Egypt entry requirements, by passport

Vaccinations

• No mandatory vaccines for general entry. A yellow fever certificate is required from travellers over 9 months of age arriving from (or having transited more than 12 hours through the airport of) a country with risk of transmission. Travellers arriving from Sudan must show the yellow fever certificate or an official Sudanese certificate that they have not been south of latitude 15°N in the previous 6 days. In its instructions for Sudanese passport holders, the Egyptian Embassy in Washington adds that travellers coming from a country where polio is present must have the inactivated (Salk) vaccine at least 4 weeks before entry, and that the dose is valid for 12 months.

Customs limits

Cash

No limit on foreign currency on arrival, but it must be declared if it exceeds 10,000 USD or the equivalent. Up to 5,000 EGP can be carried in Egyptian pounds.

Alcohol

1 litre of spirits duty-free, recorded in the passport. At duty-free shops, within 48 hours of arrival, you can spend up to 200 USD in total, with no more than 1 litre of spirits (which can be swapped for a carton of beer).

Tobacco

200 cigarettes, 25 cigars or 200 g of tobacco duty-free, recorded in the passport. At duty-free shops, within 48 hours of arrival, you can buy up to 2 cartons of cigarettes, within the same 200 USD cap.

Overstay penalties

Leaving the country on an expired visa can cause trouble at exit control, and there is a fine once it has been expired for more than fourteen days. The amount could not be confirmed against an official Egyptian source, so what we report is the consequence rather than a figure.

Grounds for refusal

Apply to: Visa-free, Visa required

• Holding a passport that does not cover the required 6 months of validity from arrival.
• Being of a nationality on the list of countries requiring prior approval: those passport holders cannot obtain the visa on arrival and must arrange it beforehand.
• Not having confirmed with the airline that you do not need a visa in order to board: the embassy names this expressly as a prior step.

Apply to: Visa on arrival, e-Visa

• Holding a passport that does not cover the required 6 months of validity from arrival.
• Being of a nationality on the list of countries requiring prior approval: those passport holders cannot obtain the visa on arrival and must arrange it beforehand.
• Not having confirmed with the airline that you do not need a visa in order to board: the embassy names this expressly as a prior step.
• The most important thing to accept in advance: the official e-Visa portal warns that Egyptian port authorities have the right to refuse entry to an e-Visa holder without any explanation. Holding a granted visa does not guarantee entry.

What to do if you are refused entry →