Travel instructions for Egypt

What are the country entry and exit requirements?

Test Certificate Requirements:
Inbound unvaccinated passengers, including Egyptians, without a valid vaccine certificate, must present a negative RT-PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours before the departure time of their flight to Egypt. The test must be based on a nasal or oral swab. The test result must have a stamp from the issuing laboratory or a QR code.

Vaccinated travellers can present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate with a QR code issued by the concerned country, in lieu of the pre-departure test certificate. Passengers are required to have had 14 days pass after receiving full doses for the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik V, and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) vaccines.

Vaccinated passengers with an electronic COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued in Egypt by the Egyptian Ministry of Health proving that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure are also exempted from pre-departure test certificate requirements. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Janssen, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V. The certificate must have the logo of the Egyptian Ministry of Health.

All recovered passengers travelling to Egypt with one shot of vaccine, are required to present a negative pre-departure PCR test certificate before travel, even if they have a vaccine certificate.

Transit passengers, who are entitled to hotel accommodation and who will not be staying at the Cairo Airport until their onward flight, must be in possession of a negative PCR test even if their final destination does not require a negative PCR test certificate for the hotel accommodation.

Exemptions from pre-departure test certificate apply to:
• Passengers younger than 6 years;
• Passengers arriving directly at Hurghada (HRG), Marsa Alam (RMF), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) or Taba (TCP)

Travellers must present paper copies of the test results. Digital copies may not be accepted. However, travellers arriving from Cameroon ONLY can present a copy/electronic PCR certificate.

Passengers arriving from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China (People’s Rep.), Colombia, Ecuador, France (Paris), Germany (Frankfurt), Guyana, Italy (Rome), Japan, Korea (Rep.), Mexico, New-Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Thailand, USA, United Kingdom (London Heathrow), Uruguay or Venezuela without a valid vaccine certificate must have a printed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 96 hours before departure of the last direct flight to Egypt. The test must be based on a nasal or oral swab. The test result must have a stamp from the issuing laboratory or a QR code.

Passengers arriving from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China (People’s Rep.), Colombia, Ecuador, France (Paris), Germany (Frankfurt), Guyana, Italy (Rome), Japan, Korea (Rep.), Mexico, New-Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Thailand, USA, United Kingdom (London Heathrow), Uruguay or Venezuela without a valid vaccine certificate must have a printed negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken at most 96 hours before departure of the last direct flight to Egypt. The test must be based on a nasal or oral swab. The test result must have a stamp from the issuing laboratory or a QR code.

Exemptions from pre-departure test certificate apply to:

• Passengers younger than 6 years;

• Passengers arriving directly at Hurghada (HRG), Marsa Alam (RMF), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) or Taba (TCP)

• Passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate stating that they received:

• the second vaccine dose of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V at least 14 days before departure; or

• the Janssen vaccine at least 14 days before departure. The certificate must be in Arabic, French or English and have a QR code or must be approved by the Egyptian Embassy in the country of departure;

• passengers with an electronic COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued in Egypt by the Egyptian Ministry of Health stating that they received:

• the second vaccine dose of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Moderna (Spikevax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Sinopharm, Sinovac or Sputnik V at least 14 days before departure; or

• the Janssen vaccine at least 14 days before departure. The certificate must have the logo of the Egyptian Ministry of Health.

Travellers must present paper copies of the test results. Digital copies may not be accepted. However, travellers arriving from Cameroon ONLY can present a copy/electronic PCR certificate

A negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test certificate from outside the country is accepted if it meets the following requirements:
a) The RT-PCR certificate must include the QR Code or a valid stamp from an accredited laboratory with no alterations, cancellations, or additions.
b) Inclusion of the hour and the date of taking the sample
c) Indication of the type of sample taken.
d) Indication that the type of test is an RT-PCR test.
e) Issuance in Arabic or English.

The PCR test certificates expire as soon as the passenger uses them to travel outside Egypt.

ID Now, PCR-NAA, Antigen, NAAT COVID tests, IGg-IGm tests are NOT accepted by Egyptian authorities.

Test On Arrival:
All passengers are subject to a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival

Test on arrival is not required to enter the country. However, international passengers arriving at Sharm el-Sheikh, Taba Hurghada, or Marsa Alam airports without a valid PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours before flight departure must undergo a PCR test upon arrival at the traveller’s expense. The passengers will be isolated in their hotels until the PCR test result is received. If the test result is positive, the passengers will be self-isolated in their room at the hotel.

Quarantine On Arrival:
Passengers arriving directly at Hurghada (HRG), Marsa Alam (RMF), Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) or Taba (TCP) without a printed negative COVID-19 PCR test result are subject to a PCR test on arrival at their own expense. After testing they will be required to self-isolate at their hotel of stay until a negative test result is received. Test results are expected to become available within 12-24 hours. If the test result is positive, the passengers may be required to self-isolate for up to 14 days in a separate room allocated for quarantine within the hotel.

Passengers arriving from Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico,Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela are subject to a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival and could be subject to quarantine.

Form Requirements:
Passengers on international flights will be required to fill and sign a Health Declaration form which must be presented to quarantine authorities upon arrival.

Other Requirements:

Citizens and residents are allowed to enter the country.

Foreign nationals are allowed to enter the country.

Passengers from all countries will be required to complete a monitoring card with personal details, and will need to provide confirmation of valid health insurance policy to airport authorities.

Transit is allowed. Transit passengers are exempted from the PCR test certificate requirement.

A vaccination for COVID-19 is not required for entry into the country.

However, passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate proving that they were fully vaccinated with one of the approved vaccines at least 14 days before departure are exempt from the requirement of a negative pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test certificate. The certificate must be in Arabic, French or English; and the certificate must have a QR code or must be approved by the Egyptian Embassy in the country of departure.

Passengers with an electronic COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued in Egypt by the Egyptian Ministry of Health proving that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure are also exempt from the requirement of a negative pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test certificate.

Passengers can travel to Egypt after 14 days of receiving the second dose of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Sinopharm, Sinovac, or Sputnik V or after 14 days of receiving the single dose of Johnson & Johnson.

Passengers from all countries will need to provide confirmation of a valid health insurance policy to airport authorities.

Borders are partially open.