British passport holders have three legitimate routes for entering Egypt in 2026: an e-Visa applied for online before travel, a Visa on Arrival paid in US dollars at the airport, or a free Sinai entry stamp for travellers restricted to the Sharm el-Sheikh region. All three are issued directly by the Egyptian government or its immigration authorities at the published official fees. Third party expediters offer Egyptian e-Visa services at significantly higher prices than the official $25 cost, and this guide explains why and what they actually do. It also covers eligibility, processing time, the Sinai stamp restrictions, and the document requirements. It is not regulated immigration advice.
TL;DR: The 60 Second Answer
- Egypt e-Visa via visa2egypt.gov.eg costs $25 USD single entry, $60 multiple entry, 30 days validity.- Visa on Arrival at major airports costs $25 USD cash, single entry, 30 days, paid at bank desk before passport control.
- Sinai entry stamp is free for stays of up to 15 days in the Sharm el-Sheikh region only; no Nile or pyramid access.
- e-Visa processing takes up to seven working days; apply at least one week before travel for safety margin.
- Third party expediters charge £40 to £80 for the same e-Visa that the Egyptian government issues for $25 USD.
- Most UK tourists choose Visa on Arrival for simplicity; bring fresh USD notes.
Last reviewed: May 2026 · Sourced from GOV.UK
The three routes for British travellers
Egypt's visa policy for British nationals supports three parallel entry routes, each appropriate for a different type of trip. The choice depends on travel itinerary, time before departure, and willingness to handle paperwork before flight versus on arrival.
The e-Visa route is the most efficient pre travel option. Applications are made online at the Egyptian government's official portal, payment is by international card in US dollars, and the e-Visa is delivered by email within seven working days. The e-Visa is valid for 30 days within three months of issue and is endorsed in the passport on arrival at any Egyptian international airport.
The Visa on Arrival route is the most common choice for UK package tourists travelling to Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Luxor, or Cairo. The $25 USD fee is paid in cash at a bank desk in the arrivals hall before passport control, the visa sticker is affixed to a blank passport page, and the traveller proceeds to passport control. The whole process typically takes 10 to 15 minutes.
The Sinai entry stamp is a free entry permit issued at Sharm el-Sheikh, Taba, and Saint Catherine entry points for tourists planning to stay within the Sinai Peninsula only. It is valid for up to 15 days and does not permit travel to the Nile Valley, Cairo, or any destination outside the Sinai region. Visitors using the Sinai stamp who wish to leave Sinai must purchase a standard Egyptian visa locally.
The Egypt e-Visa: applying via visa2egypt.gov.eg
The official Egyptian e-Visa portal is visa2egypt.gov.eg, operated by the Ministry of Interior on behalf of the Egyptian Immigration Authority. This is the only authoritative URL for the e-Visa; numerous lookalike sites operated by third party expediters appear prominently in search results and charge significantly higher fees for the same outcome.
The application form takes 15 to 30 minutes to complete and asks for personal details, passport information, travel itinerary including arrival airport and hotel, and a digital scan of the passport bio data page. The photograph requirement is met by the passport bio data page scan; no separate photograph upload is required.
Fees are denominated in US dollars: $25 USD for a 30 day single entry e-Visa, $60 USD for a 30 day multiple entry e-Visa. Payment is by international credit or debit card. Most UK issued Visa and Mastercard products work without issue; some banks flag the international USD transaction as suspicious and require customer confirmation before completing payment.
Processing time is stated as up to seven working days, though most applications complete within three to five working days. Apply at least one week before travel as a safety margin, and consider two weeks if the travel date cannot slip. The e-Visa arrives by email as a PDF; print two copies (one for presentation at the Egyptian immigration desk, one as backup) and carry both with the passport.
Visa on Arrival: the cash route at the airport
Visa on Arrival is available to British citizens at all major Egyptian international airports including Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Luxor, Aswan, Marsa Alam, and Alexandria. The process is to pay $25 USD cash at one of the bank desks in the arrivals hall (commonly Banque Misr, National Bank of Egypt, or Banque du Caire desks), receive a visa sticker affixed to a blank passport page, and then proceed to passport control.
The bank desk accepts US dollars in cash only for the visa fee. Euros and pounds sterling can sometimes be exchanged at the same desk before payment, but the visa fee itself is paid in US dollars. Bring two crisp $25 USD notes (or one $20 and one $5) to avoid change issues; damaged or marked notes are routinely refused.
The visa sticker is single entry and valid for 30 days from the date of issue. If you intend to leave Egypt and return within the same trip (for example, a day trip to Israel from the Sinai), apply for the multiple entry e-Visa before travel instead of relying on Visa on Arrival.
The Visa on Arrival process adds 10 to 15 minutes to the airport arrival timeline, sometimes longer during peak European holiday season when several flights arrive simultaneously. For travellers connecting to a transfer or with a strict timeline, the e-Visa removes this airport delay completely.
The Sinai-only entry stamp: free, restricted, useful
The Sinai entry stamp is a separate scheme designed to support tourism to the Sharm el-Sheikh region without requiring a full Egyptian visa. It is issued free of charge at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, Taba border crossing, and Saint Catherine airport, and is valid for up to 15 days. It permits travel within the Sinai Peninsula only.
The geographic restriction is enforced at internal Egyptian checkpoints. Sinai stamp holders attempting to travel north of the Suez Canal, west to the Nile Valley, or south to Egyptian destinations outside Sinai will be turned back at the checkpoint and must return to Sinai or purchase a standard Egyptian visa locally. Day trips from Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo or Luxor are not permitted on the Sinai stamp.
The Sinai stamp is useful for travellers whose itinerary is genuinely Sinai only: a Red Sea diving holiday at Sharm, a desert safari to Saint Catherine, or a beach stay at Dahab. It is not useful for travellers planning a multi region itinerary including the pyramids at Giza, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, or the temples at Luxor and Karnak; these require a full Egyptian visa.
If your itinerary changes during the trip and you wish to leave Sinai, the Sharm el-Sheikh tourism office can direct you to the immigration office where a standard 30 day visa can be purchased for $25 USD locally. This is sometimes the most efficient route for travellers who arrived in Sharm intending Sinai only and then decide to extend.
Cost comparison: official versus expediter markup
The official Egyptian e-Visa costs $25 USD for single entry or $60 USD for multiple entry. At 2026 USD to GBP exchange rates, this is approximately £20 to £48 depending on the day's exchange rate plus around 2 to 3 per cent in bank conversion fees. The total cost of a single entry e-Visa applied for directly with the Egyptian government is therefore typically £20 to £22 all in.
Third party expediter pricing for the same Egyptian e-Visa ranges from £35 to £85 depending on the operator and the marketing tier. The mark up over the official cost is therefore £15 to £65 for the same outcome: a 30 day single entry e-Visa issued by the Egyptian government.
What the expediter is selling for that mark up is form completion assistance (which is unnecessary; the official portal form is short and in plain English), email delivery of the e-Visa (which the Egyptian portal does anyway), and customer support (which is sometimes a premium rate phone number). The underlying e-Visa is the same one the Egyptian government issues directly.
The Visa on Arrival route bypasses both the official e-Visa portal and the expediter market entirely. For a single short trip with no airport timeline pressure, paying $25 USD cash at the bank desk on arrival is the simplest, cheapest, and most paperwork free option.
Why expediters add no value for Egypt e-Visas
The recurring pattern across third party Egypt visa expediters is high search engine visibility for "Egypt visa" queries combined with significant markup over the official cost. Companies operating in this space include CIBT, IVS, and various standalone visa services that buy paid search placement against the Egypt visa keyword.
The Egyptian government's e-Visa portal handles British passport holders directly without intermediary. There is no preferential processing for expediter submissions; the embassy does not have a priority queue for commercial agents. The application form is comparable in length and complexity to the average online passenger locator form; it does not require specialist visa knowledge to complete.
The customer support argument is the strongest case for expediter use, in scenarios where the customer is uncertain about document requirements or where a previous online application has been rejected. For most first time UK travellers to Egypt, the official portal's own guidance combined with the GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice page for Egypt provides sufficient context.
Where an expediter does add value is in combined Egypt plus other country visa scenarios (Egypt plus Jordan, Egypt plus Israel) where consolidated handling saves the traveller multiple separate applications. For Egypt alone, the official routes are direct, fast, and cheap.
Editorial Disclaimer
Content on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute regulated immigration, legal or financial advice. Kael Tripton Ltd is not authorised by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) and does not provide regulated immigration advice. Rules, fees and processing times change without notice. Verify current entry requirements directly with GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice and the Egyptian Embassy in London before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do British citizens need a visa for Egypt in 2026?
Yes, for most travel. The three routes available are e-Visa (apply online before travel, $25 USD single entry), Visa on Arrival ($25 USD cash at airport bank desk), and the free Sinai entry stamp for Sharm el-Sheikh region travel only. Standard tourist stays are 30 days. Long stay, employment, study, and family categories require sticker visas via the Egyptian Consulate in London with separate processes.
How much does an Egypt visa cost from the UK?
The official cost is $25 USD for single entry (e-Visa or Visa on Arrival) or $60 USD for multiple entry (e-Visa only). At 2026 exchange rates this is approximately £20 to £48 plus card conversion fees. Third party expediter services charge £35 to £85 for the same e-Visa. The Sinai entry stamp is free at qualifying entry points for travellers staying within the Sinai region only.
Can I get an Egypt visa at the airport?
Yes. Visa on Arrival is available to British passport holders at all major Egyptian international airports including Cairo, Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Luxor, Aswan, Marsa Alam, and Alexandria. The $25 USD fee is paid in cash US dollars at a bank desk in the arrivals hall before passport control. Bring fresh, undamaged USD notes; marked or damaged notes are routinely refused. The whole process adds 10 to 15 minutes to airport arrival.
Is the Sinai entry stamp the same as a normal Egyptian visa?
No. The Sinai entry stamp is free and valid for up to 15 days, but permits travel within the Sinai Peninsula only. It does not allow visits to the pyramids at Giza, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, or Luxor and Karnak. The geographic restriction is enforced at internal Egyptian checkpoints. If your itinerary includes Cairo, the Nile, or any destination outside Sinai, apply for a full e-Visa or pay for Visa on Arrival instead.
How long does the Egyptian e-Visa take to process?
Up to seven working days as stated on the official portal; most applications complete within three to five working days. Apply at least one week before travel as a safety margin, and consider two weeks where the travel date cannot slip. There is no expedited or priority e-Visa tier offered by the Egyptian government. Third party expediters cannot accelerate processing because the adjudication is done by the Egyptian Immigration Authority on a fixed timeline.
Can I extend my stay in Egypt beyond 30 days?
Yes, extensions are possible at the Mogamma government building in Cairo or at regional immigration offices. The extension fee is typically the equivalent of $25 USD payable in Egyptian pounds. The process requires in person attendance, your original passport, the existing visa, and a passport photograph. Allow a full day for the extension and arrive early at the office. For stays planned in advance to exceed 30 days, applying for a multiple entry e-Visa or a sticker visa from the Egyptian Consulate in London is more efficient.
Which third party services should I use for an Egypt visa?
None are required. The Egyptian government's e-Visa portal accepts British passport holders directly at the lowest cost, and Visa on Arrival bypasses online applications entirely. Third party expediters add markup over the official fee without providing access to faster or different processing. The exception is combined multi country visa scenarios where consolidated handling saves separate applications. For Egypt alone, go direct.
How we verified this
Verification draws on the GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice page for Egypt (entry requirements section), the official Egyptian e-Visa portal at visa2egypt.gov.eg, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior public visa guidance, and the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in London consular pages. All fee references reflect the published rates as of May 2026 and are subject to change by the Egyptian government without notice. Verified May 2026.
Primary Sources
- Egypt e-Visa Portal: official Ministry of Interior application system
- GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice Egypt: entry requirements and visa routes
- Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in London: consular services
- GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice Egypt: overall safety and travel guidance
- Ministry of Interior of the Arab Republic of Egypt: immigration policy
