Omar Haddad
Most tourists entering Egypt use one of three routes, and choosing the right one before you fly is the whole job. The first is the e-Visa, applied for online in advance on visa2egypt.gov.eg, the official portal of the Egyptian authorities and the only website you should use. The second is a visa on arrival, bought for US$30 in cash at a bank kiosk in the arrivals hall before passport control, available to a defined list of nationalities that includes the United States, the United Kingdom, European Union countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. The third is not a visa at all: a free Sinai-only entry stamp, given on arrival to travellers who fly into the South Sinai resorts and stay inside that resort area for up to 15 days. Mix the routes up and the trip breaks in predictable ways, most often when a traveller on a Sinai stamp tries to visit Cairo, or a traveller who needed an e-Visa in advance assumes the airport kiosk covers every passport. This guide separates the three routes cleanly.
Quick Facts: Egypt Entry at a Glance
- Official e-Visa portal: visa2egypt.gov.eg only. Lookalike commercial sites charge far more for the same visa.
- e-Visa cost: US$30 for a single entry visa and US$65 for a multiple entry visa, paid by card on the portal, checked against the portal and current government travel advice in November 2026.
- When to apply: At least 7 days before departure, and earlier if you can. Approval comes by email, and you travel with the printed e-Visa.
- Visa on arrival: US$30, paid in cash in US dollars at the airport bank kiosks before passport control, single entry, for a stay of up to 30 days, for eligible nationalities only.
- Sinai-only stamp: Free, on arrival, for stays of up to 15 days inside the South Sinai resort area only: Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba. It does not allow travel to Cairo, Luxor or anywhere else in mainland Egypt.
- Passport rule: Your passport must be valid for at least six months from your date of entry, with a blank page for the stamp or sticker.
- Facts checked: 13 November 2026, against the official e-Visa portal address and current fee and eligibility reporting checked the same week. Fees changed during 2026, so confirm your price on the portal before you pay.
Who Should Apply for the Egypt e-Visa Online?
Apply online if you want the visa settled before you board, if your itinerary covers mainland Egypt, or if your nationality is eligible for the e-Visa but you do not want to rely on the airport kiosk queue after a long flight. The process is an account on visa2egypt.gov.eg, an application form with your passport and travel details, card payment, and then a wait for the approval email. Print the e-Visa and carry it with your passport. Travellers whose nationalities are not on either the e-Visa list or the visa on arrival list need a visa from an Egyptian embassy or consulate in advance, and no airport route substitutes for that.
How long does the e-Visa take, and how long can you stay?
The official guidance is to apply at least 7 days before you travel, which is a floor, not a target. Two weeks leaves room for a rejected photograph, a mistyped passport number or a slow approval, all of which are much easier to fix at home than at a check-in desk. The single entry e-Visa covers one entry for a tourist stay of up to 30 days. The multiple entry version suits travellers building a regional trip who expect to leave Egypt and return, for example on a Jordan or Israel side trip, within the visa validity period shown on the approval.
What does the e-Visa cost in 2026?
Fees moved during 2026, which is why older guides disagree with each other. Current checks in November 2026 put the single entry e-Visa at US$30 and the multiple entry e-Visa at US$65, paid by Visa or Mastercard on the portal. The visa on arrival rose to the same US$30 single entry figure earlier in 2026. Because the portal is the charging authority, the price it shows for your nationality at checkout is the price that governs, and any third party site quoting a much higher figure for the standard tourist visa is selling you the same product with a markup.
Who Can Still Get a Visa on Arrival in Egypt?
Visa on arrival remains a real and widely used route for eligible passports. On landing at a major international airport, including Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam, you buy the visa sticker at a bank kiosk in the arrivals hall before you join the passport control queue. It costs US$30 in cash, so carry US dollars in clean notes rather than assuming a card machine or a fair exchange rate at the desk. The sticker gives a single entry and a stay of up to 30 days.
Eligibility is the catch. The scheme covers a set list of nationalities, commonly including United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese and South Korean passport holders, among others. It does not cover every passport, and airline check-in staff will refuse boarding to travellers who need a visa in advance and do not have one. Check your own nationality against the official portal lists before you rely on the kiosk, however confident a forum post sounds.
What Is the Sinai Resort Rule, Exactly?
The Sinai rule is a separate, older exemption that survives alongside the visa system. If you arrive by air at Sharm El Sheikh and your entire stay is inside the Gulf of Aqaba resort area of the South Sinai, meaning Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba, for up to 15 days, officials can stamp you in free with a Sinai-only entry permission instead of a visa. You ask for the stamp at passport control and you pay nothing.
The limit is geographic and absolute. The stamp does not cover Cairo, the pyramids at Giza, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada or a Nile cruise, and it does not become a full visa because your plans changed. Travellers who think they might take a day trip to Cairo, cross to the mainland, or stay a 16th day should buy the full US$30 visa on arrival instead, or hold an e-Visa, and treat the free stamp as what it is: a resort exemption, not a cheap version of the national visa. If a Cairo day is even a possibility, our guide to visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum and what to know before you go is the read that will settle the decision, because that museum alone justifies the full visa for most first trips.
Which Route Should You Choose?
Choose the e-Visa if your trip is planned and mainland based
Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan and Alexandria itineraries are mainland trips. The e-Visa removes the kiosk queue, locks eligibility before you fly, and is the calmest option for families, older travellers and anyone landing late at night. Apply early, print the approval, and keep a digital copy on your phone.
Choose visa on arrival if you are eligible and travelling simply
For an eligible passport and a straightforward single entry trip, the kiosk route is honest and quick, provided you land with US$30 in cash per person. It fails only when travellers assume eligibility they do not have, or arrive without dollars and lose time hunting for an exchange desk that charges for the privilege.
Choose the Sinai stamp only if the resort is the whole trip
A fly and flop week in Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab, with no mainland excursion and a departure inside 15 days, is the one case where the free stamp is the correct answer rather than a gamble. The moment the itinerary grows a Cairo day, a monastery trip beyond the resort zone or a second week, buy the visa.
Whichever route you choose, the packing logic for a winter Egypt trip is its own puzzle of cold Cairo mornings and warm afternoons. Our guide to what to pack for Egypt in winter, from Cairo mornings to Nile cruises and desert nights, covers the layers that handle that swing in one bag.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Egypt e-Visa
What is the official Egypt e-Visa website?
visa2egypt.gov.eg. It is the only official portal. Commercial lookalike sites charge service fees on top of the government price for the same visa, so check the address ends in gov.eg before you pay anything.
How much does an Egypt tourist visa cost in 2026?
US$30 for a single entry visa, whether you buy the e-Visa online or a visa on arrival in cash, and US$65 for a multiple entry e-Visa, based on checks in November 2026. Confirm the figure for your nationality on the official portal, because fees changed during 2026 and older guides still show the previous US$25 price.
Can I visit Cairo on the free Sinai stamp?
No. The Sinai-only stamp covers up to 15 days inside the South Sinai resort area of Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba. Cairo, Giza, Luxor and the rest of mainland Egypt require a full tourist visa, bought online in advance or on arrival if your nationality is eligible.
How far ahead should I apply for the e-Visa?
At least 7 days before departure, and two weeks is safer. That leaves time to correct a rejected photo or a data error and still travel on the approval you receive by email.
What happens if my nationality is not eligible for either route?
You need a visa from an Egyptian embassy or consulate before you travel. Airlines check this at departure and will not board passengers who need prior approval and do not hold it, so treat the embassy route as part of the trip planning, not an airport problem to solve on the day.
Entry rules, fees and eligibility lists change, and Egypt adjusted its visa fees during 2026. This guide was checked on 13 November 2026 against the official e-Visa portal at visa2egypt.gov.eg and current government travel advice summaries. It is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm your nationality, fee and route on the portal before you book nonrefundable travel.
