Egypt visas and travel advice: what the official sources say
The short answer: British travellers can buy an e-visa online or a visa on arrival at approved airports, and those flying into Sharm for under 15 days in the Sinai resorts get a free stamp. The UK government advises against travel to North Sinai, the Libyan border and most of the open Western Desert. Cairo, the Nile Valley and the Red Sea resorts are outside those areas. Check your own government's advice.
Visas: what the UK government says
This is the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's guidance for British travellers, read on 23 September 2026. Other nationalities should check their own government, and every traveller should check again before booking.
- E-visa: bought online through Egypt's e-visa portal; tourist e-visas are valid for up to 3 months.
- Visa on arrival: at approved airports, for 30 US dollars in cash, valid for up to 30 days. Since 1 August 2026, Cairo International Airport has also offered digital visas at self-service machines (visa on arrival portal).
- Sinai resorts: if you fly into Sharm el-Sheikh and stay under 15 days in the resorts of Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba, you get a free entry stamp. Leaving those resorts, or staying longer, needs a visa.
- Passport: valid for at least 6 months after arrival, with a blank page.
Travel advice: where the UK government advises against travel
From the FCDO's warnings, updated 4 August 2026. Travelling against this advice can invalidate travel insurance.
| Area | FCDO advice | What it means for our routes |
|---|---|---|
| North Sinai, and within 20 km of the Libyan border (except El Salloum) | Against all travel | Not on any route we propose. |
| South Sinai north of the St Catherine–Nuweiba road (coastal areas excepted) | Against all but essential travel | Sinai Trail days stay on sections outside this area; we check each one. |
| Most of the Western Desert | Against all but essential travel, with exceptions including Siwa, the Marsa Matruh–Siwa road, the White and Black Deserts, and the oasis towns of Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga | The White Desert and Siwa town are exceptions. For the dunes beyond Siwa we confirm the route against the current advice first. |
| Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, the Red Sea resorts | Not in the areas advised against | Our classic, Nile and coast routes. |
What we do
- We check the current UK advice before proposing any desert or Sinai route, and say so in the proposal.
- We ask which passport each traveller holds, because visa rules differ.
- We tell you if a request falls inside an area advised against, rather than arranging it quietly.
Where to go from here
Sources and review
Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Official statements are attributed to their source; where we give a judgement, we say so. This guide names no school, boat or hotel.
Photo: Ahmed Al.Badawy, CC BY-SA 2.0
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