Egypt delays Scrapping on-arrival Visas for Individual Travellers

Egypt on Thursday postponed the date it would stop issuing on-arrival visas for individual travelers until an online visa system is put in place, a foreign ministry spokesman told Ahram Online.

This comes almost two weeks after the government announced tighter visa rules requiring individual travelers to apply for visas at embassies instead of on arrival at Egyptian airports, a move that critics had said would make it more difficult to revive the country’s battered tourism industry.

The changes were supposed to take effect on May 15, but foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdel Atty said the date has been delayed until an electronic system for issuing the visas is set up.