Do UK Travellers Need a Visa for Hurghada, Egypt?

If you are planning a trip to Hurghada, the short answer is yes. British passport holders normally need a visa to enter Egypt, and this includes Hurghada.

This surprises some people, because a few Red Sea resorts in Egypt actually let UK visitors in without a visa. Hurghada just is not one of them, so it is worth clearing this up properly before you book your flights.

Why People Get Confused About This

Sharm El Sheikh, along with a few smaller resort towns nearby like Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba, has a special rule. If you fly into Sharm El Sheikh and stay at a resort there for less than 15 days, you get a free entry stamp instead of a full visa.

Hurghada is not included in that rule. So even a short holiday to Hurghada means you will need a proper Egypt visa, not a free stamp.

What You Need Before You Travel

Two things matter here, and both are checked before you are allowed to board your flight or enter the country.

Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months after the date you arrive in Egypt. It also needs at least one completely blank page for the visa or entry stamp to go on. If your passport does not meet both of these, you could be turned away, so it is worth checking this early rather than the week before you fly.

Your Three Options for Getting a Visa

You have three ways to sort your visa out, and which one makes sense depends on how you like to plan.

• The first is applying online before you travel. This is called an e-visa, and it is the option most UK travellers use because you get it sorted from home, with no queue at the airport. Once approved, the e-visa is valid for up to three months.

  
  

• The second is applying in person or by post through the Egyptian Consulate General in the UK. This route takes more effort and more time, so it suits people who prefer paperwork done properly in advance rather than online.

  
  

• The third is getting your visa when you land, at a kiosk at the airport before you reach the passport control desks. This is often called a visa on arrival. The cost is normally around 25 US dollars, paid in cash. Some kiosks will also take British pounds or euros, but it is worth having dollars ready just in case, since cash only is the general rule.

  
  

Which Option Should You Pick?

If you like everything sorted before you leave home, get the e-visa online in advance. It removes one thing to think about on travel day.

If you are the type who prefers to deal with things as they come, the visa on arrival works fine too. Just remember it is cash only, so budget for it separately from your holiday spending money.

Either way, this cost is not something a holiday package can include for you, since it goes straight to the Egyptian authorities and is the same for every traveller, no matter which travel company they book with.

If You Hold an Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi Passport ?

A lot of our UK customers were born in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, or hold one of those passports even though they live in the UK. If that is you, there is something worth knowing before you pick which visa route to take.

Your Egypt visa is based on the passport you hold, not on where you live. So even though you are a UK resident, it is your passport nationality that decides which visa process applies to you.

The good news is that both Indian and Pakistani passport holders are generally eligible for the Egypt e-visa, the same online option covered above. On paper, it looks just as simple as it does for a British passport holder.

In practice, based on what we have seen while helping our customers book their trips, the consulate route tends to be the smoother option for these nationalities. We have come across cases where the online e-visa system caused delays or issues that a straightforward consulate application did not run into. Because of this, our honest recommendation, if you hold an Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi passport, is to apply through the Egyptian Consulate General in the UK rather than relying on the e-visa.

How Regal Shine Helps With This

If you book your Hurghada package with us, we do not just leave you to figure the visa out on your own. Our visa assistance is included free with your booking.

Here is how it works. Once your trip is confirmed, we send you the consulate application form directly. You fill it in and submit it to the consulate yourself, along with whatever supporting documents they ask for. From there, consulate processing has generally taken around a week for our customers, though this can vary depending on the consulate's workload at the time, so treat that as a general guide rather than a guarantee.

Our advice is to apply about two weeks before you travel, just to give yourself a comfortable buffer. That said, applying a week before has also worked out fine for many of our customers, so do not panic if your travel dates are a little closer than that.

One Thing Worth Repeating

Visa rules and costs can change, so always check the official government advice yourself before you travel, rather than relying only on a blog post, even this one. The most reliable source is the UK government's own travel advice page for Egypt, which is updated directly by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Ready to Book Your Hurghada Trip?

Once your visa is sorted, the fun part starts. Have a look at our full Hurghada package for what is actually included in the price, or send us a message on WhatsApp if you have any questions about getting ready for your trip.