Salam, I am an American and I will be traveling to Egypt soon and I would like if any of you could help me. I need to know if I will be able to get the tourist visa at the airport when I get there (in Cairo). I was told by a few different sources that I would be able to, but I would like to know for sure, if any of you have visited and gotten the visa this way? I would also appreciate if anyone could tell me if Egyptian stores or restaurants or anywhere will accept an American debit/credit card, or should I bring just traveler's checks? Thanks for all your help.
Posted by nelle (Member # 11016) on :
Kady, I was in Egypt May 3-12, 2006. You can get the visitor visa in the airport just before you go thru customs. It is not a big deal at all. It costs $28.00 USD cash. I'd bring cash instead of travelers checks. You might have a difficult time cashing them. You can use the debit/credit card at ATMs and for purchases in shops and at hotel. I found a lot of shops don't prefer the cards. They prefer cash. You don't need to exchange $ for LE (Egyptian pounds)until you get there. Just use the ATM at the airport to get LE. I'd take $1's, 5's, 10, 20's USD for buying things to eat and souvenirs, etc. You need some same LE, because to have to "pay to pee" some places and everyone expects tipping on nothing. Where exactly are you going and what will you be doing? How long are you staying?
Posted by Madame M. (Member # 8386) on :
The visitor's visa is only supposed to be $15 US. That's what I paid last December when I went. I've heard that ppl try to rip off foreigners by charging more for visas.
I only paid $15 this past March and I too bought it at the Cairo Airport when I arrived.
Posted by Nile_pharaoh (Member # 9938) on :
Hi kady you can get your visa just before the customs just buy a visa stamp from the bank in front of the customs , it costs exactly 15 $ or 90 Egyptian pounds
Posted by nelle (Member # 11016) on :
Ok, so my travel company must have added on some extra $$ to the cost. They had the tour agent buy them for us so we didn't have to wait in line. You know they have to make money some how, I suppose.
Posted by iamthej9 (Member # 11174) on :
nelle, another good tip is to take toilet paper or tissues wherever you go - then you wont have to pay to pee! i was just there may 19-28. also make sure you have a hat, flat shoes (the roads and paths are very bumpy), sunscreen, bottled water and chapstick or lip balm. hope you have a great time - i did!! watch out for the guys though, check some of the other posts on this forum about this.
Posted by kady1425 (Member # 11235) on :
Thanks for all your help! You guys are great. I've been visiting this site for some time, so I know most of the stories. I will be visiting for a month to meet a man I have been dating online for a couple years now. I trust him completely and he or someone from his family will be with me wherever I go when I go out, so I hope the other guys leave me alone. I'm looking forward to meeting his family, however the communication might not be so great. He thinks I'll be able to mime everything I want to say. Anyone had luck with that? Anyways, thank you for all the tips!
"because to have to "pay to pee" some places and everyone expects tipping on nothing." Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
is it just the brits who say "im off to spend a penny"?
Posted by uklady (Member # 11161) on :
Yes I paid $15 in sharm for a tourist visa stamp in sharm april 2006.
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
why dont you need one for sharm, but you do for everywhere else?
i had to buy a visa to LEAVE sharm to go to cairo?!
Posted by nelle (Member # 11016) on :
What? You have to buy another visa if you visit Sharm while you are already in Egypt?
Posted by ExptinCAI (Member # 1439) on :
Sharm is part of Sinai. There was this war with Israel and Egypt? Anybody?
Anyway. If you don't need a visa for Sharm as a UK citizen, charm, it's probably because you don't need a visa to enter Israel as a UK citizen.
So if you don't need a visa to go to Israel and you arrive/depart via Sharm or Taba Airport directly to your country, you won't need a visa.
If you chose to go outside of Sinai, you must obtain an egyptian visa.
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
well that was quite a snotty response expat... so OK... there was a war... sharm is part of sinai etc..
so how come you need a visa to leave sharm to visit snt catherines monastery.... or petra or elat?
"If you chose to go outside of Sinai, you must obtain an egyptian visa."
no... if you choose to go out of SHARM.
Posted by ExptinCAI (Member # 1439) on :
look up why you need a visa on your embassy's web site then. i'm not british so i'm guessing, as visitors from israel can cross into sinai without a visa. it has to do with the agreements made after the war. you know. when they fought over sinai.
as you why you need one to exit sharm, i dunno! i've never needed one...then again i already had a visa in my passport last time i was in sharm.
i suspect it's the whole 'closing off of'
however, you've always had to have your passport when going to/from sinai. that's why they have military checkpoints when traveling via road and check everyone's passports.
and look at a map for god's sake if you don't want snooty responses.
petra is in jordan. it's another country.
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
yet another snooty response... i know very well where petra is.. i gave you 3 examples... one in saini one in isreal and one in jordan. so why dont you read the post properly.
Posted by ExptinCAI (Member # 1439) on :
Seriously, do you not read english or are you pretending to be this blonde? IF you have an Israeli visa (or don't need a visa to Israel as with UK nationals, I THINK-again I'm not positive, I'm not a UK national), you can cross into Sinai without applying for an egyptian visa.
ANYWHERE else in Egypt past the Sinai checkpoint, you need an egyptian visa.
What does Jordan have to do with this and why are you trying to lecture me when I'm answering your questions. Over and over and over.
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
LOL... you say im thick...
i asked "why do you need a visa to leave sharm"
you said "If you don't need a visa for Sharm as a UK citizen, charm, it's probably because you don't need a visa to enter Israel as a UK citizen.
If you chose to go outside of Sinai, you must obtain an egyptian visa. "
i said "so how come you need a visa to leave sharm to visit snt catherines monastery.... or petra or elat?"
just to back up what i was saying about needing a visa to LEAVE sharm regardless of where you were going... which blew your needing a visa to leave saini/ not needing a visa to enter elat out of the water...
you then went on to post about isreali passports and crossing into saini blah blah blah... and had the cheek to ask me what jordan had to do with it.. then said youve answered my question over and over... and yet you had just posted this...
"as you why you need one to exit sharm, i dunno!"
i will resist hurling insults at you as you are doing a fine job yourself.
Posted by Sonomod_me (Member # 10522) on :
quote:Originally posted by Charm El Feikh?: LOL... you say im thick...
i asked "why do you need a visa to leave sharm"
you said "If you don't need a visa for Sharm as a UK citizen, charm, it's probably because you don't need a visa to enter Israel as a UK citizen.
If you chose to go outside of Sinai, you must obtain an egyptian visa. "
i said "so how come you need a visa to leave sharm to visit snt catherines monastery.... or petra or elat?"
just to back up what i was saying about needing a visa to LEAVE sharm regardless of where you were going... which blew your needing a visa to leave saini/ not needing a visa to enter elat out of the water...
you then went on to post about isreali passports and crossing into saini blah blah blah... and had the cheek to ask me what jordan had to do with it.. then said youve answered my question over and over... and yet you had just posted this...
"as you why you need one to exit sharm, i dunno!"
i will resist hurling insults at you as you are doing a fine job yourself.
Anyone notice that ExpatinCAI has alot of information that a person holding an Israeli passport would carry?
Posted by ExptinCAI (Member # 1439) on :
charm.
think. how did you GET into a foreign country? sharm is in egypt. you're not egyptian.
with me?
did you need an egyptian visa to enter sharm? yes? stop here.
no? keep reading.
did you need an egyptian visa to enter anywhere outside of sharm, for example to visit cairo?
yes? keep reading.
see, sharm is in sinai. people who don't need a visa to israel don't need a visa to sinai.
now, as to why you needed a visa to go to st catherine's, which is also in sinai, i've no clue.
it's probably to do with the 'fencing off' of sharm we've been hearing about.
again, i can't tell you because when they stop me at checkpoints throughout sinai and take down my passport number, there's already a visa in there.
check with your embassy.
did you ever fly in/out of sharm without setting foot outside it?
yes? did you need a visa? no? then there's no such thing as an "exit visa"
The only countries I know that have exit visas are in the Gulf, like Saudi Arabia... but feel free to google and let us know what you learn instead of spending your time trying to prove to me I am not capable of reading.
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
expat... you are amazing...
i just asked a simple question about leaving sharm... i wasnt going to go off and research it for god sake..
then you start insulting me and telling me to read a map etc, but try to say i spend my time trying prove you cant read!!!!
you are insane!!!!!!!!
LOL!
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
you still havnt actually answered the question... you have said youve answered it over and over... but youve said twice you dont know the answer!!!!
i asked why you need a visa to LEAVE sharm. and you dont know... yet your calling me names and insulting my intelligence!!!
LOL!!!
Posted by ExptinCAI (Member # 1439) on :
egypt doesn't have an exit visa. you don't need an exit visa. there's no such thing as an exit visa.
you needed an entrance visa to egypt.
simple enough for you?
Posted by Sonomod_me (Member # 10522) on :
quote:Originally posted by ExptinCAI: charm.
think. how did you GET into a foreign country? sharm is in egypt. you're not egyptian.
with me?
did you need an egyptian visa to enter sharm? yes? stop here.
no? keep reading.
did you need an egyptian visa to enter anywhere outside of sharm, for example to visit cairo?
yes? keep reading.
see, sharm is in sinai. people who don't need a visa to israel don't need a visa to sinai.
now, as to why you needed a visa to go to st catherine's, which is also in sinai, i've no clue.
it's probably to do with the 'fencing off' of sharm we've been hearing about.
again, i can't tell you because when they stop me at checkpoints throughout sinai and take down my passport number, there's already a visa in there.
check with your embassy.
did you ever fly in/out of sharm without setting foot outside it?
yes? did you need a visa? no? then there's no such thing as an "exit visa"
The only countries I know that have exit visas are in the Gulf, like Saudi Arabia... but feel free to google and let us know what you learn instead of spending your time trying to prove to me I am not capable of reading.
I highlighted the important phrase for the blind.....
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
could you speak a little s l o w e r
so... sharm isnt in egypt?
Posted by Sonomod_me (Member # 10522) on :
quote:Originally posted by Charm El Feikh?: could you speak a little s l o w e r
so... sharm isnt in egypt?
Not if you are carrying an Israeli passport.
Israelis don't want to believe that the war of 1956 happened. Sinai is still Israel to them.
And besides that take advice from this Israeli with a grain of salt. Work visas are not issued to Israelis and the longest that an Israeli can stay in Egypt outside of Southern Sinai is 2-4 weeks.
So residing in Egypt and handing out advice,..... ES has been duped.
Living in Tele Aviv and shuttling back and forth to Sinai every few weeks with a few excursions into Cairo during 18 months is far more likely.
Remember Israelis consider all Egyptians gullible and stupid.
Posted by tenngirl9 (Member # 9948) on :
As soon as you get off the plane, you can get the visa there for 15 dollars. I was there in March. YOu can change money at airport also and get pounds. I took travelers checks and it was a major headache. A debit card works, and credit cards and cash. if you take travelers checks, then you have to find a bank etc etc. there are atms everywhere. you can go online and order the egyptian arabic tapes by pimsleur language learning program. it is great!!! you will be able to understand money and basic words in about a week. Definitely learn to count in arabic it will help with shopping, and they lovee to bargain with you. Dress conservative etc etc.
Posted by ExptinCAI (Member # 1439) on :
quote:Originally posted by Charm El Feikh?: could you speak a little s l o w e r
so... sharm isnt in egypt?
i answer you but what's the point when you skim, not read? sinai is part of egypt. if you're interested more about that, why not look it up.
why don't you just try answering a question yourself. have you ever been to egypt and not set foot outside of sharm? did you need an entrance visa? did you need an exit visa (at the airport)? where were you asked for a visa?
to a more interesting topic... is sinai part of the african continent or no? i kept getting a lot of "oooo, we're now on a different continent, we're no longer in africa" every time we crossed the suez, but when you google the sucker, most sources say the vast majority of sinai is still part of the african continent.
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
someone turn the air conditioning off..... the constant drone is beginning to annoy.
Posted by ExptinCAI (Member # 1439) on :
yeah. imagine what it feels like for us when you think you're being clever by repeating yourself instead of just reading a post and comprehending it.
leave it to you to have the last post even when you don't want to answer.
(and i won't bother to check this again, i'm sure you'll have some idiotic response again)
Posted by Madame.E (Member # 9974) on :
Charm,
Do us all a favour and visit this website and ask them as obviously we dont know and dont really care! http://www.egyptianconsulate.co.uk/visas.html Posted by Marcella (Member # 10978) on :
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
madame E... please scroll back and try to ascertain whether or not i actually give a fcuk! it was a simple comment... not my problem expat wants to make a big deal about it!!!!!!
Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
but thanks for admitting that no one here knows!!! i didnt know which is why i asked... like i said previously, im not about to go and research it.. it was just a question that popped into my head at the time... but i found it amusing the way expat jumped on it, just cause it was ME, and she was engaging in a flame war in another thread at the time!!!
madame e... expat...
why do men have nipples? Posted by Marcella (Member # 10978) on :
quote:Originally posted by Charm El Feikh?: why do men have nipples? [/QB]
Lol some of them love when the other is licking and sucking them. Like that: Posted by Madame.E (Member # 9974) on :
That's another good question! Is it so you can tell they are cold or that you have got them the right way up? Posted by Charm El Feikh? (Member # 10243) on :
i think its so when they take the rubbish out in the morning you can peer out the window and decide what to wear that day..
you know... warm weather.. or erm.. bit NIPPY!!!
Posted by Madame.E (Member # 9974) on :
what take the rubbish out should they do that then (only joking) but yes we have a saying round here 'your as much use as a man's left nipple'! Not very!
Posted by Samia (Member # 4691) on :
quote:Originally posted by Madame.E: what take the rubbish out should they do that then (only joking) but yes we have a saying round here 'your as much use as a man's left nipple'! Not very!
Mens left nipples are actually very useful..... you can hang your coat on them in cold weather!!! Posted by KERDA(chimps:) (Member # 11116) on :
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