Border control at Egypt airports: what happens to travellers and their data

Arriving: the steps at the border

The UK government says passports must be valid for at least six months after arrival and have at least one blank page ². Egypt's e-visa portal tells arriving e-visa holders to carry the e-visa printout, a travel itinerary, a supporting letter for business or family visits, and hotel bookings or details of places to visit ¹.

Passport officers at the port of arrival can check an e-visa on their own system. The portal says Egyptian port authorities can refuse entry to an e-visa holder without giving a reason ¹. The US State Department says Egyptian immigration officials have at times denied entry without explanation ⁶.

Egypt's civil aviation minister said in September 2026 that arrival cards had been cancelled ⁴. The US State Department says visitors may not bring drones or satellite phones into Egypt, and that carrying more than USD 10,000 into or out of the country is illegal ⁶.

Entry permission: e-visa and visa on arrival

The Ministry of Interior runs the Egypt e-Visa Portal. As of 19 October 2026 it lists 78 nationalities that can apply, including Argentina, Australia, China, India, Japan, the UK and the US. The fee is paid by credit or debit card, and the e-visa is sent as a download link ¹.

The portal lists a single-entry tourist visa at USD 30 and a multiple-entry tourist visa at USD 65 ¹. The UK government says tourist e-visas are valid for up to three months ².

Eligible travellers can buy a visa on arrival instead. The UK government says approved airports have kiosks before the immigration counters, where a visa costs USD 30 in cash. Visas on arrival are valid for up to 30 days ².

On 23 July 2026 the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced a digital visa on arrival. A pilot began on 1 August 2026 in all arrival terminals at Cairo International Airport. Travellers get a visa QR code through an online portal, a mobile app or self-service machines in the arrival halls. Officers scan the code with the passport. Each code is valid for 48 hours from issue ³.

The digital visa costs USD 36, made up of the USD 30 visa fee and a USD 6 issuing fee ³. The UK government says it is paid by card only ². The ministry said the paper sticker would be phased out after the pilot and the system extended to other airports in stages ³.

British travellers flying to Sharm El-Sheikh and staying less than 15 days at the South Sinai resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba do not need a visa. They get a free entry permission stamp at Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, according to the UK government ².

Biometrics and e-gates

Civil Aviation Minister Sameh El-Hefny said on 2 September 2026 that the ministry is studying e-gates with the Ministry of Interior and other security bodies. He said the rollout would start with Egyptians and later extend to foreign nationals, possibly at one airport first ⁴.

The minister said e-gates depend on biometric data. He said the ministry is working with the Ministry of Interior and security agencies to obtain biometric data and build a database for Egyptians first. He gave no date. He said it depends on how much biometric data is available and on a tender for the gates, which would be designed for each airport ⁴.

Official sources consulted for this guide do not say what biometric data, if any, is taken from foreign visitors at passport control today.

Passenger data and watch lists

Under the QR code visa system, the minister said passport officers can read the code to see the passenger's data, confirm the fee was paid and check that the visa was properly issued ⁴.

Official Egyptian sources consulted for this guide do not publish API or PNR rules, the agency that receives such data, retention periods or the watch lists checked at the border.

Your data: the law and how to ask for records

Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law is Law No. 151 of 2020. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ratified it on 13 July 2020 ⁸. Its executive regulations were issued under Ministerial Decision No. 816 of 2025, which began a one-year compliance grace period. The Personal Data Protection Centre (PDPC) has issued operational guidelines ⁷.

In an unofficial English translation, the law gives data subjects the right to be informed of, access or obtain their personal data, to withdraw consent, to ask for corrections or deletion, to restrict processing, to be notified of a breach and to object. Data subjects pay for these services, apart from breach notice, with fees capped at EGP 20,000 ⁵.

The law does not apply to personal data held by national security authorities. It defines these as the Presidency, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior, the General Intelligence Service and the Administrative Control Authority. At their request, the PDPC can tell a controller to amend, erase, withhold or restrict personal data ⁵.

The digital rights group Access Now said in 2020 that the exemption for national security authorities was a major weakness of the law ⁸.

Who runs the systems

The Ministry of Interior owns and runs the Egypt e-Visa Portal and passport control ¹. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the digital visa on arrival ³. The Ministry of Civil Aviation works with the Ministry of Interior on airport digital services and the planned e-gates ⁴. The Personal Data Protection Centre regulates data protection ⁷.

No supplier for the planned e-gates had been chosen as of 2 September 2026. The minister said a tender was still needed ⁴.