Do I need a visa to visit Luxor?

A visa is required for visitors from most countries. Visas are available in advance but visitors from some countries, including the UK, the rest of Europe, the USA and Canada, can arrive without a visa and get one on arrival. Most tourists do this.

Children need their own visa if they have their own passport. Children do not need a separate visa if they are on a parent's passport. It is one visa per passport, not one visa per person.

Nationals of Iran, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq and Eritrea need clearance from authorities in Cairo before a visa can be issued.

How to get a visa in advance

You can get a visa in advance from your own country or from the country you visit before going to Egypt.

To apply for a visa in advance you need to take the application form (it can be downloaded from the embassy or consulate web site), a passport photo of the applicant and the passport of the applicant, which must be valid a least 6 months beyond the date of issue of the visa. You also need the fee in cash or in a form acceptable to your national embassy or consulate. In the UK the acceptable alternative to cash is a postal order payable to 'The Egyptian Consulate'. Cheques and credit cards are not accepted. In some cases you may also need proof of your return from Egypt, such as the return half of an airline ticket. Check with your local embassy whether that applies to you - you do not need proof of return if you have a UK passport.

If applying by post the same documents are required but the fee has to be sent by the alternative method (a postal order in the UK), not in cash. You will also need to add a return envelope, self addressed in block capitals, with sufficient postage for registered or recorded delivery.

Cost of a tourist visa bought in advance

For holders of UK, Canadian and most European passports, a single entry tourist visa in advance is £15. A multiple entry tourist visa, which allows any number of visits within a 6 month period, is £18. The multiple entry visa allows a maximum cumulative time in Egypt of 3 months within the 6 months validity.

The cost of a single entry visa in advance for holders of USA, Russian, and some Scandinavian passports is £12 and a multiple entry visa is the same. German passport holders pay £13 for a single or multiple entry visa. South African nationals get one free.

The cost of a tourist visa bought on arrival

Buying a single entry visa on arrival at Luxor will cost 15 US dollars, which is usually between £8 and £12 depending on the US$ to £ exchange rate. For all UK, European and American passport holders this is cheaper than buying a single entry visa in advance (unless the value of £1 falls to become worth less than $1). However, if you are returning within 6 months it is cheaper to buy a multiple entry visa in advance than to buy single entry visas on arrival each time.

Please read the TOP TIP on the 'arriving' page to avoid paying too much for your visa at the airport.

If you are a national of a country other than Canada, Europe, or the USA, check with your local Egyptian embassy whether you are allowed to get a visa on arrival.

Click here to read about what happens when you arrive at Luxor airport, including how to purchase a visa on arrival.