Egypt: the $15 levy from 2027 is not your visa price

Getting a visa today: three routes, known prices

According to the official sources we read (UK government, written for British travellers; Canadian government, written for Canadians), a tourist visa can be obtained in three ways: the e-visa, the visa on arrival at the bank desk in the airport or, since 1 August 2026, the digital visa at Cairo airport, which only accepts a bank card. For a British passport holder, the exact rule still needs confirming with the Egyptian embassy: the press and guides describe it, and we did not read an official source that settles it. The table below shows the amount found for each route and its status, because not all sources carry the same weight.

Sources: FCDO, Egypt entry requirements for the official lines; statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relayed by Al Khaleej for the levy; press coverage for the e-visa, as we could not read the official portal. Checked on 18 October 2026.

Cairo: the digital visa and the bank desk

$30 to $36 per person Once per entry Cairo airport

The digital visa at Cairo airport has been a pilot since 1 August 2026. According to the UK government, it costs $36 in total, including a $6 service fee, and is paid by card only. The classic arrival visa is paid in US dollars, in cash, at the approved bank desks before passport control. If you want to pay by card, check before you leave that your arrival airport offers the pilot.

To see the Giza pyramids without arranging the trip yourself, this full-day guided tour runs 6 to 8 hours according to the Viator listing. We checked its availability on 18 October 2026: it is open on all 30 days of November 2026.

If you have a free day in Cairo, our guide to the Grand Egyptian Museum helps you plan it.

Key points

• The arrival visa costs $30 for a single entry, paid in cash in US dollars, according to the UK government (checked on 18 October 2026).
• The digital visa at Cairo, a pilot since 1 August 2026, costs $36 and is paid by card only.
• The guided day trip to the pyramids is open on all 30 days of November 2026 (Viator listing checked on 18 October 2026).

Pixidia tip: don’t pay the visa through a middleman who adds fees. The arrival card (migration form) is free, according to the guides we read, and you fill it in at passport control.

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The $15 levy: what it is, and what it isn’t

The reference text is a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, published on 1 September 2026 and picked up by the press. It announces a $15 levy, or its equivalent in other currencies, on each entry or transit visa issued at entry points, as well as on certain visas and consular services handled by Egyptian missions abroad. The text refers to Prime Ministerial decree No. 2553/2026 and takes effect on 1 January 2027.

Three points avoid common misreadings. First, this is not a tourist fee: the ministry presents it as a new charge, and it denies any increase in current consular fees for Egyptians abroad. Second, the statement does not say explicitly that the tourist visa on arrival will rise to $15. It adds a levy, without setting the final amount a tourist will pay. Third, the press does not settle the question: is this levy added to the current amount, or does it replace a $12 levy set for 2026? We did not find the earlier decree that would set that $12.

The legal ceiling is also reported by the press, not read in the law text. Law No. 175/2025 would set $20 per visa. One press summary gives another figure, $45, which we could not verify, so we do not use it. Overall, no official source we read specifies the price of the tourist visa on 1 January 2027. That is why the hypotheses circulating are presented below as such.

The decree also covers certain visas and consular services handled abroad, but the exact scope for the consulate in London is not published in the sources we read. If you apply through that consulate, ask for the current fee: we do not repeat any of the amounts mentioned by summaries here.

Your visa budget: a one-off cost per person

The visa is a cost per person and per entry, not per day. It weighs little in a travel budget, but it is the only item in the paperwork budget that could change in 2027. The table compares today’s situation with the hypotheses circulating. Only the first row is confirmed as of the consultation date.

Sources: FCDO, Egypt entry requirements ($30); circular from the Egyptian travel agencies’ association, reported by Atta Travel on 24 September 2026 ($33). Checked on 18 October 2026.

The amount to budget for is therefore $30 per adult. To choose your dates, our guide to the best months to visit Egypt, Morocco, Sicily and Andalusia in 2026 compares the seasons. As a precaution, you can plan for $33: this figure comes from a single professional source and is not confirmed by the state. If your trip falls after 1 January 2027, check the amount when you book, as an official decision may come before then.

By profile

• Couple or solo traveller. The visa costs $30 per person today, or $60 for two. In the $33 scenario, the gap stays at $6 for two people.
• Family of four. If each child pays the full fee, which no official source we read confirms, the total would be $120 for four visas, or $132 in the $33 scenario. Each child needs their own passport, which weighs more on preparation than on the budget.
• Tight budget. According to the press, the e-visa also costs $30 for a single entry (official portal not read); the arrival visa costs $30 according to the UK government. The avoidable extra cost comes from third-party sites, and the Cairo digital visa adds its own $6 service fee. Use the official portal, or the bank desk on arrival.
• First trip. Bring new dollar bills and check your passport before you leave. Travellers report one- to two-hour queues at passport control in Hurghada, due to a lack of officers (undated article).

Sinai, transit and special cases

South Sinai: the free 15-day stamp

A free 15-day entry stamp exists for a stay limited to the South Sinai resorts: Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba (Wikipedia, citing the Egyptian consulate general in the UK). The stamp does not let you travel to Cairo, Luxor or the Thistlegorm wreck. To plan your moves, read our Egypt safety briefing for 2026.

According to Wikipedia, citing the Egyptian consulate general in the UK, nationals of the EU, the UK and the US are covered, and a list of exclusions by nationality is reported by Timatic. For a British passport holder, the rule is not confirmed by an official source: check with the consulate before you rely on the stamp.

Watch the length: the Canadian government gives 14 days for Taba, while the Egyptian consulate general in the UK and the Timatic database give 15. If you enter through Taba, use the shorter figure in your planning.

Free 96-hour transit is not guaranteed

A short 96-hour transit used to be free. An Egypt Independent article dated 24 April 2025 announced its extension to the end of April 2026. We found no official confirmation for what came next. The 2027 decree explicitly covers transit visas issued at entry points, though. If your journey includes a stopover in Cairo, check with your airline and the consulate before you leave.

A free emergency visa at Luxor and Aswan? Not confirmed

Press summaries and guides mention a free emergency entry visa for air arrivals at Luxor and Aswan, from May to October, for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. These sources are not official, and we found no official source that confirms it. Ask the consulate before you count on it.

Note: a land crossing via Taba may lead to exit fees, reported at $120 by the press and not verified; this case does not concern a flight.

Documents, payment and formalities

Passport: six months, and a blank page

According to the UK government, the passport must be valid for at least six months after the date of arrival in Egypt and have at least one blank page. The Canadian government counts the six months from your departure from Egypt. Some guides say eight months. Follow the strictest rule among your sources. The sources we read refer to the passport; we did not check whether an identity card is accepted for your nationality. Take your passport.

Paying in cash, in dollars

For the arrival visa, the UK and Canadian governments both specify payment in cash, in US dollars. Some guides mention euros or card payment, but these methods are not confirmed by an official source. So bring US dollars in recent, undamaged notes. Travellers describe middlemen asking for extra fees at the desk: avoid them, the bank desk is enough. A French travel forum (Routard) reports $50 asked by middlemen for a $25 visa; Russian and Italian sites report $32 demanded for an arrival visa. These orders of magnitude predate the March 2026 increase and were read as summaries only. The arrival card (migration form) is free and is completed at passport control.

The e-visa: use the official portal

The tourist e-visa is valid for three months to enter, according to the UK government; the 30-day stay comes from secondary sources. Blogs advise applying at least seven days before departure. Apply through the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg, rather than a third-party site, which often adds a paid service. We could not read this portal: the amounts of $30 for a single entry and $65 for multiple entry, reported by the press since 27 April 2026, must therefore be confirmed on the portal before you pay.

Children and refunds

Each child needs their own passport. Secondary sources say they pay the full fee, infants included, but no official source we read gives a child fare. Ask the consulate or the portal for the exact amount. On refunds, secondary sources say government fees are not refundable, even if the application is refused. The official portal still needs checking on this point.

What other guides don’t tell you

Three gaps between the guides and the sources we read. Each one has its source and its date of consultation.

• The Cairo digital visa costs $36, card only. One secondary source gives $39; the official amount we found is $36 ($30 + $6 service fee), for a pilot opened on 1 August 2026. FCDO, Egypt entry requirements (checked on 18 October 2026).
• The Sinai stamp lasts 14 or 15 days, depending on the source. Canada gives 14 days for Taba, while the Egyptian consulate general in the UK and Timatic give 15. The guides don’t flag this gap. Government of Canada, voyage.gc.ca (checked on 18 October 2026).
• The Cavalngo guide, in French, still lists $25 on arrival. This guide is undated, and its figure does not match the rise to $30 confirmed by the FCDO (checked on 18 October 2026). Source: Cavalngo.