Egypt Visa for Australians: e-Visa, Visa on Arrival and Fees

Whichever route you take, you'll be juggling a printout, an approval email or a QR code at passport control. A HelloRoam Egypt eSIM set up in Australia before you fly keeps those emails, your hotel booking and your maps working from the moment you land, with 24/7 support if the install trips you up.

Australians have five ways into Egypt, and one is free

Here are the routes side by side. The fees and rules come from Egypt's e-Visa portal, the Egyptian Tourism Authority, the Consulate General of Egypt in Sydney and Smartraveller, all read on 2 October 2026.

Get your Egypt eSIM before you flyInstall it at home, then turn on data roaming for it when you land. From A$7.08.See Egypt plans

Some pages still quote the old US$25 fee, from tour sites to one answer in Experience Egypt's own FAQ. The ministry's portal lists US$30 for a single-entry e-Visa, and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities called US$30 the current visa fee in its QR code announcement. One visa agency page also tells Australians to apply before arrival, yet the Sydney consulate lists the visa on arrival as an option for Australian passport holders.

Egypt sets these rules and can change them at short notice, as Smartraveller points out. Look at the official pages again a few days before you fly.

The e-Visa costs US$30 and needs 7 days' notice

Egypt's official e-Visa portal is run by the Ministry of Interior, and Australia is on its list of eligible nationalities. A single-entry tourist e-Visa costs US$30 and a multiple-entry one costs US$65, paid by Visa, Mastercard or another debit card.

The portal says to create your application at least 7 days before departure. It doesn't promise a processing time: you get an email once the application has been processed. Its own how-to boils down to five steps.

1. Create an account on the portal and confirm the registration.
2. Sign in, choose Apply Now, pick the visa type and read its instructions.
3. Fill in the form and pay by card. The fee isn't refunded, and incomplete applications are rejected.
4. Wait for the approval email, then download the e-Visa from your account and print it.
5. Hand the printed e-Visa to the immigration officer when you arrive.

The portal also lists what to have with you when you land:

• a passport valid for at least 6 months from your arrival date
• the e-Visa printout
• your travel itinerary
• hotel bookings, or details of the places you'll visit
• a supporting letter, such as an invitation, for business or family visits

An approved e-Visa isn't a guarantee. The portal states that holding an e-Visa is not the final authority to enter Egypt, and that port officials can refuse entry without giving a reason. Its public pages also don't say how long each e-Visa lets you stay, so read your approved visa before you lock in a long itinerary.

Watch the web address, too. Private sites with official-sounding names also sell Egypt e-Visas, and at least one in the search results adds a mandatory service fee, plus rush fees of up to US$99. For the e-Visa, only visa2egypt.gov.eg is the Egyptian government's portal.

A visa on arrival costs US$30 at the airport bank counter

Egypt's official tourism site, Experience Egypt, is run by the Egyptian Tourism Authority. It says 78 nationalities can get a visa on arrival or an e-Visa, and it prices the airport visa at US$30, paid at the bank counter in the passport control area. The Consulate General of Egypt in Sydney lists the visa on arrival as an option for Australian passport holders, for a maximum of 30 days, as long as you have confirmation of your return flights.

Smartraveller's Egypt travel advice says you'll need a non-Egyptian credit card or US dollars in cash to pay for a tourist visa on entry. It also warns that ATMs may not dispense US dollars, so bring the cash from Australia.

Online or on arrival? The single-entry price is the same. The e-Visa means sorting things out at home and walking up to passport control with a printout. The visa on arrival needs no lead time, which suits a last-minute booking, but you'll be dealing with the bank counter straight off a long-haul flight.

Cairo Airport now sells the visa on arrival as a QR code

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced a digital visa on arrival on 23 July 2026. The ministry's launch announcement says the pilot would begin on 1 August 2026 in all arrival terminals at Cairo International Airport, with other airports to follow in stages on dates announced in advance.

The QR code is set to replace the paper sticker. You get it from the official visa on arrival portal, the official mobile app or self-service machines in the arrival halls. You can generate it before you leave, mid-flight or after landing, and the officer scans it with your passport, from your email or a printout. It costs US$36 in total: the US$30 visa fee plus a US$6 issuing fee.

Don't mix it up with the e-Visa. The e-Visa comes from visa2egypt.gov.eg and takes days. The QR code is a visa on arrival, bought through visaonarrival.gov.eg, the app or a kiosk close to your arrival.

The ministry's notice said each code stays valid for 48 hours from issue. A week later, the Al-Ahram newspaper's report on the launch said seven days. Generating the code within 48 hours of landing works under either rule.

During the pilot, the paper sticker runs alongside the QR code, and the ministry plans to phase the sticker out once the pilot ends. Landing in Hurghada, Luxor or Sharm el-Sheikh? Check whether the rollout has reached your airport before you count on the QR code.

The Egyptian Consulate in Sydney issues visas before you go

The Consulate General of Egypt in Sydney places Australian passport holders in its Category A, and business travellers need their visa from a consulate before they leave. Its Category A page asks you to lodge within 6 months of your travel date, in person with no appointment or by mail, with:

• a completed visa application form
• your original passport, valid for more than 6 months from the date you plan to enter Egypt
• 1 passport photo on a white background, to the same standard as an Australian passport photo
• a business invitation letter, for a business visa only
• your Australian visa details, if you don't hold an Australian or New Zealand passport

Fees include the $5 application fee. A single-entry tourist visa costs $75 and allows a stay of up to 1 month, and a multiple-entry one costs $155 and allows up to 3 months. Business visas cost $155 for single entry or $205 for multiple entry.

In person, you can pay by cash, Australia Post money order or bank cheque made out to the Consulate General of Egypt. By mail, send your documents and a money order or bank cheque to GPO Box 1258, Sydney NSW 2001, with a prepaid self-addressed envelope for your passport.

The consulate isn't linked to the e-Visa system and can't help with online applications.

A free Sinai stamp covers short Red Sea resort stays only

Experience Egypt says travellers arriving directly at Sharm el-Sheikh, Nuweiba or Taba for up to 15 days get a free entry permit stamp on arrival. It lets you move around South Sinai, including Dahab. Head beyond South Sinai, or stay longer than 15 days, and you need a visa. Smartraveller adds that people entering the Sinai must show one of three things: an ID with a Sinai address, proof of Sinai property ownership or rental, or a hard copy of a hotel reservation. Pack a printed booking.

Read the safety advice before you plan around it. Smartraveller's Egypt advice, updated 14 September 2026, puts Sharm el-Sheikh at 'exercise a high degree of caution' but tells Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the rest of the South Sinai Governorate.

Crossing by land from Israel at Taba works differently, so don't plan on the free stamp there. Smartraveller says you must pay for a tourist visa and a land border entry fee at that crossing in US dollars cash, with no card payments, plus an extra fee if you travel on from Taba or Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo.

Dual nationals and other passports follow different rules

Smartraveller says Australian-Egyptian dual nationals are treated as Egyptian in Egypt, which limits the consular help Australia can give. It advises travelling on your Australian passport if possible. Male dual nationals who haven't completed military service must get an exemption certificate before they can leave Egypt, from an Egyptian embassy or consulate or the Ministry of Defence Draft Office. The Australian Embassy in Cairo adds that Australians, dual nationals included, should use their Australian passport when leaving and entering Australia.

Egypt's visa rules follow your nationality, not where you live. If you live in Australia on another passport, start with the e-Visa portal's list of eligible countries. Experience Egypt also says more than 180 nationalities can get a tourist visa on arrival if the passport holder has a valid and used visa for the United States, the United Kingdom, the Schengen Area, Japan, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Confirm your own case with an Egyptian consulate before you book.

Searching the other way? The Australian Embassy in Cairo says every traveller except New Zealand citizens needs a visa or electronic travel authority before travelling to Australia, and its page on travelling to Australia is the place to start.

Smartraveller lists a few more entry rules for Egypt

Smartraveller's overall advice for Egypt is 'exercise a high degree of caution', with higher levels in some areas. Its travel section also lists these rules:

• You need a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate if you arrive from a country where yellow fever is widespread.
• Egypt has stepped up health screening at airports and other entry points because of the Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa. Travellers from an affected country may need extra screening.
• Drones are illegal for any purpose, and authorities confiscate them on arrival.
• Satellite phones and radio communications equipment need approval from Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology before you travel.
• You can carry up to EGP 5,000 in cash into or out of Egypt, and you must declare foreign currency over US$10,000 or the equivalent.
• Foreign journalists need accreditation from the Egyptian Press Centre before arrival.

Getting online in Egypt starts before you leave Australia

Most of this trip runs through your phone: the e-Visa email, the QR code if you land in Cairo, booking confirmations and maps. As of 29 October 2026, HelloRoam's Egypt plans connect to the Orange network. Before you pick a plan, work out how much data you'll need for the trip.

Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi and switch it on when you land. Our guide to setting up an eSIM before you fly walks through each step, and it's worth a minute to check your phone supports eSIM first.

A local SIM is a fair alternative, and our eSIM vs physical SIM comparison puts the two side by side. Experience Egypt says WE, Orange, Vodafone and Etisalat shops sell temporary holiday lines for tourists, and staff will copy your passport to set one up. Most hotels also offer guests free Wi-Fi.

If Egypt is one stop on a longer Africa trip, say Morocco or Kenya, look at data plans that cover several African countries. Jordan isn't in that plan, but a global plan that covers Egypt and Jordan works on one eSIM if Petra is next.