Egypt e-Visa vs Visa on Arrival: Which Should You Get?

Egypt gives most visitors more than one way in, and in 2026 the options have shifted enough to be worth a proper look before you fly. The short version: for almost everyone the official $25 e-visa is the smart pick, because it's the cheapest route and it lets you walk straight past the airport visa-bank queue. Visa on arrival still exists and now costs more — $30 for the old paper sticker, or $36 for the new digital QR system piloting at Cairo since 1 August 2026. And if you're only heading to a South Sinai beach, you may not need to pay for a visa at all. Fees and the digital pilot are new and changing, so treat every number here as "as of 2026 — verify at source" before you rely on it.

The bottom line

The e-visa is the most-recommended option for a simple reason: you arrive pre-approved and skip the airport visa queue, at the lowest price. Here's how the costs stack up as of 2026 (verify before travel):

• E-visa (single entry): $25
• Visa on arrival, paper sticker: $30 (raised from $25 on 1 March 2026)
• Digital QR visa on arrival at Cairo: $36 ($30 base fee plus a $6 processing fee)
• South Sinai-only entry stamp: free (15 days, beach zone only)

One rule overrides everything else below: the only official portal is visa2egypt.gov.eg. Copycat sites charge double or triple for the same thing, so bookmark the real address and ignore the lookalikes.

E-visa: the facts

The e-visa costs $25 for single entry through the official portal. A multiple-entry e-visa exists at a higher fee — commonly cited around $60, but check the exact figure on the official portal, as that's a third-party number and unverified.

Processing takes roughly 24 to 72 hours, so this isn't a same-day option — apply several days before you travel, not the night before. Once issued, the visa is valid for 90 days from the issue date, meaning you must enter Egypt within that window, after which you can stay up to 30 days. It's issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior through visa2egypt.gov.eg. The payoff for planning ahead is real: you land already approved and go straight to immigration, with no visa-bank stop to slow you down.

Visa on arrival (paper sticker): the facts

The traditional paper visa on arrival now costs $30, raised from $25 on 1 March 2026. You buy it at a bank kiosk in the arrivals hall before immigration, ideally paying in US dollars or euros, which are the preferred currencies.

There's no pre-approval to arrange, which is its main appeal for last-minute trips. The cost is the friction: you queue twice — once to buy the sticker and again for immigration — and you need cash in the right currency. The whole process runs about 10 to 30 minutes depending on how many flights have just landed alongside yours. On a busy arrivals bank, that can be the difference between breezing through and losing half an hour you'd rather spend elsewhere.

New: digital QR visa on arrival at Cairo (from 1 August 2026)

This is the big 2026 change. On 1 August 2026, Cairo International Airport began piloting a digital visa-on-arrival system across all its arrival terminals, with plans to expand to other airports nationwide if it succeeds.

It costs $36 for single entry — a $30 base visa fee plus a $6 processing/issuing fee. Instead of a paper sticker, you get a digital QR code that border officers scan alongside your passport. You can generate that code through Egypt's official online portal, a mobile app, or self-service machines in the Cairo arrival halls — before departure, in flight, or after you land, either yourself or via an agency. One catch worth noting: the issued code is reported to be valid for 48 hours from issuance, so generate it close to travel rather than weeks ahead (as of 2026 — verify). During the pilot the QR system runs alongside the old paper process, and paper may be phased out later if the pilot goes well. Because this is brand new, confirm it's still running as described before you count on it.

The Sinai-only free stamp (the exception worth knowing)

If your trip is purely a South Sinai beach holiday, you may not need a paid visa at all. Travellers arriving in South Sinai — the stretch from Sharm el-Sheikh to Taba, including St Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai — can get a free "Sinai-only" entry permit valid for 15 days, with no visa fee. It's issued at Sharm el-Sheikh airport, Nuweiba airport and seaport, and the Taba land crossing.

The catch is right there in the name. The permit is valid only within South Sinai. It does not let you travel to Cairo, the Pyramids, Luxor or Aswan — for any of those you need a full tourist visa instead. So the free stamp is perfect for a Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba trip and useless the moment you want to see mainland Egypt. As of February 2026, Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba airports phased out paper arrival cards, and the Sinai-only stamp is now applied digitally at the immigration desk (as of 2026 — verify).

Who should pick which

• Most travellers → e-visa. It's the cheapest at $25 and skips the visa-bank queue. Apply at least three days ahead through visa2egypt.gov.eg.
• Last-minute, no time to apply → visa on arrival. Either the $30 paper sticker or, at Cairo, the $36 digital QR — both work with no pre-approval.
• Beach-only South Sinai trip → free Sinai-only stamp. If you're staying in Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba and not touching mainland Egypt, take the free 15-day permit and don't pay for a visa.
• Everyone → use only visa2egypt.gov.eg and avoid lookalike sites that overcharge.

Choose the e-visa if…

You're visiting mainland Egypt (Cairo, the Pyramids, Luxor, Aswan or a Nile cruise), you can plan at least three days ahead, and you want the lowest price with the least airport hassle. That covers the large majority of visitors, which is why it's the default recommendation.

Choose visa on arrival if…

You're booking last-minute or simply didn't get the e-visa sorted in time, you're comfortable queuing on arrival and carrying dollars or euros in cash, and you accept paying the $30 (paper) or $36 (Cairo digital QR) premium for the convenience of not applying in advance.

A final word on timing

Egypt's entry rules are in active flux right now — the paper visa rose in price in March 2026, the Cairo digital pilot only started in August 2026, and the Sinai process went digital earlier in the year. Every price and rule in this guide is accurate as of 2026 but genuinely liable to change, so do one last check on the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg, before you book flights or turn up at the airport. Verify at source, and let the cheapest option that fits your trip make the decision for you.