Egypt to Reinstate e-Visa for Canadian Tourists After Nearly a Year of Stringent Requirements

Egypt has announced plans to restore the e-visa process for Canadian tourists. This move comes after almost a year of stricter and pricier visa applications introduced in response to changes in Canadian visa policies for Egyptian citizens.

In October of the previous year, Egypt suspended the online visa and visa on arrival options for Canadian citizens. This change forced Canadians to undergo a more arduous process, involving mailing in an application form, passport, and itinerary and paying a significantly higher fee of approximately $150 per person compared to the previous cost of around $35 for a single entry.

The imposition of the more stringent visa requirements was reportedly in response to Canada making it harder for Egyptian citizens to obtain visas, although this reason was not confirmed by Canadian officials.

Following diplomatic discussions, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty informed Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly that Egypt will soon reinstate the e-visa option for Canadian tourists. This decision was announced after a meeting between the two ministers on Monday, discussing the possibility of waiving the requirement for prior-entry visas for Canadian citizens traveling to Egypt.

While the exact date for the reinstatement of the e-visa process has not been announced, Minister Abdelatty agreed that Egypt will take this step “very soon” and that the change will be announced in due time. The Egyptian embassy in Ottawa has not yet provided a confirmation or a specific timeline for implementing this change.