Free entry to Egypt with a Sinai visa. Visa to Egypt for Belarusians Do I need a visa to Sharm El Sheikh

Citizens of Russia and CIS countries need a visa to visit Egypt. It is issued both at the country's embassy in Moscow, and directly at the airports of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.

Visas on arrival

A single-entry visa for tourists is issued upon arrival at any of the Egyptian entry points into the country (except Cairo airport), with the exception of land border crossings with Israel ("Rafah" and "Taba"). To enter, it is enough to have a passport, the validity of which is not two months from the end of the visit. In some cases, border guards may require you to present a voucher and medical insurance.

At the airport, a visa stamp is pasted into the passport, the cost of which is 25 US dollars. For children inscribed in the parents' passport, entry is free. Children with their own passport pay the same amount as adults.

The validity of a tourist visa issued upon arrival is 1 month from the date of entry.

In case of arriving in Egypt through the port of Nuweiba, it is strongly recommended to obtain an Egyptian visa in advance. More than once in the port of Aqaba there have been cases of refusal to sell ferry tickets for tourists who do not have an Egyptian visa.

Visas to South Sinai (Sinai stamp)

Travelers arriving in South Sinai can obtain a visa for a stay of up to 14 days upon arrival, on the spot and free of charge. South Sinai includes the coast from Sharm el-Sheikh to Taba, including the monastery of Santa Catarina and Mount Moses.

To obtain such a visa, you must declare this to the border authorities and stay in the territory of South Sinai until the end of the trip. Departure to any other area of ​​Egypt for holders of such visas is prohibited.

The same visa can be obtained at any point of entry into Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula: Taba checkpoint (border with Israel), Nuweiba port (ferries from Jordan).

If you plan to travel through the Sinai Peninsula deep into Egypt, then at the point of arrival in the country you need to obtain a regular single-entry visa with stamps for 15 US dollars, since leaving Sinai is possible only with such a visa. Document checkpoints operate on all roads leading from the coast inland: 5 km south of Sharm el-Sheikh, before reaching Ras Mohammed, 2 km west of the turn to Mount Moses from the main Nuweiba - Cairo highway and at the turn to the side Cairo, 7 km south of Taba. In addition, more than 10 other mobile police posts operate on the roads of South Sinai.

Arriving by land from Israel through Taba, only the Sinai stamp is placed; regular visas are not issued at this crossing. In this case, you should obtain an Egyptian visa in advance at the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv or the Consulate General in Eilat. Visas are issued in 1-2 days, you need to submit 2 photos and a passport with a valid Israeli visa.

Visa format

A single-entry visa at the border is one large stamp that can be stuck on any empty space in the passport. A stamp is placed on top of the stamp at the entrance and exit. All together, this takes up about a third or fourth part of the passport page.

Free visa for South Sinai - stamps only, no stamps. Placed in any free space.

Applying for a visa at the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow

The Embassy of Egypt in Moscow issues single-entry, multiple-entry and transit visas. To do this, you must provide the following documents:

Passport valid for at least six months from the end of the trip;
- a photocopy of the first page of the passport with the personal data of the applicant;
- 1 photograph (black and white or color) 3 x 4 cm;
- a questionnaire completed in English and personally signed by the applicant;
- travel agency voucher or hotel reservation confirmation (original or fax);
- a photocopy of the internal passport (pages with personal data and pages with registration or registration);
- insurance policy and its copy. The amount of coverage must be at least $15,000;
- for minors - a copy of the birth certificate.

Consular fee

At the moment, the consular fee for Russian citizens is 350 rubles. The fee is paid in rubles directly at the consular department when submitting documents. Children under 12 are exempt from paying the fee.

Applying for a visa for CIS citizens

Citizens of Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are not issued a visa upon arrival. For a visa, you must apply in advance to the consular section of the Egyptian Embassy. Citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan must personally come to the embassy to submit and receive documents. Consideration of documents usually takes from 2 to 3 weeks.

Movement around the country

There are no restrictions on movement within the country for Russian citizens, however, it is recommended to refrain from traveling in the border areas with Israel and in the southern part of the Egyptian Red Sea coast, from the town of Berenice and beyond. These areas are considered closed military zones and tourists are not welcome there.

Egypt is one of the most popular countries among Belarusians for a beach holiday. Indeed, you can enjoy the sea and the sun there almost all year round, there are enough interesting cities and places where you can go on excursions. In addition, there is an opportunity to visit neighboring Israel and Jordan by ticking not one, but three countries at once on the travel map. And the cost of vouchers is much lower than in many other areas.

Another point that makes the country of Arab dreams attractive in the tourist market of Belarus is the absence of the need to apply for a visa in advance. You can get it right at the airport upon arrival. However, do not forget that this only applies to tourist visas. All others must be opened in advance.

Tourist visa documents

In order to apply for a tourist visa to Egypt, Belarusians do not need any additional documents. A valid passport, a completed migration card, a return air ticket and a hotel reservation are sufficient.

The latter is rarely asked to be confirmed by border guards, so tourists who decide to decide on their place of residence right in Egypt often write information “at random”, finding information on the Internet about any resort hotel they are heading to.

One of the most common questions that Belarusian tourists have is filling out a migration card. All columns are indicated in English and Arabic, but it is not difficult to guess their meaning.

Migration cards are issued, as a rule, on board the aircraft. Here, flight attendants help fill them out, politely answering questions that Belarusians have. If there are technical problems and the airline does not have forms, do not worry. The questionnaire can always be taken at the airport at the information desk, where there are samples of filling out. But it is better to take care of the presence of a pen in advance, even at home.

As for filling, the main rule is to write legibly and in Latin letters. You need to fill in all fields. Border guards often do not read the meaning of what is written, and sometimes they are completely limited to a cursory glance, but empty cells are always striking.

Registration process

Visa processing at Hurghada airport is carried out very quickly, all formalities are minimized. The procedure consists of three stages.

Tourists fill out a migration card (on the plane or at the airport, upon arrival).

When passing through passport control, a foreign passport together with a completed migration card is presented to the employee.

After checking the documents, the customs officer pastes a visa into the passport and puts an arrival stamp on top of it.

You should not expect any tricks - the Egyptians treat Belarusian tourists loyally and never refuse entry.

Price

Speaking about the cost of a visa, it is worth remembering again that they are of two types - a Sinai stamp and a full-fledged Egyptian tourist visa. The first one is completely free, the second one is $25. Children who do not have their own passport can count on free entry. If an underage tourist is traveling on their own passport, a $25 consular fee must be paid.

Validity

The validity of a Sinai stamp is 15 days, a tourist visa obtained outside the Sinai Peninsula is 30 days. Violation of the terms of stay in the country threatens with serious fines and even a further ban on entry into Egypt.

Possible problems

The first problem faced by Belarusians arriving in Egypt is filling out a migration card. The difficulty is not so much in the filling itself, but in understanding what is required of you, because everything is written in English and Arabic. It is best to do everything on board the aircraft - here you can count on the help of a flight attendant. But even if you had to fill out a form at the airport and there is nowhere to wait for help, do not despair. Try to contact Russian-speaking tourists or representatives of travel companies. As a last resort - write the information as you see fit. The main thing is clearly and in Latin letters. Customs officers rarely read the questionnaires, most often they pay attention solely to the very fact of filling out.

Egypt is an Arab country in which many seek to cash in on tourists. Such is the feature. You can face this already at the airport, when they will demand $ 25 from you for a Sinai stamp, as for a full-fledged visa. This is completely illegal and you should not give extra money for fear of threats and possible consequences. Refusal to pay nothing threatens you! Although many, in order to avoid conflict and not spoil their vacation, are ready to fork out. That is exactly what the rogue customs officers are counting on.

Perhaps these are the only problems that Belarusians may face when obtaining an Egyptian visa, and they, apparently, are not so significant and significant. If you are at least a little familiar with the English language, solving them will not be difficult at all.

Visa for a child

Entry into Egypt for children is even more simplified than for adults. For small tourists, you do not need to fill out a separate migration card, it is enough that they will be entered into the parent one. However, it is recommended that you bring the following documents with you:

birth certificate;

permission to leave from the parents (one or two, respectively) if the child is traveling with one of them or accompanied by third parties.

At customs, most likely, they will not be required to present them, however, in the event of disputes and the absence of documents confirming the legal departure of the child abroad, troubles may arise.

A visa for a child, regardless of whether you are planning a vacation in the Sinai Peninsula or beyond, is issued free of charge. As in the case of the Sinai stamp, cunning border guards may require you to pay $ 25 for it, but this requirement is absolutely illegal and can be ignored by a tourist.

Sinai visa, in fact, is quite easy to obtain: as a rule, its cost is included in the cost of the purchased tour, and it is obtained already upon arrival at the place of rest. To obtain this visa in Sharm el-Sheikh, or in another city in the vastness of the Sinai Peninsula, there is no need to draw up any documents.

However, if you are not going to Egypt on vacation, and you need a Sinai stamp for another purpose - a business trip, study, or departure for any official event, you will need to apply for an Egyptian visa yourself by submitting documents to visa center, or to the Egyptian embassy.

In any case, no matter how you apply for a visa, it will cost you about $25. This applies both to cases of registration upon arrival, and if you issue it through the embassy. The consular fee is the same, fixed amount, and changes quite rarely.

As you can see above, there are several types of visas to Egypt. If you are going to the territory of the Sinai Peninsula to rest, you will be subject to certain requirements, and if you are going to work in Cairo, they will be completely different. To understand this, you need to understand what, in general, there are visas to Egypt.

What can be a visa?

Depending on the purpose of your trip, you will need to obtain a specific visa. There are seven different types of visa in total, namely:

• Tourist visa. This is the most common type of visa. Every year, millions of tourists from Russia go on vacation to Sharm el-Sheikh, and receive a corresponding mark in their passports. It is set already upon arrival: if you are going on vacation on a package tour, there will be no difficulties with this;
• professional visa. It is issued for diplomatic workers, politicians, journalists. Also, this visa is received by crew members of ships and aircraft. Such permits for entry into the republic are issued only by applying to the Embassy of the country in Moscow;
• Departure for work. A visa to work in Egypt can only be issued at the Embassy of Egypt, if you have an invitation to work from an organization located in the Arab Republic. The cost of a work visa, issued for a period of up to one year, reaches hundreds of dollars;
• Business visa. Such a visa is issued to investors, property owners and shareholders of large Egyptian companies. As a rule, it can be valid for up to one year;
• Student visa. This type of visa can be obtained by full-time students enrolled in one of the public universities in Egypt. To confirm their right to such a visa, Russian citizens must provide certificates of enrollment and information about education already received;
• Sinai visa. Such a visa is a specific permission to stay in the territory of a separate part of Egypt. Only tourists can get a Sinai stamp, and it costs, as a rule, free of charge. Such a visa cannot be extended, its validity period is one month.

There are some other types of visas, such as a residence visa (for spouses of Egyptian citizens and owners of real estate in the country), or fiancé visas, but these are not of particular interest to us at the moment. Considering that the majority of Russians come to Egypt precisely for the purpose of relaxing, and it is to the Sinai Peninsula, to Sharm el-Sheikh, it is worth paying special attention to a tourist visa.

Holidays in Sinai: a visa to the peninsula

Most often, Russians go on vacation to Sharm el-Sheikh, and to other resorts located precisely within Sinai and the surrounding peninsula. These places are always full of tourists coming not only from Russia but also from other parts of the world. Sharm El Sheikh is one of the most popular holiday destinations not only in Egypt, but throughout the Middle East.

As mentioned above, tourists apply for a visa to Egypt upon arrival, already at the airport. A visa issued in the Egyptian capital, or elsewhere, will cost you twenty-five dollars. At the same time, tourists traveling to rest in Sharm el-Sheikh, or to another resort in the Sinai Peninsula, can obtain a separate Sinai visa.

What distinguishes such a visa, first of all, is not the period of its validity, but the territory to which this action applies. You can get a Sinai stamp for free, but it will only be valid within the Sinai Peninsula. For those who came exclusively to Sharm el-Sheikh, just to sunbathe on the beaches and have a good rest, this opportunity to save money is more than relevant.

True, there are certain difficulties here. A visa obtained at the airport, for which the consular fee has been paid, not only gives you the opportunity to move freely throughout the territory of the republic, but can also be extended, if necessary. Sinai visa cannot be extended - it expires exactly one month after receipt.

If you are traveling exclusively on vacation, on a package tour - for a week or two, and your plans do not include any excursions and a change in the place of rest, the Sinai visa is perfect for you. In the event that you want to stay in Egypt longer, in Sharm el-Sheikh itself, or in another part of the republic, it is better to take care of an Egyptian visa: you will spend a little more money, but save yourself from all sorts of problems related to the legality of your stay in the country.

How to get a tourist visa in 2019?

All tourists traveling to Egypt on vacation are eligible for a tourist visa. However, there are several features here. So, for example, tourists who travel on their own, without a ticket and a tourist voucher, should take care to collect all the documents confirming their status as a tourist: this is a hotel reservation, round-trip tickets, and other information, without which you may not even be given a Sinai visa in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The situation is much simpler if you are going on vacation on a package tour. If you have a package, your tour operator provides you with everything you need: hotel reservations, inns, a travel voucher and, of course, the right to a visa on arrival. As a rule, the cost of vouchers already includes the cost of a visa, and you will not even need to pay, upon arrival in the Arab Republic, any additional fees.

If you are traveling on your own, you will need to contact the consular department of the Egyptian Embassy, ​​or one of the visa centers of this country. After submitting all the necessary documents and paying the consular fee of twenty-five dollars, you will need to wait five to seven business days and collect your passport with your visa from the embassy. If you need a Sinai visa, it is better to consider purchasing a tour package to Sharm el-Sheikh. It is very difficult, almost impossible, to get a visa for free on your own, without a ticket.

Other features of staying in Sharm El Sheikh

Both in the case of applying for a visa at the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow, and in case of obtaining it upon arrival, you must have a valid foreign passport with you. It must be valid for at least six months from the date of arrival from the place of rest. For those who receive a Sinai visa in one of the resort cities of the peninsula, such as Sharm el-Sheikh, this period can be reduced to two months. Of course, the passport must have free pages in order to place a visa there.

For each tourist from Russia who comes to rest in Sharm el-Sheikh, regardless of his age, an individual visa must be issued. However, if your children do not yet have their own passports, they can get a visa together with one of the parents in whose passport they are entered. If you are applying for a visa for yourself and for a child, the visa stamp must contain a corresponding mark. For children over six years old, a photo in the passport of one of the parents is required. From the age of fourteen, children go to Sharm el-Sheikh on their own passport.

If necessary, the visa can be extended for one month, upon written request of tourists to the migration center located in every major Egyptian city. If we are talking about a Sinai visa to Sharm el-Sheikh, such a visa cannot be extended, and you need to return home within the specified time. For tourists of retirement age, there is no need to extend the visa - they can freely stay in Egypt and Sharm el-Sheikh for as long as necessary.

Despite rumors about the abolition of the visa regime between Egypt and the Russian Federation, the old rules are still in effect - a visa to Egypt is needed, the applicant is stamped at the border control. The territory of the country is conditionally divided into several parts, each of which has its own immigration rules. So, to visit Hurghada, Alexandria or Cairo, a visa is required.

At the same time, in 2018, Russian citizens do not need to obtain a visa to Egypt in advance if the purpose of the trip is tourist. The document is issued immediately after arrival at the airport. For the city of Sharm El Sheikh and visiting South Sinai, a visa stamp is affixed free of charge, while in the rest of the state you will need to pay a consular fee.

Territory with a visa-free regime

Sinai stamp

If a visitor arrives in the Sinai Peninsula through the airports of Taboo, Dahab or Sharm El Sheikh, a visa-free regime applies, a special Sinai stamp is affixed at the border. This decision imposes restrictions on movement around the country, which is inconvenient for many independent tourists. For example, with a Sinai stamp, you won’t be able to visit the Ras Mohammed reserve or go diving in the Thistelgorm.

This feature of visiting the state is associated with military relations between Israel and Egypt. Previously, the Sinai Peninsula belonged to Egypt, but after the war, Israel seized part of this territory, and Egypt was forced to put up with it. Now, in order to restrict the mass entry of Israeli citizens into their country, the Egyptian authorities have created a separate visa legislation for the territory.

According to the Sinai stamp, it is allowed to stay on the territory of the peninsula for no more than two weeks, and attempts to travel outside the resort towns are stopped by border guards. Therefore, getting into the rest of Egypt without a visa will not work.

Experienced travelers have said that upon arrival in Sharm El Sheikh, immigration officers try to force travelers to pay a fee, which in fact means issuing a visa, as in Hurghada. By law, Russian citizens have the right to count on a visa-free stamp, but in practice, everyone decides for himself what to do in this situation.

Visa regime of Hurghada

Russians can apply for a visa to Hurghada in 2018 directly upon arrival in Egypt after presenting the required list of documents. If the trip is limited to tourism purposes, there is no need to obtain permission in advance. Similar rules exist in Alexandria, Cairo, Luxor and other territories.

Tourist visa documents

To obtain a visa at the airport, you will need to collect the following documents:

• valid international passport;
• confirmation of a hotel reservation or rental accommodation;
• return ticket.

How to apply for a visa to Egypt?

For all those entering Egypt, there are standard rules that must be observed. It is necessary to go through a simple procedure before applying for a visa to Hurghada and other cities. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• Filling out the migration card according to all standards.
• Passage of visa control with a card and a foreign passport.
• Obtaining a visa stamp.

There is no strict inspection at the border, so the process of obtaining a visa to Hurghada is quite fast.

How much does a visa to Egypt cost?

The current cost of a visa to Egypt in 2018 is presented below.

Expiration date of the Egyptian visa

The current validity periods for the two types of tourist visas are shown in the table.

Possible problems when applying for a visa to Egypt

Assistance in filling out an application for a visa to Egypt can be provided by the crew of the aircraft. If it was not possible to fill out the form on the plane, this can be done immediately upon arrival, focusing on the submitted sample.

Tourist visa extension

If you need to extend your stay in Egypt, you should contact a special passport office. There is no additional charge for this.

Important: If the document was extended for more than 30 days, departure from Egypt should be carried out only by a regular, not a charter flight.

To extend a tourist visa, you must provide the following list of documents:

• 4 photocopies of the civil passport with the main spread and registration data;
• 2 photocopies of the visa stamp that was affixed upon entry;
• 2 photocopies of supporting documents on rental housing or hotel reservation with an address;
• one color photograph measuring 3.5x4.5 cm;
• filled

Russian citizens aged 60 and over have the right not to renew their visa. Egypt allows them to stay in its territory for an unlimited amount of time if they are able to prove a stable income.

If the flight did not take place on time and the documents turned out to be overdue, then at the border the authorities will require you to pay a fine of 22 US dollars or 150 local pounds.

Other categories of Egyptian visas

For trips to Egypt in order to find a job, enroll in training, to meet with relatives or a business visit, you will need to apply for a visa. To do this, you must contact the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow or obtain permission directly at the Egyptian airport after arrival.

Work Visa

This type of entry document for cooperation with employers is canceled after the transfer to another place of work.

student visa

This type of visa is required for citizens wishing to study in Egypt. The student category of visas can be approved even for a minor, provided that he is accompanied by his parents or guardians, who are also issued a visa.

Bride's visa

For women who wish to enter into an official marriage with Egyptian citizens, there is a separate fiancé visa. It is drawn up on the basis of an ORFI document - a temporary marriage contract, which will later need to be legalized.

Girls who have visited the state under this document must marry at the set time, otherwise the visa will be canceled.

Residence visa

This type of permit gives its holder the right to stay in the country for a long time, but prohibits employment or commercial activities. Only two categories of Russians can get it: relatives of Egyptian citizens or owners of property in the state.

The cost of issuing non-tourist visas

The cost of a visa to Egypt in 2018 is much higher than a standard tourist stamp. Prices are shown in the table below.

To calculate the exact cost of a visa to Egypt in 2018 for brides and students, you need to know in advance the list of required procedures for passing. The official amount is usually the minimum. For a comfortable passage through all bureaucratic barriers, when applying for a visa on arrival, you can pay a tip (baksheesh).

Validity of non-tourist visas