Egypt visa 2026: e-Visa, visa on arrival and the Sinai exception

You need a visa to visit Egypt on a British, Irish or other European passport. There are two official ways to get one: the e-Visa, applied for online on the Egyptian government portal (USD 30 single entry, USD 65 multiple entry), or the visa on arrival, bought at the airport for USD 30 in cash. There is one exception: the South Sinai resorts, where a short stay only requires a free entry stamp.

This guide draws on the official portal visa2egypt.gov.eg, the UK Foreign Office travel advice and France's official travel advice, checked on 23 October 2026. The rules for each nationality are on the pages for British travellers and Irish travellers.

This is the most common route. At approved airports, kiosks located before the immigration counters sell the tourist visa for USD 30, cash only. It allows a stay of up to 30 days. Bring notes in good condition and the exact amount: you pay before reaching passport control.

At Cairo International Airport, a digital visa on arrival has been available since 1 August 2026. It is paid by card, at self-service machines or on the official Visa on Arrival portal, with a digital service fee added to the visa price. At other airports, plan on paying cash.

The Foreign Office is clear: you do not need to buy your visa from an agent at the airport. These middlemen often charge more than the official fee, and a pushy agent can be reported to the tourist police in the terminal.

The e-Visa is issued on visa2egypt.gov.eg, the only official portal. The fees shown on the portal are:

• single-entry tourist visa: USD 30;
• multiple-entry tourist visa: USD 65, useful if you plan to leave Egypt and come back during the same trip.

The portal also sets several rules worth knowing before you pay:

• visa fees are non-refundable, even if the application is refused;
• incomplete applications are rejected;
• every traveller submits their own application, and parents can apply for their children from their own account;
• the e-Visa must be obtained before entering Egypt, and a printed copy must be shown at the port of entry;
• an e-Visa does not guarantee entry: the final decision rests with border control.

According to the Foreign Office, tourist e-Visas are valid for up to three months, which leaves plenty of time to apply well before departure. For a single entry, the e-Visa costs the same as the visa on arrival: its advantage is arriving with your document already in order, without queuing at the kiosk or hunting for dollars in cash.

If you fly into Sharm El-Sheikh and stay less than 15 days in the resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba, you do not need a visa. A free entry permission stamp is given on arrival at Sharm El-Sheikh airport.

This exemption has two clear limits. If you plan to leave those resorts, for example on a day trip to Cairo or Luxor, or if you stay longer than 15 days, you need a standard visa. If in doubt, get the visa: its cost is small compared with being unable to join an excursion.

Entering overland from Israel at Taba follows specific rules and border taxes. France's travel advice places the Egypt-Israel border area in its red zone, where travel is strongly advised against, along with the whole of North Sinai, which is closed to foreigners.

The Foreign Office requires a passport valid for at least six months from the date you arrive in Egypt, with at least one blank page. France's travel advice is stricter on timing: six months after the date you return home.

The safest rule, whatever your nationality, is therefore a passport valid for six months after your return, with a free page.

French citizens have an extra option, documented by the French foreign ministry only for them: they can enter with a national ID card valid for six months after their return. In that case they must bring two passport photos, and the visa is issued on arrival on a separate card. Other Europeans should travel with their passport.

The tourist visa can be extended in Egypt at the Passport and Immigration offices. The Foreign Office warns that leaving on an expired visa can cause difficulties, including a fine if the visa expired more than 14 days earlier. Sort it out before the deadline, not at the airport on departure day.

Intermediary websites. Searching for "Egypt e-visa" brings up sites that copy the look of the official portal and resell the same application at several times the price. They issue nothing themselves: they file your application on the public portal. The only official site is visa2egypt.gov.eg.

Airport agents. The visa is paid at the official kiosk, at the official price. Nobody needs a middleman to get it.

Non-refundable fees. A typo in your passport number or dates costs money: check every field before submitting.

The paper copy. Print your e-Visa and keep it with your passport. A screenshot on a flat phone will not help you at the border.

Misreading the Sinai rule. The free stamp only covers the listed resorts, for under 15 days, when arriving by air at Sharm El-Sheikh. A Nile cruise or a night in Cairo requires a visa.

The fees and rules in this guide come from the following official pages, read on 23 October 2026: the FAQ and disclaimer of Egypt's e-Visa portal (https://www.visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/FAQ), UK travel advice (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt/entry-requirements) and France's travel advice for Egypt (https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays-destination/egypte/). These rules change, and the official source always prevails over this page.