The visa on arrival rose to USD 30 on 1 March 2026, and Cairo started taking cards at USD 36 on 1 August. If you are only going to Sharm, there is a free stamp instead.
- The visa on arrival rose to USD 30 on 1 March 2026, and Cairo added a card-payable digital visa at USD 36 on 1 August. Anything you read from 2025 is wrong.
- visa2egypt.gov.eg is the only official e-visa site at USD 30 single entry. The commercial lookalikes charge USD 80 to USD 150 for the same document.
- Buy the visa at the bank counter before immigration, not from anyone who offers to help you in the hall, and bring clean notes because torn ones are refused.
- Flying to Sharm and staying in the resort area? There is a free 15-day Sinai stamp instead - but it does not cover Cairo or Luxor, so buy the full visa if you want the pyramids.
- When in doubt, buy the e-visa before you fly. Egypt applies its visa-on-arrival list inconsistently, and an approved e-visa removes the argument at the counter.
What the visa costs now
The price changed twice this year. Anything you read from 2025 is wrong.
| Route | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visa on arrival, cash | USD 30 | Up from USD 25 on 1 March 2026 |
| Digital visa at Cairo, card | USD 36 | New on 1 August 2026, includes a USD 6 service fee |
| e-Visa, single entry | USD 30 | visa2egypt.gov.eg |
| e-Visa, multiple entry | USD 65 | visa2egypt.gov.eg |
- All of these give you 30 days.
- The visa on arrival is still implemented as a USD 25 sticker plus a USD 5 surcharge sticker, which looks odd in your passport and is correct.
- Cash counters take US dollars, euros or pounds sterling. Bring clean, undamaged notes; torn ones get refused.
- Buy the visa at the bank counter before immigration, not from anyone who offers to help you in the hall.
- visa2egypt.gov.eg is the only official e-visa site. The commercial lookalikes charge USD 80 to USD 150 for the same document, and they are the most common way visitors overpay.
- Your passport must be valid for 6 months from arrival and have at least one blank page.
The free Sinai stamp
If you are flying to Sharm El-Sheikh and staying in the resort area, you may not need a visa at all.
- A free entry permission stamp is issued on arrival for stays of up to 15 days at Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba resorts.
- It confines you to the Sinai coastal strip. It does not cover Cairo, Luxor or even the trip to St Catherine's Monastery in most readings.
- If you plan a day trip to the pyramids, buy the full visa. People get caught out on exactly this, having taken the free stamp and then booked an excursion.
- The Sinai permit cannot be extended or converted.
Crossing from Israel at Taba
- Staying in Taba only: USD 20 border tax.
- Travelling into Sinai: USD 120 border tax.
- Travelling beyond Sinai: USD 120 border tax plus the USD 30 visa plus roughly USD 20 for a guarantee letter.
- ATMs at Taba are unreliable. Bring US dollars in cash before you get there.
Where your nationality lands
| You hold | What you need |
|---|---|
| USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Malaysia | Visa on arrival, USD 30, or an e-visa |
| Saudi Arabia | No visa. Visa-exempt as an Arab state |
| China | e-Visa in advance. Organised tour groups have a separate exemption |
| India | e-Visa in advance. A visa on arrival exists only for organised groups of 2 or more with a travel agency guarantee letter |
| Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia | Get it in advance. Use the e-visa where the portal accepts your nationality, otherwise an Egyptian embassy or consulate |
- Egypt publishes its visa-on-arrival list inconsistently and airline staff and airport officers do not always apply it the same way.
- When in doubt, buy the e-visa before you fly. It costs the same USD 30, it removes the argument at the counter, and an approved e-visa is accepted everywhere the visa on arrival is.
- Overstaying carries a fine paid at the airport, and a modest grace period is usually tolerated. Do not rely on it.
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