u/trippvibes

Last week we posted about the 2026 visa changes. Since then we've gone through and updated our guide to reflect everything that's current: Egypt Visa Guide (Updated – 2026).

What caught our attention during our review wasn't really what has changed with the process/visa prices - it was how much worse the scam landscape has got. It's not just one thing, it's coming from three directions at once.

The websites: Google "Egypt visa application form UK" or "best website for Egypt visa" and half the results are copycat sites dressed up to look official. Some are charging 3 to 5 times the official standard fee. Quick check before you start an application: if the URL doesn't end in .gov.eg, you're not on the government portal. The official one is visa2egypt.gov.eg (it always has been).

The Facebook groups: We keep seeing people in holiday groups confidently posting wrong prices, telling others to just sort it at the airport, that it's quick and easy, that it takes "seconds", that they "lost'" their e-Visa, that their e-Visa was not accepted at the border and had to buy a new one (and the list goes on). Then those people land at Cairo, join a 45-minute queue, and pay $36 at the new kiosks instead of the $30 they would've paid with an e-Visa sorted beforehand. Six dollars and an hour of your holiday, gone.

The arrivals hall:  There are people in the airport who will approach you offering to "help" with your visa. We cover who to ignore and why in the guide.

We've broken down how to tell the official site from a copycat, what actually happens if you show up without an e-Visa, and why visa on arrival costs you more at Cairo. Screenshots of the whole process are in there too.

Anyone had a run-in with a dodgy site or got approached in the arrivals hall recently? How did you react?

Are you trying to figure out the Egypt visa rules for 2026? A few things changed this year, leaving a lot of outdated advice floating around online. We have looked at where things actually stands at this point in time.

The biggest change is the pricing. Fees went up a few months ago. The single-entry e-Visa and the standard airport visa on arrival both cost US$30 now, and a multiple-entry visa is US$65. This is why older articles still quote £20. We keep seeing holiday groups on various social media channels claim the airport visa costs £30 and takes seconds. In reality it is closer to £22 (US$30), the queue is very real when the airport gets busy and you should always use the official counters.

Then there is the installation of new digital kiosks at Cairo Airport. As of August 1, they have self-service kiosks issuing a visa on arrival for US$36. You pay more than the standard US$30 fee, but this automated option is strictly Cairo only for now (essentially, it is a trial before expanding to other airports).

There has been no change to other rules. The free South Sinai entry stamp for stays under 15 days in places like Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba still applies for some nationalities. But remember that Hurghada is on the 'mainland' and has never been covered by it.

The promised scrapping of paper landing cards never happened, so cabin crew will still hand you one to fill out. And if you apply before flying, visa2egypt.gov.eg remains the only legitimate portal.

We are working through an update to our own guidance to reflect all of this. Happy to answer questions in the comments in the meantime.

For anyone who visited recently: did you use the new Cairo kiosks? How was your experience?