Egypt Tourist Visa 2026: $30 on arrival, cash USD only
Egypt visa on arrival is $30 USD cash at airport bank windows. 30-day stay, extendable for free.
What visa do I need for Egypt?
Most nationalities can enter Egypt on a tourist visa on arrival — $30 USD, single entry, valid 30 days — bought in cash at any airport bank window before passport control. No advance application is required for European, North American, Russian or Ukrainian passports. Cards are not accepted; USD or EUR cash is the only payment option, so bring exact change because airport exchange rates are unfavourable. The visa on arrival is sold at every international airport in Egypt — Cairo (CAI), Hurghada (HRG), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) and others — and the sticker can be applied to any blank passport page. The visa can be extended once for free at any Egyptian passport office (30 days for most nationalities, 60 days for Russian citizens) and there is a 14-day grace period to leave the country after expiry without penalty. For long-term stays beyond two months, switch to the residence permit ("the plastic") which costs 6,875 EGP and runs up to six months per term.
The visa on arrival is available at Cairo (CAI), Hurghada (HRG), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH), and all other international airports in Egypt.
Important for charter flights: if you arrived on a charter, you can only depart on the same charter — the same company, back to the same city you came from. Leaving on a different charter is not allowed. Your alternative is a scheduled (regular) flight, which you can book separately.
How much does the Egypt tourist visa cost?
The standard tourist visa costs $30 USD and is valid for 30 days with a single entry. Pricing as of April 2026.
- Visa on arrival (single entry): $30 — valid for 30 days — paid in cash USD or EUR at the airport bank window
Bring exact change in USD — the exchange rate at the airport bank windows is not favorable, and bank windows often run out of small change on busy charter arrivals.
Which nationalities can get an Egypt visa on arrival?
Citizens of most European, North American, post-Soviet and several Latin American and East Asian countries can buy the visa on arrival at any Egyptian international airport with no advance paperwork. The 20+ most common nationalities that qualify for visa on arrival are:
- North America: United States, Canada
- Western Europe: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Ireland
- Northern Europe: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland
- Central & Eastern Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia
- Post-Soviet states: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Moldova
- Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
- Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico
- East Asia: Japan, South Korea, China (for organised tour groups)
Several African, South Asian and Middle Eastern nationalities are not eligible for visa on arrival and must apply for a visa in advance at an Egyptian embassy. If your passport is not in the list above, check with an Egyptian embassy or consulate for the current eligibility list before booking flights.
GCC nationals (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman) and Jordanian, Lebanese, Tunisian citizens often enter Egypt visa-free for short stays — confirm with an Egyptian embassy because the rules differ by passport.
How do I buy the visa at the airport?
The process is straightforward:
- After landing, follow signs toward passport control
- Before the passport booths, you'll see bank windows (Banque Misr, National Bank of Egypt, etc.)
- Pay $30 cash at any bank window and receive a visa sticker
- The sticker may be applied to your passport on the spot, or handed to you to stick in yourself — any blank page works
- Proceed to passport control with the sticker in your passport
Watch out for "helpers" in the airport — people offering to handle the visa for you who charge inflated prices ($50-60 instead of $30). Politely decline and go straight to the official bank windows. The official price is fixed at $30.
Do NOT go to passport control without the visa sticker — you will be sent back to the bank windows.
Practical cash tips
- Cards do not work at the visa window — debit/credit, contactless, Apple Pay, none of it. Cash is the only payment method, full stop.
- USD is preferred over EUR. Both are accepted but the USD rate is cleaner — bank windows usually charge the visa as flat $30 and round up unfavourably when converting EUR.
- Bring exact change — a $30 bill is ideal, otherwise small denominations ($10 + $20). Bank windows often run out of change on busy charter arrivals and you may lose the difference or wait while they fetch more cash.
- Old, torn or marked USD bills are sometimes refused. Bring crisp, post-2006 series notes if possible — this is a known quirk of Egyptian banks across the country, not just at the airport.
What documents do I need for the Egypt visa?
- A passport valid for at least 6 months from entry date
- $30 USD in cash (or equivalent in EUR)
- A return ticket or proof of onward travel (rarely checked but good to have)
- Hotel booking or address where you'll stay (may be asked at passport control)
Can I extend an Egypt tourist visa?
The tourist visa sticker can be extended once — for free at a passport office. They'll stamp your passport directly.
You must extend while the visa is still valid — don't wait until the last day. An already-expired visa cannot be extended.
The extension period depends on your nationality:
- Most countries — 30-day extension
- Russian citizens — 60-day extension
How it works
- Go to the passport office in Hurghada with your passport
- At the entrance, say you need a visa extension stamp — they'll give you a ticket and direct you to the right window
- Wait for your turn, the officer stamps your passport — done
- The procedure is free and takes anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours depending on the queue
Opening hours and queue expectations
- Working days: Sunday to Thursday — the Egyptian working week.
- Hours: roughly 9:00-14:00, with the extension window typically closing for new tickets by 13:00. Arrive before 10:00 if you want to be out before lunch.
- Closed: Friday and Saturday (weekend), and on Egyptian public holidays — Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Revolution Day (23 July), Coptic Christmas (7 January).
- Typical queue: 30-90 minutes on a normal weekday morning. The queue grows fast after 11:00 and during peak season (Nov-Feb, March-April).
Bring a copy of your passport bio page and the page with the entry stamp. The office doesn't strictly require copies, but having them speeds things up if the officer wants to keep one.
After any visa expires, you have 14 days to leave Egypt. Departing within this grace period is not considered a violation. If you don't leave within 14 days, a fine of ~$50-100 USD applies, payable at the airport upon departure or in advance at the passport office.
If you plan to live in Egypt long-term, see the guide on the Egypt Residence Permit — the application requires a registered rental contract, so it pays to sort housing first. FlatSwipe lists current Hurghada rentals with KYC-verified landlords, which makes the Shahr Aqari registration step considerably smoother.
What documents do I need to carry when in Egypt?
Egypt is a country where ID checks do happen — at hotel check-in, on inter-city buses, occasionally at military checkpoints between resort towns and the desert highway, and sometimes by tourist police in busy areas. Keep the following accessible:
- Passport — carry the original on you at all times. By law, foreigners must be able to present a passport on request. A clear photo of the bio page on your phone is a useful backup but does not replace the document itself.
- Visa sticker — same passport, but worth mentioning: keep the visa sticker intact and don't fold the page.
- Hotel booking confirmation — a print or phone screenshot of your first-night reservation. Immigration officers occasionally ask for it on arrival, and resort security asks for it at the gate.
- Return or onward ticket — rarely checked at immigration but useful at airline check-in. Some carriers will not board you for Egypt without proof of onward travel.
- Travel insurance — not legally required for tourist entry, but strongly recommended. Egyptian private hospitals demand upfront payment and routine procedures (broken arm, food poisoning IV drip) cost $200-1000 cash.
- Cash in EGP for daily use — ATMs are widespread (look for CIB, Banque Misr, NBE), but carry 500-1000 EGP for taxis, tips and small purchases. Many small shops won't accept cards.
Do NOT hand your passport to anyone other than uniformed officials, hotel front desk (for legally required guest registration), or bank staff for currency exchange. Tour operators or "helpers" asking to hold your passport "to arrange paperwork" is a known scam pattern.
What are the recent Egypt visa price changes?
Egypt has adjusted tourist visa pricing several times in recent years as part of broader fiscal reforms. The current pricing history is useful context if you're comparing older travel guides or forum posts to today's reality:
- Before 2023 — visa on arrival was $25 USD, unchanged for several years.
- 2024 — visa on arrival remained at $25 USD.
- March 2025 — the visa on arrival fee was raised to $30 USD, single entry.
- December 2025 — media reports of a planned increase to $45 USD circulated briefly; the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism officially denied the change and the fee remained $30.
- 2026 (current) — $30 USD visa on arrival is stable. No further changes have been announced as of mid-2026.
The Egyptian government adjusts visa and entry fees periodically, often with little advance notice — and the Ministry of Tourism also periodically denies or confirms rumoured changes via official press release (December 2025 saw rumours of a $45 fee that turned out to be incorrect). Always bring a little extra cash buffer (e.g. $40 instead of $30) to absorb any short-notice fee change at the airport.
If a future fee change is announced, the new price typically takes effect on a specific date rather than gradually, and the airport bank windows switch over immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Egypt tourist visa cost?
The Egypt tourist visa on arrival costs $30 USD for a single entry valid 30 days. Payment is cash only — USD or EUR — and cards are not accepted. Bring exact change because airport exchange rates are unfavourable.
Can I get a visa on arrival in Egypt?
Yes. Egypt offers visa on arrival at every international airport — Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and others — for citizens of most countries. No advance application is required.
How long is the Egypt tourist visa valid?
30 days from the date of entry, single entry. It can be extended once for free at the passport office while still valid: most nationalities get a 30-day extension, Russian citizens get a 60-day extension.
Where do I pay for the Egypt visa at the airport?
After landing and before passport control you'll see bank windows operated by Banque Misr or the National Bank of Egypt. Pay $30 cash at any of them and you receive a visa sticker to attach to your passport.
What happens if my Egyptian visa expires while I'm still in the country?
You have a 14-day grace period to leave Egypt without penalty after the visa expires. Past that grace period a fine of ~$50-100 USD applies, payable at the airport on departure or in advance at the passport office.
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