Beware Canadians Travelling to Egypt - New Process for Visa

[fannym123]

16 hours ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

Oh sorry... I keep forgetting where I've posted stuff 🤣 Yes, they mailed it back with refund!! They said I didn't need it.

 

Here's a link to an unconfirmed article (but as I said embassy official confirmed with me today when I called) https://www.travelweek.ca/news/cato-issues-egypt-visa-statement-unconfirmed-report-of-evisa-extension-could-come-sept-10/

 

Hopefully official announcement comes soon from Canadian government.

Thank you @SparklyPinkCruiser. 

[travelordie]

2 hours ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

Here is another graphic just posted by the Egypt Embassy in Ottawa. It clearly states you can use your eVisa past October 1st (yellow box at the bottom)

Many thanks for posting this.  I see that at the very top of this graphic it states that this applies to Canadian citizens of Egyptian origin.  I hope I’m wrong but this could mean that Egypt is now streamlining the process for Egyptian-Canadians but not for other Canadians.  

[SparklyPinkCruiser]

21 minutes ago, travelordie said:

Many thanks for posting this.  I see that at the very top of this graphic it states that this applies to Canadian citizens of Egyptian origin.  I hope I’m wrong but this could mean that Egypt is now streamlining the process for Egyptian-Canadians but not for other Canadians.  

Yeah, that's confusing. But if you read through the thread on FB (which I can't post here), you will see several people got the answer that it is applicable to non-Egyptian Canadians as well. I feel confident because I called and asked and got the answer. You can also message them on FB and they are answering there as well.

[travelordie]

1 minute ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

Yeah, that's confusing. But if you read through the thread on FB (which I can't post here), you will see several people got the answer that it is applicable to non-Egyptian Canadians as well. I feel confident because I called and asked and got the answer. You can also message them on FB and they are answering there as well.

Great news that this applies to non-Egyptian Canadians as well and many thanks for reassuring us that you received the same response when you called.  We’ll be applying for an e-visa.

[TeamCan]

5 hours ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

Yeah, that's confusing. But if you read through the thread on FB (which I can't post here), you will see several people got the answer that it is applicable to non-Egyptian Canadians as well. I feel confident because I called and asked and got the answer. You can also message them on FB and they are answering there as well.

 

5 hours ago, SparklyPinkCruiser said:

Yeah, that's confusing. But if you read through the thread on FB (which I can't post here), you will see several people got the answer that it is applicable to non-Egyptian Canadians as well. I feel confident because I called and asked and got the answer. You can also message them on FB and they are answering there as well.

So glad I found this thread… CC is always so helpful and a wealth of info.  Thank you so much for the update.  We are going on a land tour in Nov. But b4 the Egypt trip we will be in Europe so the logistics of getting the Visa from the consulates in Ottawa will not work.  We had intended to apply for an E-Visa b4 we left, then all this happened.   So glad we can apply for a tourist E-Visa again. So as long as we apply for it b4 Oct1, the E-Visa will be valid?
Questions for those that applied for the E-Visa…

Is the Visa valid for 90 days including the day you leave Egypt or 90 days for the day you  enter Egypt?  We are entering Egypt Nov30 and leaving Dec 10 to Jordan the transiting through Cairo airport on Dec 15.  

Is it $25 US for a 90 day tourist Visa.

Hopefully we will see an official update tomorrow by the Canadian government.

Thanks again,😊

 

 

 

[Cruisy Guy]

2 hours ago, TeamCan said:

 

So glad I found this thread… CC is always so helpful and a wealth of info.  Thank you so much for the update.  We are going on a land tour in Nov. But b4 the Egypt trip we will be in Europe so the logistics of getting the Visa from the consulates in Ottawa will not work.  We had intended to apply for an E-Visa b4 we left, then all this happened.   So glad we can apply for a tourist E-Visa again. So as long as we apply for it b4 Oct1, the E-Visa will be valid?
Questions for those that applied for the E-Visa…

Is the Visa valid for 90 days including the day you leave Egypt or 90 days for the day you  enter Egypt?  We are entering Egypt Nov30 and leaving Dec 10 to Jordan the transiting through Cairo airport on Dec 15.  

Is it $25 US for a 90 day tourist Visa.

Hopefully we will see an official update tomorrow by the Canadian government.

Thanks again,😊

 

 

 

Egyptian e-visas are good for 6 months.

[Nancy99g]

Hi, 

we are booked on a cruise that departs from Europe, has one port day Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) and then ends in Safaga (Egypt). From Safaga we go via road to Cairo for a few more days before flying back to Canada. Would we need single entry or multi entry visa for Egypt? I’ve heard Canadian may still be eligible for 72 hour cruise port exemption for Sharm and we can get away with just single entry visa but I would appreciate if experienced cruisers could confirm. Also if the last two stops of the cruise are both Egyptian, could this be considered just one entry as you don’t actually leave to go to another country in between?

 

Appreciate the help!

[Tirpitzz]

On 9/9/2023 at 5:08 PM, Nancy99g said:

Hi, 

we are booked on a cruise that departs from Europe, has one port day Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) and then ends in Safaga (Egypt). From Safaga we go via road to Cairo for a few more days before flying back to Canada. Would we need single entry or multi entry visa for Egypt? I’ve heard Canadian may still be eligible for 72 hour cruise port exemption for Sharm and we can get away with just single entry visa but I would appreciate if experienced cruisers could confirm. Also if the last two stops of the cruise are both Egyptian, could this be considered just one entry as you don’t actually leave to go to another country in between?

 

Appreciate the help!

As long as you do not stop in another country you can travel from one Egyptian city to another on a single entry visa. If you go from Egypt to another country then back into Egypt then you need the multiple entry. This was explained and here is an email to back it up

[TeamCan]

3 hours ago, Tirpitzz said:

As long as you do not stop in another country you can travel from one Egyptian city to another on a single entry visa. If you go from Egypt to another country then back into Egypt then you need the multiple entry. This was explained and here is an email to back it up

We will be entering Egypt Nov30, leaving Egypt Dec 9 for Jordan, then entering Egypt again Dec 13 - transiting through Cairo airport with a 4 hr layover for our flight back to Canada.  To confirm, I think we need only a "Single Entry" Visa as we will only be in transit in Cairo airport? 

[Keata]

As this will only affect me next Spring I asked the question to one of the Regent Seven Seas Representatives on the CC Board.  Here is the thread:

•  

• #3  

Posted 29 minutes ago

1 hour ago, Keata said:

As of October 1, 2023 Canadians can no longer enter Egypt unless they have a Visa (e-visa's are no longer valid).  On the Canadian Cruisers Board here on CC there is much information with respect to what other cruise lines have told passengers but no RSS cruisers have posted. As we are traveling in April 2024 I have plenty of time, but I would appreciate if anyone is on a cruise this fall/winter can report back as to what happened - can RSS still do just a stamp as it is a cruise instead of an air arrival.  Mr Moore  @Mike Moore if you could confirm your understanding of this new requirement that would be helpful.  Thank you so much in advance!

I have received word back that our local port agent has verified this new Egypt visa requirement for Canadian passport holders will not affect transit cruise passengers.

 

As long as the guests arrive and depart with the ship, they will receive a free quick trip excursion stamp upon arrival.  This is the same process that has always been in place.

 

Should anything change, we will communicate immediately

[Tirpitzz]

Has anyone received any official written authorization stating that their e-visas will be valid until their expiration. The Egyptian embassy facebook page still lists this as for Canadian passport holders of Egyptian origin. The Canadian govt site still says e-visas are void Oct 1st.

Everyone was hoping the govt sites were to be updated today. 

[TeamCan]

6 minutes ago, Tirpitzz said:

Has anyone received any official written authorization stating that their e-visas will be valid until their expiration. The Egyptian embassy facebook page still lists this as for Canadian passport holders of Egyptian origin. The Canadian govt site still says e-visas are void Oct 1st.

Everyone was hoping the govt sites were to be updated today. 

Yes, I've been checking both sites for the official update and no new updates. We are traveling/cruising in 2 wks, so e-Visa is our only option for our trip to Egypt in Nov.  Please update if you see an official written update on the Egyptian Embassy or travelgc.ca.  Thank you!

We are also from Beautiful BC🙂

[Lady Pubnico]

I just checked, and the Canadian Foreign Affairs site is still listing the original restrictions on entering Egypt, no exception for E-Visas obtained before the end of October.

I have a Visa dated September 3rd, the day the new rules came into effect.

I’m a worrier and would love to see the Canadian site updated.

I’ve sent emails about and will update if I hear anything.

[travelordie]

Just now, TeamCan said:

Yes, I've been checking both sites for the official update and no new updates. We are traveling/cruising in 2 wks, so e-Visa is our only option for our trip to Egypt in Nov.  Please update if you see an official written update on the Egyptian Embassy or travelgc.ca.  Thank you!

We are also from Beautiful BC🙂

We are in a similar position.  We are currently travelling abroad and will continue to do so until embarkation.  We have no alternative but to apply for an e-visa as we need our passports.

[Lady Pubnico]

I’m from beautiful Halifax.  I’ll update if I get any meaningful response.  I sure hope the E-Visas are okay.  If not, I’ll either mail my passport in (not crazy about that) or drive to Montreal.

I wouldn’t consider doing the latter except I believe we couldn’t board our cruise in Istanbul without the proper Visa.

[TeamCan]

44 minutes ago, travelordie said:

We are in a similar position.  We are currently travelling abroad and will continue to do so until embarkation.  We have no alternative but to apply for an e-visa as we need our passports.

Did you apply and receive your e-visa yet?  Does it state that it is valid for entry after Oct 1? We may just go ahead and apply hoping that the e-visa will be valid for entry after Oct 1.  

[Lady Pubnico]

5 minutes ago, TeamCan said:

Did you apply and receive your e-visa yet?  Does it state that it is valid for entry after Oct 1? We may just go ahead and apply hoping that the e-visa will be valid for entry after Oct 1.  

I applied for the E-Visa, I believe, on August 30th, and it was approved on September 3rd.  It was valid for 90 days, but the new rules via the Government say all visas are void in October.

[travelordie]

Just now, TeamCan said:

Did you apply and receive your e-visa yet?  Does it state that it is valid for entry after Oct 1? We may just go ahead and apply hoping that the e-visa will be valid for entry after Oct 1.  

We will apply before October 1st and hope that it will be valid for entry after October 1st.  We have no choice given that we can’t give up our passports before the cruise.  We last applied for an Egyptian e-visa in February and it was approved within 48 hours.

[TeamCan]

7 minutes ago, Lady Pubnico said:

I applied for the E-Visa, I believe, on August 30th, and it was approved on September 3rd.  It was valid for 90 days, but the new rules via the Government say all visas are void in October.

Post #177 @SparklyPinkCruiser says she called and got the answer that e-Visas issued before Oct 1 for Canadian citizens of non-Egyptian origin will be valid for entry into Egypt after Oct 1. Why won't the Embassy or Canadian government post the new update on their sites? I have called,(mailbox full) and emailed... no response. FB message.. no response.

[TeamCan]

11 minutes ago, travelordie said:

We will apply before October 1st and hope that it will be valid for entry after October 1st.  We have no choice given that we can’t give up our passports before the cruise.  We last applied for an Egyptian e-visa in February and it was approved within 48 hours.

We can't give up our passports as well as we need them for our cruises and travel abroad. It's good to know that the turn around time for Egyptian e-visa was approved within 48 hours. We will hang tight and hopefully see the official post from the Egyptian Embassy and Canadian govt.  We will have to apply before we leave for our trip before Oct 1 as well.

[Lady Pubnico]

Leave yourself lots of time to work on the E-Visa application.  It’s buggy and a lot of error messages with no indication of how to fix them - e.g., I had to delete my postal code entirely; when writing a paragraph you can’t put a double space after a period, and there are more.

It took me about 3.5 hours to fill out a short form and upload a picture of my passport.

A woman on FB got stuck and paid a lot of money to Visa Central to do it.

But yes, the turnaround was very fast.  It may be slower now that there are more applications.

[oceanlovertoo]

GREAT NEWS FELLOW CANADIANS Evisa issued before Oct 1 2023 and valid past yr travel is valid

 I emailed today the consulate sect of our embassy in Ottawa. Here is their reply

 

Ottawa Consulate Section

3:24 PM (27 minutes ago)

If you obtained an e-visa prior to October 1, 2023, the e-visa is still valid up until its expiry date which is written on your evisa   Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt NEW ADDRESS 454 Laurier Avenue East Ottawa, ON K1N 6R3

We can relax now..

Mary

[Tirpitzz]

Gosh I hope this to be true BUT

I hate to be the voice of gloom but the question must be asked. The embassy site still states e-visas are valid for Canadian passport holders of Egyptian origin. Was the question asked about Canadian passport holders of non Egyptian origin? As this reply does not specifically  include us.

Which email site did you use? I cannot get a reply

[oceanlovertoo]

embassy.ottawa1@mfa.gov.eg

[TeamCan]

27 minutes ago, Tirpitzz said:

Gosh I hope this to be true BUT

I hate to be the voice of gloom but the question must be asked. The embassy site still states e-visas are valid for Canadian passport holders of Egyptian origin. Was the question asked about Canadian passport holders of non Egyptian origin? As this reply does not specifically  include us.

Which email site did you use? I cannot get a reply

Yes, I agree.  I just spoke with our MP for Ottawa and he didn't have any new updates from the Canadian government.  I will try to email them as well. Please post if you have any new updates specifically for Canadian passport holders of non Egyptian origin.  Thank you!