Visa appointment in Egypt (2026): VFS, TLScontact, BLS, which centre for which country

In Egypt, most European countries do not take short-stay visa applications at their own counter: they use a private visa centre, and that is where you book. TLScontact handles France, in Cairo (Sheikh Zayed), East Cairo, Alexandria and Hurghada; BLS International handles Spain, in Giza and Alexandria; Almaviva handles Italy, in Cairo (Dokki) and Alexandria; VFS Global handles the United Kingdom and Canadian biometrics. These centres only receive files: the consulate alone decides.

This guide explains, destination by destination, where to apply, how to book, what you will pay and what the embassies and centres themselves say about intermediaries. Every fact below was checked on October 15, 2026 on the official sites listed at the end of the page.

For a Schengen visa, the fee is €90 per adult, €45 for children aged 6 to 12 and free under 6. You apply to the country where you will spend the longest time; if the stays are equal, to the country you enter first. You can apply no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 days before the trip. To see where an Egyptian passport needs no visa at all, check the visa-free list for Egyptian passport holders.

"TLScontact" is the most searched visa centre name in Egypt, and in Egypt it works for France. France-Visas states that, save for exceptions, visa applicants are received by four TLScontact centres, while the decision belongs only to the Consulate General of France in Cairo:

• Cairo: Capital Business Park, Western Peripheral of Sheikh Zayed City, 6th of October.
• East Cairo: Sodic Eastown, EDNC entrance gates 8 and 9, Building 6, 1st floor, New Cairo.
• Alexandria: 2 Patrice Lumumba Street, Bab Sharky, 3rd floor.
• Hurghada: 291 Al Kawther Division, unit A, ground floor, Red Sea.

All four take files Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm and return passports from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm; they are closed Friday and Saturday.

1. Fill in the form on France-Visas.
2. Book on the TLScontact site for your centre (for example TLScontact Cairo or TLScontact Alexandria). You must give an email address to receive the confirmation letter, and a travelling family or group needs one entry per person.
3. Come with the printed confirmation letter, the passport whose number matches the letter, the file sorted in the order of the checklist, and the money for the fees.

The TLScontact service fee is set by the consulate in euros, charged in Egyptian pounds and paid in cash (EGP) at the centre; the EGP amount moves with the exchange rate. It is not refunded, unless you decide not to file before your biometrics are taken. Using TLScontact is not compulsory: you can also file at the Consulate General in Cairo, by appointment only.

France asks you to book at least 60 days before departure for a short stay (30 days for a long stay), never more than 6 months ahead, and counts about ten days of processing once the file is complete. If documents are missing, you can either leave without filing (no service fee) or file anyway and sign a list of what is missing. Children under 12 give no fingerprints, but a parent must present the file. Route details: France visa for Egyptians.

For other destinations, we could not confirm on an official page, when this guide was checked, whether TLScontact handles them in Egypt. Always reach the centre from the destination's official page, never from an advert, a Facebook group or a WhatsApp message.

BLS International is the Spanish embassy's centre in Egypt, with two offices:

• Giza (Cairo): 6th floor, Building No. 39, Lebanon Street, Agouza, Giza (since May 6, 2024).
• Alexandria: Qasr Al Salam Building, intersection of Abdel Salam Aref Street and Shaarawy Street, office 11, 2nd floor, across from Laurent tram station.

Both are open every day except Friday, Saturday and public holidays: submission from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, passport collection from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm (1:00 pm to 3:00 pm during Ramadan).

1. Book only on the BLS Spain Egypt appointment portal. Applicants without an appointment are not admitted, and BLS does not guarantee a new slot if you cancel.
2. Choose the right category (tourism, business, family visit, medical visit, transit and so on): the BLS site has one page per visa type with its checklist.
3. Attend in person: every applicant over six must come.
4. Pay at the centre. The visa fee and the BLS service fee are paid only in cash, in US dollars, and BLS may refuse notes that are not in very good condition. Optional services are paid in cash in Egyptian pounds. BLS publishes the visa fee as €90 over 12, €45 from 6 to 11 and free under 6 (since June 11, 2024).

BLS says most decisions come within 15 calendar days, up to 45 days when the file needs more review. Passports cannot be collected until at least 21 days after submission: collecting earlier closes the application. Spanish travel insurance is mandatory and must be handed in at the centre; buying it from BLS's partner is optional. Since November 18, 2024, Egyptians also need an airport transit visa to transit through Spanish airports. Route details: Spain visa for Egyptians.

The Italian embassy in Cairo sends short-stay applicants to its visa application centre run by Almaviva:

• Cairo: 20 Elmadinah Elmonawara Street, Dokki, Giza.
• Alexandria: Building No. 230 Abdelsalam Aref, Loran, Elraml Awal, opposite Loran tram stop.

Both are open Sunday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, closed Friday and Saturday. Appointments are booked on the centre's site, egy.almaviva-visa.it; family members of EU citizens may attend without one. The embassy publishes the Schengen fee in both currencies: €90, i.e. EGP 4,966 for adults; €45, i.e. EGP 2,483 for children aged 6 to 12; free under 6. The embassy also reminds applicants to check the details printed on the visa when they collect their passport. Route details: Italy visa for Egyptians.

The German embassy in Cairo (2 Sharia Berlin, Zamalek) handles visas for residents of Egypt, usually after six months of residence. It also currently covers applicants living in Syria, Yemen and Sudan, which weighs on its appointment calendar. Its visa page could not be read in full when this guide was checked (October 15, 2026), so we do not state who receives German Schengen files, nor any waiting list or fee. Use the embassy's own visa page as your only entry point, and be wary of anyone offering a German appointment for a fee. Route details: Germany visa for Egyptians.

A Canadian visitor visa is applied for online with IRCC: paper applications are only accepted if you cannot apply online (for example for disability reasons) or travel on a refugee, stateless or non-citizen document. Fees: CAD 100 per person (CAD 500 for a family of five or more), plus CAD 85 for biometrics (CAD 170 at most per family). Once IRCC's instruction letter arrives, book your biometrics as soon as possible at the Cairo visa application centre. IRCC says the biometrics appointment itself is free and that you should not pay anyone for one. Route details: Canada visa for Egyptians.

A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for up to 6 months. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel. Frequent visitors can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead. You apply and pay online on gov.uk, then book your appointment with VFS Global Egypt, which presents itself as the official partner of UK Visas and Immigration. VFS posted a notice in May 2025 that its payment procedures for Egypt had changed: read it before you pay. Route details: UK visa for Egyptians.

Egypt is not among the 39 countries hit by Proclamation 10998 (full or partial suspension of visa issuance since January 1, 2026, State Department page updated February 2, 2026), nor on the State Department's visa bond list (updated October 2, 2026). An Egyptian visitor applies under the normal procedure.

Fill in the DS-160 online, then schedule your interview at the US Embassy, 5 Tawfik Diab Street, Garden City, Cairo, in your country of residence or nationality. The B1/B2 visitor visa fee is USD 185, non-refundable and non-transferable. Applicants for F, J and M student visas, and several work categories, must set all their social media accounts to "public". The embassy answers routine questions within 5 business days and ignores duplicate inquiries. Route details: US visa for Egyptians.

• Never pay for an appointment. BLS states that its staff never ask for cash or any payment to get an appointment, speed up processing or influence a decision, that buying appointments from third parties is fraudulent, and that you should report such requests to [email protected]. IRCC says the same about Canadian biometrics appointments.
• Never pay into a personal bank account. BLS does not recommend it, and asks you to request a receipt for every optional service.
• Plan early. A Schengen file can go in up to 6 months before travel (9 months for seafarers at the Spanish centre), a UK file 3 months before.
• Do not switch country to get a slot. A Schengen application must go to your main destination: a file lodged with the wrong country can be refused.
• Book early for France. France-Visas asks for at least 60 days before a short stay.
• Book from the official page only. Start from the embassy or France-Visas, not from a search result or an advert.

Travel insurance. Mandatory for every Schengen visa: it must cover emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in the event of death, across the whole Schengen area and for the whole stay. The exact criteria and common traps are in our Schengen visa travel insurance guide.

Accommodation. The file must show where you will stay: a hotel booking or an invitation from your host. If you book, choose free cancellation, and keep the booking until the trip: border police can ask for it.

Checked on October 15, 2026.

• BLS International, Spain visa in Egypt, centres and hours, notices and fees and FAQ.
• Embassy of Italy in Cairo, where to apply and visa fees.
• France-Visas, Egypt and Embassy of France in Egypt.
• German Embassy in Cairo.
• IRCC, visitor visa and where to give biometrics.
• GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa and VFS Global, UK in Egypt.
• US Embassy in Egypt, visas, suspension of visa issuance and countries subject to visa bonds.
• European Commission, applying for a Schengen visa.

IziVisas is not an embassy or a visa centre and does not book appointments. Check the amounts on the centre's website before you go: they can change.