News

Relief as proposed Egyptian visa rules abandoned

Image via Shutterstock

New visa rules and requirements on visitors to Egypt, which were due to be enforced from May 15, have been abandoned.


Anyone booking a trip independently, and not being met by a ground-handling agent, would have needed a visa in advance.


The revised visa regulations were expected as part of a security crackdown to deter terrorists from travelling to Egypt.


However, the Egyptian State Tourist Office announced late on Thursday that the new regulations had been annulled.


The tourist office said: “Current visa requirements remain the same for both individuals and groups travelling to Egypt.


“Discussions are underway to introduce a new electronic visa system, however, no exact dates have been set yet.”


UK director Omayma El Husseini said: “A loud thank you to the ongoing talks between the Egyptian entities involved and with their counterparts all over the world.


“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners for their patience and understanding, and explicitly confirm our continuous support and co-operation to boost our tourism industry.”


Abta welcomed the news and said: “Abta and its members work closely with the Egyptian authorities and are pleased to see this decision made which will allow the hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers who visit Egypt every year to continue to do so easily and remove any uncertainty that has arisen recently.”

Share article

View Comments

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.