Understanding Egypt's eVisa: A Complete Guide for Travelers

The Egyptian electronic visa is a simple one-page document that contains identity and travel information about the holder. An international traveler needs to carry a minimum of two important documents while on a foreign trip - his/her passport and visa. While both provide the basic identification details of the traveler, they are not the same. The passport is the identification document issued by the traveler’s country of origin, whereas a visa is granted by the destination country. It gives official permission to enter that country. A foreigner is expected to leave the country before the expiry of the visa validity. The Egyptian visa online is issued to foreign travelers from a few eligible countries to visit Egypt for tourism and related activities. The travel authorization letter has the official national emblem of Egypt. On the very top center of the Egypt eVisa, there stands the Egyptian Golden Eagle. A symbol of power, the emblem is also known as the Republican Eagle. As the name suggests, the prominent color in the national emblem is golden, and it has an insignia band in red, white, and black – the colors in the Egyptian flag.

The eVisa displays a number of information about the identity and travel itinerary of the holder, both in English and Arabic. eVisa number: It is a 12-digit unique number. The number can provide the officers at the immigration counter with information about the visa and its holder. The QR code: The eVisa for Egypt has a QR code that can be scanned and read by a machine. It has an array of black and white squares. These are used for storing URLs or information that can be read by a camera or a smartphone. eVisa type: The government of Egypt grants eVisas for tourism. The Egypt eVisa for tourism is exclusively issued to foreigners for sightseeing and other tourism-related activities. Entry type: There are two types of eVisas—single-entry visas and multiple-entry visas. In this field, the document specifies the kind of Egyptian eVisa that a particular international traveler holds. A single-entry visa allows travelers to enter the country only once in the 30-day allowed stay, while a multiple-entry visa allows the holders of the visa multiple entries during the permitted validity period (6 months). Validity date: The expiry date of the traveler’s eVisa for Egypt is denoted in the field.

The eVisa also displays the personal identification details of the holders. Foreigners arriving or staying in Egypt are required to have a printed copy of the eVisa all the time so that police or other officials can identify them. Full name: All foreigners have to give their full name, including the given/first name and their surname/second name, during their online application for an eVisa. Any mismatch between this name and the name in the passport may result in entry denial. Passport number, nationality, date of birth, passport type, and profession are also crucial details. At the end of the electronic visa document, there is a warning for international travelers. The warning states that travelers who exceed the duration of stay mentioned in the document without a legal residency permit will face fines and possible deportation. Travelers are encouraged to leave the country before the expiry of visa validity stated in the eVisa for Egypt. If they want to explore the country for more than 30 days, they can apply for an eVisa renewal or leave the country and get a new eVisa.