From 1 August 2026, visas at Cairo International Airport are issued as a QR code, bought online before you travel or from self-service machines when you land. Luxor and Hurghada continue with the traditional visa on arrival for now.
This page includes a simple visa helper tool plus clear explanations so you know exactly which option applies to your itinerary. For the complete picture, see our Egypt Visa Guide.
Answer three quick questions about your passport, your arrival airport in Egypt and whether you are flying direct or via Cairo.
The tool will then show whether you need the new QR code visa or a traditional visa on arrival, and the best way to get it.
Visa helper tool
This guide explains whether you need Egypt's new QR code visa, introduced at Cairo International Airport on 1 August 2026, or a traditional visa on arrival at Luxor or Hurghada, and the best way to get it for your itinerary.
The visa helper and general advice on this page apply to passport holders of:
If you hold any other nationality, please contact your local Egyptian embassy or consulate for visa advice, and always check the official Egyptian Visa on Arrival website, visaonarrival.gov.eg, and your own government travel advice before you travel.
You are welcome to contact Classic Holidays for help with your booking, however we cannot confirm visa rules for every nationality.
From 1 August 2026, visas at Cairo International Airport are issued as a QR code rather than the old paper sticker. There are two ways to get one.
Buy online before you travel (recommended). Go to the official Egyptian Visa on Arrival website, visaonarrival.gov.eg, or use the official Visa on Arrival Egypt app for iPhone or Android. It costs US$36 per person, paid by card, there are no forms or passport uploads, and your QR code is emailed to you instantly, one for each traveller. The code must be used to enter Egypt within 7 days of being issued, so buy it no earlier than 5 days before you travel. Show it on your phone at passport control; there is no need to print it.
Or buy at the self-service machines when you land. The machines are in the arrivals hall and take just a few moments, for the same US$36 by card. If you are beginning your holiday in Cairo, our representative, who has security clearance to be on your side of passport control, will meet you at the machines and help.
The QR code system has not yet rolled out to these airports, so you obtain a traditional visa on arrival when you land:
Please do not buy the online QR code visa if you are flying direct to Luxor or Hurghada. It is currently only valid at Cairo airport, it would not be accepted when you land, and the fee is non-refundable.
If you are travelling with a connecting flight via Cairo on the way to your final airport in Egypt, you go through passport control in Cairo, so you need the QR code visa, and it must be in place before you board your onward internal flight.
Buy it online before you travel, or at the self-service machines at Cairo Airport before passport control. If your connection time is tight, buying online before you travel is the safer choice. Airport representatives, ours included, cannot meet passengers in transit areas.
The separate Egypt eVisa still exists and existing eVisas remain valid. For most travellers flying into Cairo, the new QR code visa is quicker, with no forms, no passport image uploads and no waiting for approval.
If you prefer the eVisa route, our step by step guide, How to apply for an Egypt eVisa online, remains available, along with our free passport image resizer for the eVisa passport upload. If you have booked with Classic Holidays, the host details for the eVisa form are shown in your Egypt Travel Guide.
For most itineraries, no. If you arrive into or connect through Cairo, the QR code visa is the simplest option, and if you fly direct to Luxor or Hurghada you buy a visa on arrival when you land. The eVisa remains a valid alternative if you prefer to arrange one.
No earlier than 5 days before you travel, because the code must be used to enter Egypt within 7 days of being issued. As it is issued instantly and emailed to you, you can buy it any time right up until you board your flight to Cairo.
The visa helper on this page is designed for guests who hold passports from the United Kingdom, EU member countries, USA, Australia, Georgia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Macedonia or the Republic of Korea.
If you hold a different passport, please contact your local Egyptian embassy or consulate and check the official visa websites and your own government travel advice for the requirements that apply to you.
Classic Holidays can still assist with questions about your booking, but we cannot confirm visa rules for every nationality.
The information on this page is provided as a general guide for Classic Holidays guests and is based on our understanding of visa processes at the time of writing.
Egypt visa rules can change at short notice and may differ by nationality and personal circumstances.
Classic Holidays cannot accept responsibility for any decisions made by the Egyptian authorities or for any changes to visa rules, fees or processing times.
You are responsible for ensuring that you have the correct visa, passport validity and documentation for travel.
Always follow the latest instructions on the official Egyptian Visa on Arrival website, guidance from the Egyptian authorities, your own government travel advice and the information provided in your Classic Holidays travel documents.
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