Q:
We’re going to Egypt in the near future. Do we need a visa?
How much do visas cost and where is the easiest place to get them?
A:
Yes, you will need a visa. They cost $15 (US) per person. Please
contact the Egyptian Embassy or Egyptian Consulate nearest you.
In the US, look for consulate locations here. For quick visas,
look here.
Q:
I am currently in the UK and the other member of my party is in
Canada. We are both Canadian passport holders. The Egyptian Embassy
in London has told me that Canadians cannot obtain visas on arrival
in Luxor and the Egyptian Embassy in Toronto says that we can.
A:
You can obtain a visa in Luxor as an exceptional case if it is
difficult for you to get your visa otherwise. Normally you need
a visa before traveling.
Q:
Could you tell me if UK nationals require a visa if restricting
their visit to the Sinai peninsula?
A:
UK nationals need visas to enter Egyptian land, which the Sinai
is.
Q:
Would you please tell me if a visa is needed to go to Taba, Egypt,
from Eilat, Israel. We only plan on being in Taba, as tourists,
for part of a day.
A:
Yes, a visa is needed.
Q:
I am an Indian Passport holder and a Canadian permanent resident.
What are the visa requirements for a person with my status?
A:
There is an Egyptian Consulate in Montreal to which you can apply
for a visa by mail. You can contact them at (514) 866-8455.
Q:
I have just booked a week’s holiday in Luxor. At such short
notice it will be too late to apply for a visa. I am told that
this won’t be a problem, and that I shall be able to obtain
a week’s visa when I land in Luxor airport. Would I need
anything special, (other than my passport) before this visa would
be issued?
A:
It depends on your nationality. Please contact either the Egyptian
Embassy, Egyptian Consulate or Egyptian Tourist Authority office
in your country.
Q:
Would you know if visas are available at Hurghada Airport for
tourists from the Netherlands? Or would it be better to apply
for visas at the Egypt embassy in the Netherlands?
A:
It would be better to apply for visas in the Netherlands before
traveling.
Q:
Can you tell me if as a Canadian I need a visa to visit Egypt?
A:
Yes.
Q:
My wife and I are US citizens and hold US passports. We are currently
living in Shanghai, China. The travel agency here in Shanghai
can’t arrange the tour of our choice so we contacted our
travel agent at home and they will set up the tour but they have
to have a copy of our Egyptian visa. How can we obtain an Egyptian
visa this quickly?
A:
You will be able to obtain your visas at an Egyptian airport when
you arrive.
Q:
I am an American living in Stuttgart, Germany. I am planning a
Nile cruise with my girlfriend who is from the Czech Republic.
Do we need visas and can we get them when we arrive in Luxor?
A:
Please contact the Egyptian Embassy in Bonn or the Egyptian Consulates
in either Frankfurt or Hamburg.
Q:
We will be touring the Holy Land as well as the pyramids and I
plan to take a cruise down the Nile. My son tells me I will need
"multiple entry visas." Can you tell me where I obtain
these?
A:
Yes, you will need a multiple entry visa. Please contact either
the Egyptian Embassy or the Egyptian Consulate in your country.
Q:
My family and I are traveling to Egypt. We have passports, however,
we do not yet have visas. Will we definitely be able to get a
Visa when we land in Cairo or should we get one ahead of time?
A:
You will need visas before you travel. Please contact the Egyptian
Embassy or Consulate nearest you.
Q:
Is a multiple entry visa required for USA citizens traveling from
Egypt to Jordan and back to Egypt?
A:
Yes.
Q:
My wife and I want to take a flight from Israel to Egypt and then
depart on Air France from Egypt. We are US citizens, do we need
a visa in advance to do this trip? Do I need a tourist visa? What
is the easiest way to get one? Are they available at the Cairo
airport?
A:
You will need a tourist visa in advance. Apply for it at the nearest
Egyptian Embassy or Consulate in your country.
Q:
I am a South African student studying in England. As
a South African I believe that I don’t need a visa to go
to Egypt. Is this true?
A:
You do need a visa to go to Egypt. As you are currently in England,
please contact the Egyptian Consulate in London.
Q:
I am from Bolivia and I am studying in Germany. I will be traveling
with a group from my university to Palestine, but we are also
planning to visit Cairo. Do I need a visa?
A:
Yes.
Q:
We will be taking a cruise of the Mediterranean. As one of the
port of calls, we are stopping for the day in Alexandria, Egypt.
We know we need to have a visa for Egypt, even for the day. Can
we get the visa when we arrive in Alexandria--at the pier--or
do we have to get it ahead of time at an Egyptian consulate in
the US before we depart on the cruise?
A:
Please get the visa in the US before you leave.
Q:
I’m a Palestinian working in UAE and I have a residency
here. I have a Passport from Lebanon. I’ll marry this summer
in Lebanon and I’m looking for a country to spend the honeymoon.
It seems that Egypt is one of the countries that is really worth
to visit but can we get visas?
A:
You will need to apply for a visa approximately eight
weeks ahead of time.
Q:
Please advise if a visa is required for entry into Egypt for a
British passport holder. If so can it be obtained at the point
of entry? If not please let me know how to obtain a visa for a
tourist.
A:
Yes, a visa is required. Please contact the Egyptian Embassy or
Consulate nearest you.
Q:
We hold Mexican passports and we are traveling to Egypt. We have
been told that we can get an Egyptian visa on arrival at the Cairo
airport. Could you tell us if that is true?
A:
It is preferable to get the visa in Mexico before you leave.
Q:
My wife and I will be visiting Egypt via a tour that will be entering
Egypt from Israel. I am an American. I have been told that I will
need to get an entry visa before the tour begins. I will not be
able to get one at the border. Is this true?
A:
Please try and get the visa in the US. It can be done by mail,
or if you apply in person, you will receive it the same day. Contact
the Egyptian Embassy or Consulate nearest you.
Q:
I’m Mexican and currently I’m working in Aachen, Germany.
I’m very interesting in visiting Egypt. I heard that I need
a visa to visit Egypt, is that true? If yes, would you please
tell me where are located the Egyptian embassies in Europe (maybe
one is near Aachen) in order to get my visa?
A:
You will need a visa. The Egyptian Embassy for Germany is in Bonn,
and the Consulates are in Frankfurt and Hamburg.
Q:
We are traveling to Egypt and have our visa forms completed.
What is the next best step? Either send it by post to the Consulate
in London or use an agency to handle it? I am a little hesitant
to do the latter as they charge £11.00 per visa to process
it.
A:
You can always use express mail or submit the forms in person.
Q:
I’d like to know which documents are necessary to visit
Egypt for tourism for one or two weeks. I’m an Italian citizen
provided with an identity card. Is this sufficient or do I also
need a passport to obtain a visa?
A:
You need a passport valid for at least six months to obtain a
visa.
Q:
Please tell me of the nearest office to obtain a visa. I live
halfway between Seattle and Portland, Washington (USA).
A:
Please contact the Egyptian Consulate in San Francisco, California.
Tel (415) 346-9700; Fax (415) 346-9480.
Q:
I would like confirmation I can get a tourist visa at the airport
on arrival. Can you confirm this? I will be arriving from Qatar.
A:
It depends on your nationality. Please contact the Egyptian Embassy
or Consulate nearest you.
Q:
We have booked a tour for Egypt. I understand a visa is required.
I called the Egyptian consulate in San Francisco and sent a request
for visa applications. To date I have not received anything back
from them. Is it possible to acquire a visa upon arrival?
A:
It is preferable to obtain your visa before traveling. Please
contact them again.
Q:
I had booked a holiday to Hurghada to go diving over the new year
and was told by the travel agent that I would have to go to the
Egyptian Embassy in London with a passport and photo to get a
visa. Then the tour operator canceled its flights to Luxor and
the travel agent offered me a week in Sharm El Sheikh instead.
This I gladly took and was told that I would get a free visa for
Sharm or by a visa on arrival at the airport if I want to go diving.
As the main point of my holiday is to complete the PADI Rescue
Diver course can you please confirm that I can get a visa at the
airport in Sharm or do I need to take a day off to come up to
the Embassy and get one in advance?
A:
Please contact the Egyptian Embassy in London with your
situation.
Q:
We are traveling to Luxor from London. Can we obtain
visas on arrival at the airport or must we obtain them in London
before we leave? In either case what is the cost? We are both
UK citizens.
A:
Please direct your question to the Egyptian Embassy in London.
Q:
My husband, daughter & I are planning a trip to Cairo. I realize
that we need visas, but in order to get the visa, we have to send
our passports to the embassy in Chicago. However, my daughter,
who is 14 months old, hasn’t received her passport yet,
and I am concerned that we will not have it in time to get our
visas before we leave. I called the embassy and they told me not
to get the visas in the US, but to wait until we reach Cairo and
get all 3 visas at the airport. Since my daughter will only be
16 months old at the time of our visit, will she also need a visa?
Secondly, we will be coming to Cairo from the Amman airport, after
a 10 day visit in Jordan. Do we need any vaccinations, etc., before
coming to Egypt?
A:
Your daughter needs a visa. You do not need any vaccinations.
Please follow the advice given by the embassy in Chicago.
Q:
My wife and I will be visiting Egypt via a tour that
will be entering Egypt from Israel. I am an American. I have been
told that I will need to get an entry visa before the tour begins.
I will not be able to get one at the border. Is this true?
A:
Would it be possible for you to obtain a visa before traveling?
It is much more convenient. Contact the Egyptian Embassy or Consulate
nearest you.
Q:
I am married to an Egyptian who recently had to go to Egypt for
an emergency visit. He wants me to meet him there and us come
home together. He seems to be under the impression that I don’t
need a visa. He says that since I am his wife, I am automatically
an Egyptian citizen. I asked the officials in the Government building
where I got my passport and they said that they didn’t know
and I should ask someone from Egypt who has a similar situation.
A:
As the wife of an Egyptian you can obtain a visa at the airport
for free. However, you must provide proof of marriage otherwise
you will have to pay the full fee.
Q:
Am going to Egypt for the first time in March 2000 and
would love some tips on taking pictures there. Film speeds, etc.
appreciated. Also, places I should not misses. Also, travel tips.
Some friends think I am crazy to go, some respect the idea that
I am looking to experience a different culture than I have at
home. Any info appreciated.
A:
With regard to taking photos in Egypt, thankfully, the main difficulty
most people encounter is that they are spoiled for choice when
it comes to things to shoot.
Normally,
I take a mixture of ISO/ASA 100 & 400 print film. This is
due to the fact that you are, virtually guaranteed bright sunny
conditions for outside photography, for which ISO/ASA 100 is ideal,
whereas ISO/ASA 400 offers greater flexibility for shots taken
inside museums, temples, tombs. etc.
Although
I always recommend that people employ a polarizing filter, to
reduce glare & enhance the color of the gloriously blue sky
on outside photos & reduce the reflections from glass cases
in museums (bear in mind also that most of the open tombs are
now fitted with Perspex screens to protect the walls from inadvertent
damage), though if your camera can't be fitted with one it isn't
a major problem.
One
advantage of the ISO/ASA 400 film is that, on most SLR cameras,
it can be pushed/pulled in speed from ISO/ASA 100 - 1600, thus
allowing it to be used for both brightly lit exteriors & the,
somewhat darker, interiors of tombs & museums (In both these
cases flash photography is not allowed, due to it having the potential
to damage ancient paint - & also proving very distracting
for other people.).
You
will find that at museums & tombs there is an additional fee
for photography; LE15 - LE2 for museums (but not the Karnak Open
Air Museum) & LE5 per tomb. Although this is sometimes reported
as being just a means of ripping off tourists, in some of the
backpacker oriented guide books, the actual amounts involved;
less than £1 - £2 (Sterling), are insignificant &
do help in a big way to fund the activities of the Supreme Council
of Antiquities.
In
respect of what I would consider unmissable, I am currently involved
in writing a guide to the monuments that one will encounter on
the "classic" first time tour of the Nile Valley; starting
with the non-royal tombs of the Theban West Bank (as a lot of
the shorter tours start & finish in Luxor & never actually
make it as far north as Cairo). This should start to appear in
the magazine, work schedules permitting over the next couple of
months, &, hopefully, should be complete before your trip.
Perhaps
one of the best things about any trip to Egypt is the fact that
it is quite possible,
enjoyable & perfectly safe (despite the dire warnings of some
locally based foreign tour
company rep's to the contrary) to just go off for a wander along
the streets & amidst the
Egyptian people secure in the knowledge that there is sure to
be something new & interesting around every corner.
Additionally,
so many tourists listen so carefully to the spiel of the company
rep (Don't do this, it's dangerous/You aren't insured) that they
miss out on what is, probably, the greatest joy of any trip to
Egypt, namely the chance to get out & encounter the Egyptian
people outside of the context of hotel staff. This is a real tragedy,
as they will never come to know a people who I feel are without
doubt the most friendly, welcoming, kind & generous in the
world.
Glen
Parry
For:
www.touregypt.net
