Beware Canadians Travelling to Egypt - New Process for Visa

[CDNPolar]

As per the article:

 

As of Sunday, Canadians travelling to Egypt will have to visit Egypt's embassy or a consulate in Canada to apply for a visa before they leave the country, according to Global Affairs Canada's travel page for Egypt.  

 

NO MORE online Visas or Visas on arrival in Egypt.

 

This would be this coming Sunday September 3, 2023

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/egypt-canadian-traveller-visas-1.6951919

 

[ALD18]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, we're scheduled to go there in February.  Hopefully it is a straight forward process, not to time consuming, and easy to do.  We're going as part of a group tour so hopefully they can streamline things.  PITA.

[Fouremco]

Wow! Other than the embassy in Ottawa, Egypt only has one consular office in Canada, located in Montreal. Egypt will definitely be successful in making life difficult for those travelling on a Canadian passport. 

[3JCruiser]

Mmmm my understanding from the Gov Website is that E visas are still available, just not Visa upon arrival, hopefully CBC have got it wrong. 

 

[CDNPolar]

8 hours ago, 3JCruiser said:

Mmmm my understanding from the Gov Website is that E visas are still available, just not Visa upon arrival, hopefully CBC have got it wrong. 

 

 

I think that the key message here is "until September 3, 2023" all is as it has been.

 

Once that date hits then all changes.

 

Hopefully they have it wrong.... yes....  This will certainly mess up some peoples travel plans if it is what they are stating.

[CDNPolar]

15 hours ago, ALD18 said:

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, we're scheduled to go there in February.  Hopefully it is a straight forward process, not to time consuming, and easy to do.  We're going as part of a group tour so hopefully they can streamline things.  PITA.

 

Don't wait for your tour group to get in touch with you.  Be proactive with this because you may find yourself out of time.

 

Generally speaking, although a tour group or TA or other organization (cruise line) may assist, it is ultimately your responsibility to have the necessary documents to travel.

 

Jump on this September 4th as that is the change over date.

[ALD18]

We were in contact with the tour organizer last night and she has been aware of the upcoming changes for a couple of weeks.  She in turn has been in contact with the tour company itself and is still awaiting what their recommended procedure is.  We are going to dig into it further today, but it appears as if you can still apply electronically for it.  My main concern then is how long will processing times be, how much it will cost, and how long is it good for.  Hopefully the application process has a quick turn around time and cost is minimal.  Will see.................

[bookbabe]

Viking has indicated that E-Visas are fine, it’s just the Visa On Arrival that we can no longer do.

 

https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/Home?VISTK=DQ9J-L9UW-OSR4-EZTV-46FX-LD4C-Z43U-I8IS-K497-8PU3-EOWX-UCXO-89WU-S2GV-ZSF4-D0Y6

 

[Fouremco]

There remains some confusion over the requirements, even within Egyptian government. This article is well worth reading: https://www.egyptindependent.com/egyptian-mp-requests-clarification-on-whether-visa-on-arrival-has-been-canceled-for-some-tourists/

 

The article includes the following paragraph:

 

“But the news spread and reached airlines and tourism companies in some countries, specifically Canada. So when tourists contacted our embassy there, the embassy stated that it is necessary to obtain a visa in advance through the embassy for all visitors after September 2.”

 

Apparently the embassy here in Ottawa made no mention of e-visas being an option.

 

The travel.gc.ca website states that the visas must be acquired at an embassy or consular office:

 

Starting September 3, 2023, Canadian passport holders will no longer be able to obtain a visa upon arrival in Egypt. You will be required to obtain a visa from an Egyptian embassy or consulate abroad.

If you are planning to travel to Egypt, you should contact the nearest Egyptian embassy or consulate before you go.

 

Again, no mention is made of e-visas.

 

While I think that all concerned would hope to see e-visas as an option, it's still not clear that Egypt intends to make it possible for Canadians to do so.

 

 

 

 

[LHT28]

one place  says  you need to apply to the embassy /consulate  before you go   then further down it says you can apply for  an e visa

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/egypt#entryexit

 

Maybe  the site will be updated   after Sept 3rd

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, bookbabe said:

Viking has indicated that E-Visas are fine, it’s just the Visa On Arrival that we can no longer do.

 

https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/Home?VISTK=DQ9J-L9UW-OSR4-EZTV-46FX-LD4C-Z43U-I8IS-K497-8PU3-EOWX-UCXO-89WU-S2GV-ZSF4-D0Y6

 

That link is to the Egyptian governments e-visa application webpage. Do you have anything current from Viking that states specifically that e-visas will be accepted for passengers travelling on a Canadian passport after the change?

[Fouremco]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

one place  says  you need to apply to the embassy /consulate  before you go   then further down it says you can apply for  an e visa

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/egypt#entryexit

 

Maybe  the site will be updated   after Sept 3rd

Hopefully so. 

[bookbabe]

8 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

That link is to the Egyptian governments e-visa application webpage. Do you have anything current from Viking that states specifically that e-visas will be accepted for passengers travelling on a Canadian passport after the change?

Here’s a screenshot of the email Viking sent me on Friday.  

FWIW, I haven’t received any updated info from Adventures by Disney, and we are travelling to Egypt as part of a trip with them in June 2024, and our Viking cruise isn’t until March 2025.  I’m anticipating the rules will change a few more times before we travel.  It is what it is.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by bookbabe

[Fouremco]

4 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

Here’s a screenshot of the email Viking sent me on Friday.

 

 

Thank you, that certainly makes it very clear. Just out of curiosity, have you applied yet?

[gnome12]

2 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Thank you, that certainly makes it very clear. Just out of curiosity, have you applied yet?

Bookbabe’s first trip is June 2024 and the second is March 2025. I’d be astounded if she had applied yet. Particularly, since this is a retaliatory move by the government of Egypt against Canada and Canadians, it may change before departure.

[Fouremco]

13 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Bookbabe’s first trip is June 2024 and the second is March 2025. I’d be astounded if she had applied yet. Particularly, since this is a retaliatory move by the government of Egypt against Canada and Canadians, it may change before departure.

Thanks, I must have missed the post with her travel dates. I agree, far too early to apply for an e-visa.

[bookbabe]

27 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Thanks, I must have missed the post with her travel dates. I agree, far too early to apply for an e-visa.

 @gnome12 is correct, I still have a way to go before any Egypt trips.  Just hoping the process will still be online by the spring, a consulate visit is not easily doable from my new residence, and I really don’t want to have to mail my passport off for an extended period since we have other trips booked we’d need it for.  Living on a tropical island instead of a big city like Toronto has a few unexpected issues, as we’ve found. 😉

 

[gnome12]

The information on the Canadian site was updated today.

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/egypt#entryexit

 

The date is now October 1, 2023. EVisas will no longer be accepted from that date.

[mom says]

Oh, and good luck contacting the Egyptian  Embassy in Ottawa for clarification. We tried several times yesterday. Their published website was unavailable. Their phone number wasn't answered and the voice box was full, and so far we haven't received a reply to our email.

 

We don't travel to Egypt until January, but really hope the Embassy isn't planning on stonewalling Canadian applicants.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, bookbabe said:

 Living on a tropical island instead of a big city like Toronto has a few unexpected issues, as we’ve found.

Well, Toronto has no Egyptian consulate either. Still, it's easier to get to Ottawa or Montreal from Toronto than it is to go from the Cayman Islands to Havana, which has the nearest Egyptian embassy or consular office.

 

We'll keep our fingers crossed that Egypt will revert to allowing e-visas for Canadians by time you travel. 

[chrisn-au]

3 hours ago, mom says said:

 

We don't travel to Egypt until January, but really hope the Embassy isn't planning on stonewalling Canadian applicants.

Why would you not simply apply now for it ? 

Edited August 31, 2023 by chrisn-au
Typo

[mom says]

5 minutes ago, chrisn-au said:

Why would you not simply apply now for it ? 

Because I can't get hold of the $%^#&*;× Embassy to find out the necessary steps.  And it doesn't usually take 5 months to get a simple single entry tourist visa from most countries.

[ALD18]

Our tour operator has informed us to hold tight on applying and are apparently going to try and do a bulk order of visa requests for us.  However, some people have already gone ahead and utilized the current e-application method.  It is still working apparently.  They filled it out, input the February 2024 dates of arrival and departure, paid $90 US, got confirmation of success, and have visa and receipt of payment.   Sounds like they are good to go.  My concern, even though it sounds solid, is whether it would still be valid after the changes are applied.  Sounds like they are good to go, but still a bit cautious of going down that path as things appear to be changing fast and furious.

[gnome12]

15 minutes ago, ALD18 said:

Our tour operator has informed us to hold tight on applying and are apparently going to try and do a bulk order of visa requests for us.  However, some people have already gone ahead and utilized the current e-application method.  It is still working apparently.  They filled it out, input the February 2024 dates of arrival and departure, paid $90 US, got confirmation of success, and have visa and receipt of payment.   Sounds like they are good to go.  My concern, even though it sounds solid, is whether it would still be valid after the changes are applied.  Sounds like they are good to go, but still a bit cautious of going down that path as things appear to be changing fast and furious.

The problem is that they are NOT good to go. From travel.gc.ca:

If you travel to Egypt on an electronic visa on or after October 1, 2023, your visa will be considered void, and you will be denied boarding and/or entry into Egypt.

[ALD18]

Thank you Gnome12, we will sit tight and see what the tour operator directions are as the dust settles.  Appreciate it:)