São Paulo – As of May 15th, foreigners visiting Egypt will no longer receive transit, business or tourism visas at airports in the Arab country. From this date onward, travellers will need to apply for visas beforehand in order to enter into Egyptian territory.
The measure applies to all nationalities. Brazilian citizens will be able to request their visas at the embassy in Brasília or the consulate in Rio de Janeiro. The new rule was announced this week by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Anyone interested in travelling to Egypt can apply and no intermediation from travel agents, hotels or airlines is needed. Travellers are not required to have purchased their tickets beforehand either. Tourists travelling in organized groups are the only ones exempt from the new visa application rule.
According to Ahmed Saleh, the consul of Egypt in Brasília, "there is no official reason for the change,” but he claims the new process “makes everything better organized.” The diplomat refers to the fact that business visas were already being issued beforehand to foreigners, and the procedure has now come to include leisure tourists as well.
Requests can be made in person or via postal or customs broker services. The documents required are the original passport with minimum six-month validity remaining and the international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever.
Visa issuance fees range from R$ 115 (single entry tourist visa) to R$ 230 (multiple entry business visa). Payment is accepted in cash or cashier’s check. The visas are issued within 7 to 10 business days.
The single-entry visa is valid for three months counting from the issuance date and allows visitors to stay in Egypt for one month. The multiple-entry visa is valid for six months from the issuance date and also allows a one-month stay.
Álvaro Roberto Campos, the deputy consul of Brazil in Cairo, believes the measure “could affect” the number of Brazilians interested in travelling to Egypt. “Each additional requirement or condition for the issuing of visas causes the amount of applications to drop,” the diplomat said on comparing Egypt’s new system to those of other countries that also demand visas beforehand.
For additional information on document and procedure requirements for issuance of visas for Egypt, refer to www.opendf.com.br/embegito/document.htm.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
