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Choose the visa that fits your trip. Fully online process, real-time tracking.
Visamundi service: €39 incl. VAT
Consular fee: 30 USD
Electronic visaVisamundi service: €39 incl. VAT
Consular fee: 65 USD
Electronic visaSince December 2017, Egypt has issued an electronic visa — the e-Visa — valid for all entry points in the country, whether by air, sea or land. The entire process takes place online: no postal mail, no visit to a consulate. The traveller receives an official PDF document by email, which must be printed in colour and presented upon arrival. Reserved for tourist stays, this e-Visa allows a maximum stay of 30 days. With 78 eligible nationalities — including French, Belgian and Swiss citizens — the Egypt e-Visa is today the preferred entry route to discover the land of the pharaohs.
01 · Key facts
Since December 2017, the entire process is done over the internet — no postal mail, no visit to a consulate.
The e-Visa is open to 78 nationalities, including French, Belgian and Swiss citizens.
The official form is demanding: mandatory account creation and a specific format required for copies of identity documents.
The Egypt e-Visa is a fully-fledged electronic visa — not to be confused with a simple travel authorisation or transit permit. It grants access to Egyptian territory for tourist stays and is recognised at all immigration checkpoints: international airports, maritime ports and land borders.
Once your application has been accepted by the Egyptian authorities, you receive an official PDF document by email containing your entry authorisation. It is strongly recommended to print this document in colour and keep it with your identity document to present upon arrival. The 30-day validity starts from your entry into the country, not from the date the document was issued.
The e-Visa system has been operational since December 2017. It has progressively replaced the visa on arrival as the preferred solution for travellers of eligible nationalities, offering far greater administrative security: your authorisation is verified even before you depart.
The Egypt e-Visa is a genuine electronic visa, not an ETA or a travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers. If your nationality is not among the 78 nationalities eligible for the e-Visa, you will need to apply for a traditional visa through the consular section of the Egyptian embassy in your country of residence.
02 · Eligibility
The Egypt e-Visa is open to 78 nationalities, including French, Belgian, Swiss, Canadian and American citizens. The main requirement: the trip must be for strictly tourist purposes. For any other reason — business, study, work — a traditional consular visa remains necessary.
Regardless of your type of entry into the country (by plane, ship or land), the e-Visa is recognised. However, note that for entry by land, the e-Visa must be obtained on arrival at the border and not online. For air and sea entries, applying online before departure is the recommended approach.
If your nationality is not eligible for the e-Visa, or if your stay exceeds 30 days, contact the Egyptian consular authorities to find out the procedures applicable to your situation.
Valid for at least 6 months after the date of entry into Egyptian territory.
For Germans, Belgians, French, Italians and Portuguese only, with a passport-style photo to be presented upon arrival.
The e-Visa does not cover professional stays, studies or work.
Duration cannot be extended. Neither an extension nor conversion to a traditional visa is possible via the e-Visa.
If you are German, Belgian, French, Italian or Portuguese and you use your national identity card (rather than your passport) for your e-Visa application, it must be valid for at least 8 months after your arrival date in Egypt. In this case, you must present a recent passport-style photo to the authorities upon arrival.
For applications made with a passport, the required validity period is at least 6 months from the date of entry into the territory.
03 · The procedure
The Egypt e-Visa application process is entirely paperless. Before starting your application, have your travel dates, your identity document (passport or national ID card depending on the case) and an accommodation address in Egypt ready — a hotel booking or a confirmed accommodation address is required by the Egyptian authorities.
One particular point to watch: the application form requires a specific format for copies of identity documents. An incorrectly formatted copy may result in rejection. Furthermore, creating an account on the official platform is required before submitting the application.
Prepare your passport (or national ID card for FR, BE, DE, IT, PT) valid under the required conditions, your precise travel dates and a confirmed accommodation address in Egypt (hotel booking, Airbnb, address of a relative).
Select the single-entry e-Visa (one border crossing only) or the multiple-entry e-Visa (several border crossings possible during the validity period). Both options allow a stay of 30 days per entry.
Enter your personal details, your travel dates and the data from your identity document. Attach a digital copy of your document in the format required by the Egyptian authorities (specific format and resolution).
Once the application has been submitted, the Egyptian authorities process the file. Processing can take up to 7 days depending on the workload of the services. It is therefore advisable to submit your application at least 7 days before your planned arrival.
Your entry authorisation is sent to you by email as a PDF document. Print it in colour and keep it with your identity document to present upon arrival in Egypt.
The online application form can be demanding and time-consuming to complete. Creating an account on the official platform is required before you can submit the file. A precise format is imposed for the copy of the passport or national ID card. Anticipating these technical requirements avoids unnecessary back-and-forth and rejection on formal grounds.
04 · Fees and processing times
Consular fees for the Egypt e-Visa are set by the Egyptian authorities. They amount to 30 € for single entry and 60–65 € for multiple entries per traveller. These amounts correspond to consular fees only; service fees may be added depending on the channel chosen for the application.
As for processing times, the Egyptian authorities can take up to 7 days. In most cases, the response comes before this limit, but it is strongly recommended not to leave it to the last minute. Ideally, submit your application at least one week before your departure.
In the event of a refusal by the Egyptian authorities, all fees incurred for the e-Visa application process are fully refunded.
The 30-day authorised stay starts on the day you actually enter Egyptian territory, not on the date the e-Visa was issued. If you have lost your e-Visa before your departure, a copy can be sent to you by email on request, provided the application was submitted digitally.
05 · FAQ & special situations
Several special situations deserve clarification before submitting your Egypt e-Visa application.
The e-Visa is valid for all entry points, including maritime ports. Cruise passengers must therefore have one before their arrival.
The e-Visa is required for every person wishing to enter Egyptian territory, regardless of age, including children under 12.
If you dive with an accredited diving centre, a separate diving permit may be required by the Egyptian authorities, in addition to or instead of the tourist e-Visa.
A passport bearing an entry stamp or proof of travel to Israel may complicate obtaining the e-Visa. The authorities generally authorise entry, but difficulties are possible.
The Egypt e-Visa can be neither extended nor converted into a traditional visa. If you wish to stay beyond 30 days in the country or change your status, you must contact the competent Egyptian authorities to submit a traditional visa application. Do not count on an extension obtained on the spot.
If your e-Visa application is refused, you may try presenting yourself at the visa counter at the arrival airport for an on-arrival application. However, this solution is not guaranteed: the issuance of a visa on arrival may be refused, which could result in your being sent back. The online solution remains by far the safest option.
If your nationality does not appear in the list of 78 nationalities eligible for the e-Visa, contact the Egyptian authorities directly to obtain a traditional consular visa.
06 · Before you leave
Beyond the e-Visa, a trip to Egypt requires a minimum of administrative preparation. Here are the key points to check before your departure, based solely on factual elements from the official e-Visa conditions and standard entry practices.
The Egypt e-Visa is the simplest, safest and most recommended solution for entering Egypt as a tourist. The process is entirely online, but the form can be lengthy and technical: plan your application in advance, check the required format for your identity documents and always print your authorisation in colour before boarding. The authorities' processing time can reach 7 days — submit your application at least one week before your departure for complete peace of mind.
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