Egyptian Tourist Visa

The Arab Republic of Egypt is home to many tourist adventures. Whether you want to view the magnificent pyramids by camel or search the bazaars for unique bargains or feast on flavorful cuisine, Egypt has a lot to offer. An Egyptian tourist visa allows you to explore all these options. The Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and its consular offices grant either a single-entry or multiple-entry tourist visa. The maximum duration for a multiple-entry tourist visa is six months from the date of issue.

As is the case with most, if not all, foreign embassies, visa applicants must pay fees for visa services. The service fee amount varies depending on your country of citizenship. As of July 2011, the visa-processing fee for citizens of the United States, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Cyprus, Guinea, Germany and Denmark was $15. If you are a Canadian or British citizen, pay $20 for a single-entry tourist visa, or $25 for a multiple-entry tourist visa.

The fee for those with other nationalities is $20 for a single-entry tourist visa or $25 for a multiple-entry tourist visa. The Egyptian embassy does not charge a visa fee to those whose home countries are South Africa or Sudan. You can pay this fee in cash, if applying in person at the embassy. However, if you are applying by mail, make a money order payable to “The Consulate of Egypt.”

The Egyptian Embassy requires you to complete an Entry Visa Application form, in Resources. You must have Adobe Reader on your computer to open the file. Print the downloaded form and then complete the application by hand, making sure you answer all the questions asked in the spaces provided. Write “tourism” under the “Purpose of Visit” section to obtain a tourist visa.

You must also get two recent 2- by 2-inch photographs of yourself as part of the required documents for the tourist visa. According to the Egypt Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this photo must be taken against a white background.

The Egyptian tourist visa requires a passport with a minimum validity of six months. Your passport must have at least one blank page on which the Egyptian Embassy can affix your tourist visa. If you are not a United States citizen, you must provide a photocopy of your green card if you are a permanent resident. If you are not a permanent resident, a photocopy of your valid U.S. visa will suffice. Non-U.S. citizens must also provide a photocopy of their round-trip ticket to and from Egypt or a confirmed flight itinerary.

The Embassy of Egypt in Washington, D.C. and its consular offices across the United States allow applicants to apply for the tourist visa in person or by mail. As a rule, visa applicants must submit their applications only to a consular office that has jurisdiction over their state of residence.

Locate the Egyptian consular office that has jurisdiction over your state by visiting the “Visa and Other Consular Services” page on the Egyptian Embassy website. This information is located under the “Egypt's Consulates in the U.S. and their jurisdiction” section.

If you are applying by mail, send your application materials to the consular office that has jurisdiction over your area. You must include a self-addressed certified envelope from any courier service that the Egyptian Embassy can use to return your passport. Since the Egyptian Embassy and its consular offices are not responsible for lost items, include some form of tracking with your self-addressed return envelope.

The average processing time for tourist visa applications is 10 business days for applications submitted in person at an Egyptian consular office. If you applied for your tourist visa by mail, you can expect an even longer processing time, depending on the courier you used and the type of service you chose. The Egyptian Embassy and its consular offices do not offer any rush service on visa processing.