Do we need a visa for Egypt

[Jjacobb]

We're going next week to Hurgarda. We've just realised we may need a visa. It's all quite unclear though. Has anyone been recently?

According to GOV.UK yes you do.

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt/entry-requirements

You can get in advance but I think you have left it too late. Or buy at the airport on arrival, which is what we did, I think we had the cash in US dollars but I'm sure people pay in pounds or Euros.

From the Foreign Office site - "If you wish to get a visa on arrival, you can do so at approved bank kiosks within airport arrival halls, before reaching immigration counters. The visa fee is US$25, payable in US dollars as the preferred currency, although you may also be able to pay in pounds sterling or euros. Visas granted on arrival are valid for a maximum of 30 days. There’s no need to buy a visa from an agent. In many cases agents will charge more than US$25 for a visa. If you’re harassed by an agent, report the incident to the tourist police in the airport terminal."

We just got ours at the airport when we landed. Be careful using the cash points at the airport though - my card got cloned. ☹️

You definitely do for Hurghada. We had to get them at Hurghada airport as we didn't realise we needed one, having only ever visited the Sinai part of Egypt in the past, who don't require one.

Simplest was is to buy on arrival. It's $25/€25/£25. I don't think they accept other currencies. It's also cash only.

I went on a group diving holiday and flew into Hurgarda. The visa was prearranged so I just had to get a normal passport stamp. I remember walking past I desk with a very long queue that was probably the visa place.

That airport is just nasty btw. All the shops seemed to just make the prices up as they went along and you really had to be on the ball to avoid been conned - they claimed the card machines 'didn't work' and if you paid cash they said they had no change or they'd give you the change in another currency and it was nowhere near as much as it should have been. They'd then ignore you while serving the next customer if you tried to complain.

The search queues on the way back were split into male and female and the female queue took forever because there were a lot fewer female staff working, most of the women had children with them and a lot were wearing Arab dress etc, so took longer to search.

The women in our party only just made it to the gate in time and when we got there all the men were looking at us with a 'what the fuck have you been pissing about at' air to them.