Do You Need a Visa for Egypt? (2026)

Egypt's entry rules sound complicated and are mostly not. For the great majority of travellers it comes down to a five-minute online form or a stamp at the airport. The detail is worth knowing, though, because a couple of traps can cost you time or money. Here is the clear, current version.

The short answer

Most visitors need a tourist visa, and you have two easy routes.

The e-Visa is the one we recommend. You apply online before you fly through the official government portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg. It costs about US$25 for single-entry or US$60 for multiple-entry, each granting a stay of up to 30 days, and approval usually arrives by email within a few business days. Apply at least a week ahead to be safe, print the approval, and carry it with you; do not rely on phone signal at immigration.

The visa on arrival (VOA) is available to many nationalities at the major airports (Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Luxor and others). The fee rose to US$30 in early 2026, paid in cash, with US dollars the simplest currency. You buy the visa sticker from a bank kiosk in the arrivals hall before you reach the immigration desk, then present it with your passport. It is quick, but it does mean queuing twice after a long flight.

Between the two, the e-Visa is usually smoother: it is settled before you travel, and you skip the bank-kiosk step.

The Sinai-only exemption

There is one useful loophole. If you are flying only to a South Sinai resort, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba, for up to 15 days and staying within that area, you can usually enter on a free Sinai-only entry permit stamped on arrival, with no visa needed. The catch is significant: the permit does not allow travel to the Nile Valley, the pyramids, Cairo or anywhere else in Egypt. The moment you want a day trip beyond Sinai, even to the pyramids or Luxor, you need a full visa instead. If in doubt, just get the full visa; it keeps every option open.

Who is exempt, and the scam to avoid

A handful of nationalities can enter visa-free for short stays, and others have special arrangements, so always check your own passport's requirements against official sources before you book. And beware the biggest trap: search results are crowded with unofficial "visa agent" sites that look official and charge two to four times the real price for the same e-Visa. Apply only at visa2egypt.gov.eg. If a site wants far more than the figures above, it is not the official one.

Passport and overstay rules

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your arrival date, with at least one blank page. Note your 30-day window: overstaying carries fines, payable on departure, and is easy to avoid with a little planning. If you need longer, tourist visas can sometimes be extended at a passport office inside Egypt, but for most trips the 30 days is ample.

A quick pre-trip checklist

Apply for the e-Visa about a week out, print the approval, check your passport's validity and blank pages, carry a little US-dollar cash as backup, and keep a photo of your passport and visa on your phone. With that done, entry is genuinely easy. For the bigger planning picture, timing, safety and budget, see the Egypt Travel Guide 2026, the is Egypt safe guide, and plan your route on the interactive map.