Egypt visa removal for Canadians

Like some other archaic countries, beautiful Egypt currently has an entry requirement to get a visa. And not an online visa (eVisa) or a visa on arrival, but a real visa. By mail. This will soon no longer be the case, which is obviously great news. It’s a super affordable country (lodging can be under $15 per night), and I absolutely loved it during my 3 weeks there!

To be clear, they’re not eliminating all requirements… they’re returning to the rules that existed before October 2023 (which is still an excellent improvement).

Here are the details of the elimination of the visa requirement by Egypt for Canadians.

Overview of the Egypt visa requirement removal

Here’s the essential:

• Visa requirement to enter Egypt will be abolished
  • Starting December 1, 2024
• The eVisa or visa on arrival will be accepted
  • As it was until not so long ago
• For Canadian citizens
  • Many other countries already have this

Before sharing with you a few details about the country and the impact of the news, I’d like to remind you that many countries obviously have various entry requirements, and that checking them is literally the only mandatory step in the entire preparation of any trip!

Too often, people get unpleasant surprises because they don’t know that some countries require visas, passports valid for at least 6 months, or proof of exit from the country (to name just a few requirements)… so we’ve put together the ultimate guide to country travel requirements.

Learn more

Travel rules and countries’ entry requirements: introduction

That guide also explains the major difference between a visa and an electronic visa (like the one the European Union will require as soon as 2025; a post will follow once we get closer to that date or the portal becomes available).

In short, Egypt’s requirement is returning to an eVisa or visa-on-arrival instead of an actual visa.

We can all agree that having to wait a few minutes to do the visa on arrival (or having to do it online in advance) is not at all the same kind of inconvenience as having to send in the visa application (by mail!!!) to the consulate or embassy like if we were in 2004. It’s also much cheaper, and most importantly, you won’t be at risk of being denied boarding (unlike now, where you will definitely be denied if you didn’t do the visa, obviously).

I’ll give you a concrete example of the dissuasive effect of the visa. Flytrippers’ other co-founder, Andrew, will share this week his itinerary for his November round-the-world trip for the unique promotion that gives 1 million points (≈ $10,000) and he had the option to visit Egypt but simply chose another country to avoid the cost (and inconvenience) of the Egyptian visa!

Positive effects of the Egypt visa requirement removal

First, there are essentially 2 types of travelers out there, and this news is very positive for both.

They’re travelers who want travel to be:

• More affordable (the eVisa/visa on arrival is much more affordable)
• More enjoyable (the eVisa/visa on arrival is much more convenient)

Egypt happens to be a great destination for both types of travelers. If you want to save, everything is extremely affordable! If you want to splurge, luxury is so much cheaper there than where everyone always travels! I’ll get back to this below.

And more generally, the fact that some countries are reducing entry requirements is a good thing. It could put more pressure on countries that still have requirements and ostracize them, in order to eliminate them as much as possible.

Here are more details on each one of those positive effects before I talk briefly about Egypt as a destination.

More affordable travel

Just like that, the cost of the Egypt Visa (about $150) represents the cost of almost 4 full days of travel in this very affordable country.

The eVisa/visa on arrival costs about $35, which will make the country even more affordable overall. It’s great not to be charged as much for the privilege of spending your hard-earned money in their economy.

More enjoyable travel

The current requirement involves applying for a visa before boarding the plane to the country, which is one step more than for many countries.

The change in the requirement doesn’t save you the time it takes to check if Egypt has requirements obviously, because you’ll still have to check as you always have to check for every country for all trips (in case it changes, as it just did in Brazil twice within a few years for example).

But it saves you the hassle of sending the form by mail at least, so by default, it’s a lot more enjoyable. So this change from Egypt is only positive!

Traveling to Egypt

I highly recommend going to Egypt, especially if you’re one of the many travelers who have always just been to the typical places (like North America and Western Europe).

It’s an absolutely beautiful and welcoming country. It’s also one of the best affordable countries to travel to, for just $40 total per day! You can check out our examples of accommodation costs in 6 Egyptian destinations (it’s under $15 per night if you want). 

I did share a concrete example of a cheap trip, with my 6-day diving trip in the Red Sea costing me a total of just $499 ($83 per day). I’ll have more content on my 3-week trip to Egypt very soon if you want to take advantage of the easier entry requirements!

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Featured image:  Al Haram, Egypt (photo credit: Osama Elsayed)

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