How to apply for an Egypt eVisa online

Many Classic Holidays guests can obtain a tourist visa on arrival in Egypt. For some itineraries, especially when you travel in transit via Cairo, it is better to arrange an Egypt eVisa online before you fly. This guide explains how the Egypt eVisa works, where to apply and the key steps to follow.

Visa on arrival or eVisa

Classic Holidays guests often have two main options for short tourist visits to Egypt: obtaining a visa on arrival at the airport, or applying for an Egypt eVisa in advance.

If you are flying direct to Cairo, Luxor or Hurghada with Classic Holidays, you will normally obtain a tourist visa on arrival at the airport. If you are flying direct to Cairo, Luxor or Hurghada with Classic Holidays, you will normally obtain a tourist visa on arrival at the airport. On arrival in Egypt (except for transit clients), you will be met by a Classic Holidays representative who has security clearance to be on the airside of passport control in the immigration hall. You can purchase your visa directly from the Classic Holidays representative for £25.00 per person, payable in cash in British pounds sterling, and they will place the visa sticker directly into your passport.

If you are travelling with a transit connection via Cairo to reach your final airport, we normally recommend arranging your Egypt visa in advance by applying for an eVisa. This reduces the risk of delays or confusion while you are in transit. Some guests who are eligible for visa on arrival also prefer to arrange an eVisa in advance for peace of mind.

For a quick, interactive check based on your passport, arrival airport and whether you are flying direct or via Cairo, you can use our Egypt Visa Helper.

This blog article then explains the online eVisa process in more detail, step by step.

Where to apply for an Egypt eVisa

You should apply for your eVisa using the official Egyptian government eVisa portal:

https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/

The Egyptian authorities state that this is the official and exclusive online portal. Other sites that look similar may charge extra fees or provide outdated information.

You can also find general advice on visas for Egypt on your own government travel website, for example the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for British passport holders.

What you need before you start

Before you begin your Egypt eVisa application, it helps to have the following ready:

• A valid passport with at least six months remaining from the date you plan to arrive in Egypt.
• A working email address to receive account confirmation and the eVisa approval.
• A payment card such as Visa or MasterCard to pay the eVisa fee online.
• A clear image or scan of the information page of your passport, saved as JPG or PNG and usually under 1 MB in size.
• Your travel dates and flight details.
• Host and accommodation information for your stay in Egypt.

For many travellers the online system also asks for a recent passport style photo and sometimes additional supporting documents, depending on your nationality and the visa type you select. Always follow the instructions shown in your online application.

If you are travelling with Classic Holidays, your Egypt Travel Guide contains the host details that you should use in your eVisa application. If you cannot find your guide or are unsure what to enter, please contact us.

Step by step: how to apply for an Egypt eVisa online

The official eVisa portal is designed to issue visas in four main steps: sign in, complete your application, pay online and receive your response.

Here is a more detailed, step by step overview to help you prepare:

1. Go to the official Egypt eVisa portal at
   https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/.
2. Create an account using your email address and a secure password, then confirm your registration via the link sent to your inbox.
3. Log in to your account and select the option to start a new visa application. Choose the correct visa type. For most holidaymakers this is a single entry or multiple entry tourist eVisa.
4. Complete the online form with your personal details, passport details and travel information. Enter everything exactly as it appears in your passport.
5. When asked for host information, enter the information shown in your Classic Holidays Egypt Travel Guide. If anything is unclear, pause your application and contact us before you submit.
6. Upload the image or scan of the information page of your passport. The portal usually requires this file to be under 1 MB in size and in JPG or PNG format, with a simple file name using only letters and numbers.
7. Upload any additional documents requested, such as a passport style photo, according to the instructions on the site.
8. Pay the eVisa fee online using your credit or debit card. Keep a copy or screenshot of the payment confirmation for your records.
9. Wait for the decision email. The authorities advise applying at least seven working days before travel, although processing times can vary.
10. Once your eVisa is approved, download and print a copy. Keep this with your passport so you can show it when you arrive in Egypt.

Tips to avoid common Egypt eVisa problems

Many of the difficulties people experience with the Egypt eVisa come from small technical details. These tips can help your application go more smoothly:

• Apply at least seven working days before you travel, and preferably earlier, in case the website is busy or you need to correct anything.
• Use a laptop or desktop computer with a stable internet connection if possible rather than a mobile browser.
• Keep the file size of your passport image below 1 MB and use a simple file name such as passport-page.jpg with no spaces or special characters.
• Check that the image is sharp, in colour and easy to read when you zoom in, especially your name, passport number and expiry date.
• Double check all dates, names and passport numbers against your passport before you submit your application.
• Look out for the confirmation and decision emails in your inbox, and check your junk or spam folder in case they are filtered.

If the official portal is temporarily unavailable or gives repeated errors, wait and try again later. If you are close to your travel date and are unsure what to do, please contact Classic Holidays so we can discuss the options for your specific itinerary.

What to do if your passport image is too large

The Egypt eVisa portal usually enforces a maximum file size of 1 MB for uploaded documents such as your passport image. If your scan or photo is larger than this limit, the system will reject it and you will not be able to complete your application until you upload a smaller file.

To help with this, Classic Holidays provides a free passport image resizer that runs in your browser. You can use it to reduce the file size of a scan or photo of your passport information page before you upload it.

The tool is designed with the Egypt eVisa 1 MB limit in mind and can also be used for other visas that have similar file size restrictions.

If you would like more detailed tips on preparing your passport image, including recommended formats, file names and photo guidance, you can also read our blog article How to resize your passport image for the Egypt eVisa.

Host information for Classic Holidays guests

When you complete your eVisa application you will usually be asked for details of your host in Egypt.

If you have booked with Classic Holidays, the host information you should use is shown in your Egypt Travel Guide. Always follow those details rather than guessing or using information from other websites.

If you cannot find your Travel Guide or you are unsure which details to enter for your particular itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to confirm the information you need.

Important notes and disclaimers

The information in this article is provided as a general guide for Classic Holidays guests and is based on publicly available sources at the time of writing, including the official Egypt eVisa portal and government travel advice.

Egypt visa rules can change at short notice and different nationalities may face different requirements. Classic Holidays cannot guarantee visa approval for any individual application. You are responsible for checking the latest instructions on the official Egypt eVisa portal, your own government travel advice and any guidance provided by the Egyptian authorities in your country.

If you have any questions about how the visa rules apply to your Classic Holidays booking, or you would like help understanding the information in your Egypt Travel Guide, please contact our team and we will do our best to assist.