities in the host country.
Legalization of local and foreign official documents can be done within Egypt at any of 14 Legalization Offices offering this service throughout the country.

Legalization Offices in Egypt

Cairo:

City Center: Tahrir Office, Isis Building 7 Lazoghli street, Garden City

Tel: (02) 7942728

Chamber of Commerce office in Cairo – Bab Ellouk –Cairo

Tel: (02) 7925967

Giza and Western Suburbs: Mohandessin Office 59 Gameat El-Dowal El-Arabia

Tel: (02) 749 3554

Chamber of Commerce office in Giza - Giza Square

Tel: (02) 5721716

Heliopolis District and Northeastern Suburbs: Merryland Office Sabaq street, Heliopolis

Tel: (02) 6336918

Abbassia, Daher and Eastern Districts: Ahmed Said Office Miyah Club, Abbassia

Tel: (02) 4837941

Armed Forces Office Roxy, Heliopolis Tel: (02) 2913756

Alexandria:

Al Awqaf building , San Stifano 2^nd flour . Alexandria

Tel. (03) 5855565

Suez Governorate:

Suez Office Pilgrims Old City, Suez

Tel: (062) 22 86 34

Gharbia Governorate:

Tanta Office Headquarters of Gharbia Governorate, Tanta

Tel: (040) 334 61 39

Dakahlia Governorate:

Mansoura Office Talkha City Center

Tel: (050) 2521029

Beni-Suweif Governorate:

Beni-Suweif Office Abdel Salam Aref street, Beni-Suweif

Tel: (082) 333912

Assiout Governorate:

Assiout Office City Council Mubarak City, Assiout Tel: (088) 33 96 20

Aswan Governorate:

Aswan Office National Democratic Party Building Mehatta Square, Aswan

Tel: (097) 312691

Ismailia Governorate:

Ismailia Office Shebin El-Kom street, Ismailia.

Tel: (064) 326062

Port Said Governorate:

Chamber of Commerce Office, Headquarters of Port Said Governorate

Tel: (066) 344841

El Behira Governorate:

Damanhour, Headquarters of El Behira Governorate

Tel(045) 3363944

El Sharqia Governorate:

Zagazig Office City Council, El Sharqia Governorate

Tel: ( 055) 2354367

Go to Top

VI) Judicial Notifications

The Foreigners and Legalization Section:

Receives judicial notifications from foreign embassies and transmits them to Egyptian nationals residing in the country.
Forwards the competent Egyptian authority with extradition files submitted by foreign embassies and vice versa.

VII) Personal Status and Domestic Relations

The Foreigners Section oversees personal status and domestic relations related to:

Non-nationals residing in Egypt.
Problems of child custody.
Requests submitted by foreign embassies for the issuance of birth and death certificates and of marriage and divorce statements.

VIII) Foreign Prisoners in Egyptian Punitive Institutions

The Foreigners Section consults with the competent Egyptian authority on:

Applications submitted by foreign embassies to authorize visits to non-national prisoners.
Requests concerning the transfer of non-national prisoners from one penal establishment to another, the extradition of such prisoners or their release for health reasons.
Exchange of prisoners according to bilateral or multilateral agreements.
Any petition relating to a foreign prisoner in Egypt.

IX) Accidents and Decease among Foreign Residents

The Foreigners Section undertakes the notification of foreign embassies on any accident or decease occurring to their nationals on Egyptian soil.

X) Driving Licenses

The Section consults with the Egyptian Traffic Department on requests submitted by foreign embassies relating to the authentication of driving licenses.

XI) Honorary Consulates

The Foreigners Section receives and examines applications for foreign honorary consulates to be opened in Egypt.

XII) Work Authorization for Foreign Physicians and Pharmacists

The Foreigners Section coordinates with competent Egyptian health and labour authorities on the approval of work authorization for foreign physicians and pharmacists seeking to take employment in Egypt.