Do You Need a Visa for Egypt in 2026? Full Entry Guide

Short answer: yes, almost every nationality needs a visa to enter Egypt. The longer and more useful answer is which kind, because you actually get to choose, and the right choice depends on how organized you want to be before you fly.

You have two official options, and both lead to the same result: a single-entry visa valid for up to 30 days. The e-Visa is done online in advance at Egypt's official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg — you upload a passport photo and scan, pay by card, and usually hear back within a few business days. The visa on arrival skips all of that: you pay in cash at a bank counter inside the airport, before passport control, at Cairo and the other main international airports. Neither is "better" in an absolute sense — it's really a question of whether you'd rather sort it out now from your couch, or deal with it in a queue when you land.

As of 2026, both routes cost the same for a single entry: $30. That's not what it was all year, though — the visa on arrival went up from $25 on 1 March 2026, and the e-Visa followed on 27 April 2026, with its multiple-entry option rising from $60 to $65 at the same time. A multiple-entry e-Visa, valid six months, is only sold online, not at the airport, and only really makes sense if your trip includes a side trip to somewhere like Jordan with a return to Egypt afterward.

Yes, and it's genuinely new: since 1 August 2026, Cairo International Airport has been piloting a digital version that replaces the paper sticker with a QR code scanned at passport control. It's the same visa on arrival, just issued differently — through a kiosk, the official portal, an app, or a travel agency, up to 48 hours before you land, with the code valid for 48 hours once issued. It costs $36 total ($30 visa fee plus a $6 issuing fee). This doesn't touch the e-Visa system at all, and for now it's Cairo-only — other airports are expected to get it later, with no dates confirmed yet, so if you're flying into Hurghada, Sharm, or Luxor, plan for the traditional cash-and-sticker process.

Then there's a good chance you don't need to pay anything at all. Travelers whose entire trip stays within South Sinai — Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, Taba — for up to 14 days can usually get a free entry stamp at passport control, no visa fee required. The catch: it doesn't extend to Cairo, Luxor, or the Egyptian mainland, so a Cairo day trip from Sharm pushes you back into needing a real visa. Worth knowing before you book that pyramids excursion.

Be careful here — several copycat websites mimic the real e-Visa portal and charge well above the government price for an identical visa. The only legitimate e-Visa site is visa2egypt.gov.eg. If a site's price doesn't match the figures above, close the tab.

A passport valid for at least six months past your arrival date, a passport-style photo if you're doing the e-Visa, and ideally some proof of a hotel booking or itinerary, even though it's not always checked. Specific requirements can vary by nationality, so it's worth a quick check of the official portal for your own passport before you lock in flights.

Once the paperwork side is handled, most visitors build their first Egypt trip around Cairo and the Nile. A full-day Cairo highlights tour is an easy way to start from the airport, and a 7-day Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada trip or a 10-day Nile cruise with Abu Simbel fits comfortably inside that 30-day single-entry window, with plenty of room to spare.