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Egypt grants legitimate foreign nationals the right for
temporary residence in the country.
There
are two main cases of residence permits in Egypt:
Special Residence:
Is usually granted for a period of 10 years,
renewable. Special residence is granted to those born in
Egypt prior to 26/5/1952 or those having resided in the
country for the 20 years preceding 26/5/1952 and whose stay
has been uninterrupted; it is also granted to their wives
and minor children.
Ordinary Residence:
Is granted for a
period of either 3 or 5 years.
Three-Year Residence
Non-nationals are entitled to
obtain temporary 3-year residence (renewable) in Egypt if
they belong to any of the following categories:
* Non-national
husbands of Egyptians.
* Children:
- Minor children
entitled to special or ordinary residence in like manner to
their deceased father.
- Adult children
whose father is entitled to special, ordinary or 3-year
residence provided a source of income is available to them.
- Adult
Palestinian male children of those employed by the
Department for the Governor General of Gaza, or of those
retired therefrom, who have completed their studies and are
not working in the country.
- Those employed
by the government, public institutions, public sector
companies and public business sector.
- Palestinians
employed by the Department for the Governor General of Gaza
and those retired therefrom.
- Palestinians
in possession of travel documents issued solely by Egyptian
authorities who have been resident in Egypt for a period of
10 years.
- Non-nationals
who receive a monthly pension from the National Authority
for Insurance and Pensions.
- Non-national
residents of homes for the elderly and disabled.
* Political
refugees.
* Refugees
registered at the UN Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
* Spouses of
those non-nationals entitled to special or ordinary
residence.
* Egyptian
spouses who forfeited their nationality of origin following
marriage to non-nationals and the acquisition of the
latter's citizenship.
* Spouses and
children of those non-nationals exempt from residence
permits and restrictions.
* Non-nationals
who, for any reason, waived their entitlement to special or
ordinary residence.
* Those
non-nationals employed by the Swiss Institute for
Architectural and Archeological Research in Egypt.
* Non-nationals
who, according to international treaties, are entitled to
obtain 3-year residence.
* Those granted
approval on 3-year residence from the Ministry of Interior
* Spouses and
children of those non-nationals entitled to 3-year residence
under any of the previous cases.
Five-Year Residence
Non-nationals are entitled to
obtain temporary 5-year residence (renewable) in Egypt if
they belong to any of the following categories:
* Investors
* Egyptians and their minor
children who forfeited their nationality of origin due to
their admission to a foreign citizenship.
* Children:
- Of Egyptian mother
- Whose father was granted
Egyptian Citizenship.
- Adult children whose mother is
entitled to special, ordinary or 5-year residence in case of
the death of the father.
* Those of age 60 or more who
have been resident in Egypt for 10 years provided that a
source of income is available to them.
* Non-nationals who, according
to international treaties, are entitled to obtain 5-year
residence
* Spouses and widows of
Egyptians.
* Spouses of those non-nationals
entitled to ordinary residence.
* Spouses and children of those
non-nationals entitled to 5-year residence under any of the
previous cases.
Non-Egyptian
visitors arriving in Egypt are required to be in possession
of a valid passport. Entry visas may be obtained from
Egyptian Diplomatic and Consular Missions Abroad or from the
Entry Visa Department at the Travel Documents, Immigration
and Nationality Administration (TDINA). It is, however,
possible for most tourists and visitors to obtain an entry
visa at any of the Major Ports of Entry. Please check with
the nearest Egyptian Consulate for specific details and
regulations relevant to your nationality.
* Visitors entering Egypt at the
overland border post to Taba to visit Gulf of Aqaba coast
and St. Catherine can be exempted from visa and granted a
free residence permit for fourteen days to visit the area.
* Citizens of the following
countries are required to be in possession of a pre-arrival
visa: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya, Croatia, Georgia, India,
Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia,
Lebanon, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldavia, Morocco,
Pakistan, Palestine, The Philippines, Russia, Serbia and
Montenegro, Slovenia, Sri-Lanka, Tadzhikistan, Thailand,
Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and all African
countries.
* Those in possession of a
residence permit in Egypt are not required to obtain an
entry visa if they leave the country and return to it within
the validity of their residence permit or within six months,
whichever period is less.
- Tourist Visa:
is usually valid for a period not exceeding three months and
granted on either single or multiple entry basis.
-
Entry Visa: is
required for any foreigner arriving in Egypt for purposes
other than tourism, e.g. work, study, etc. The possession of
a valid Entry Visa is needed to complete the residence
procedure in Egypt.
-
Transit Visa
Exemptions from Visa Fees
Egyptian visa fees do not apply to the following:
* Holders of diplomatic
passports.
* Officials of international
organizations and specialized agencies and state delegates
to conferences.
* Arab League officials.
* Non-national spouses of
Egyptian nationals.
* Non-national members of the
clergy, prominent scientists, journalists and members of
official cultural, educational and sports delegations.
* Non-national students
studying in Egyptian institutions.
* Non-diplomatic personnel of
diplomatic and consular missions affected in Egypt.
* Parents, siblings and adult
children of members of the diplomatic and consular corps
affected in Egypt.
* Nationals of Cyprus, Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia and the United States are
partially exempt from Egyptian visa fees and will,
therefore, pay a reduced fee. |
