Travelers to Egypt can be broken down into a few different categories. Visitors from ten countries, including Hong Kong and the UAE, are allowed to visit the country for up to three months without a visa. Visitors from other set of countries, including China, Afghanistan, and Jordan, have unique regulations to each country, based on age, the type of trip they are undertaking, and gender, which sometimes allow for a visa-free trip also. Moving on from that, some countries are also exempt due to traveling in groups of five or more people with booked accommodation or being born to an Egyptian father or Egyptian mother (after the year 2004 for the mother). However, for countries that are not included in these regulations, you’ll need a visa for your trip. Visitors from the UK, US, EU, and a few other countries can get their visa on arrival, which came into place in December 2020. Since 2017, there has also been the option for the e-Visa for visitors from 46 countries, who can apply for tourism and business visas online using the e-Visa system. For any countries that do not fall under these categories, you will need to follow the traditional visa application process by visiting your local embassy in your home country prior to your trip. On top of requiring a visa, a group of countries, including Iran and Iraq, require the Egyptian State Security Authorities’ approval before their entry. As you can see, it’s a very complex situation when applying for a visa to Egypt, with so many countries having different rules for entry.
