This Thursday, November 20, 2025, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, met with several senior officials in the New Administrative Capital to review progress on the new tourist visa-on-arrival system.
The minister emphasized the importance of “accelerating the pace of work and completing all aspects of the system,” noting that “this measure is essential to making the experience in Egyptian airports more pleasant and more seamless, which supports the State’s efforts to enhance the tourist experience in Egypt.”
At the heart of the project is the introduction of a digital system based on a QR code. Travelers will be able to obtain their visa directly upon arrival in Egypt, after paying the required fees through a digital process.
The meeting reviewed the progress made on the system’s technical, procedural, and design components, as well as the planned methods for integrating the QR code into the various services involved.
The first pilot program will be launched at Terminal 2 of Cairo International Airport. A gradual expansion to other airports is planned for a later stage, once the system’s reliability is confirmed.
One of the key topics discussed was the activation timeframe for the code and the procedures for linking all stakeholders: airport authorities, tourism ministry services, immigration officials, and digital platforms. The goal is to ensure that the system is fully operational from the very start of the trial phase.
Sherif Fathy stressed the need for close coordination among the various state agencies to ensure an “efficient and smooth” rollout, in line with instructions from Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
A government-wide effort to modernize visitor entry into Egypt
This ministry meeting follows a working session chaired on Monday by the Prime Minister at the government headquarters.
The Egyptian head of government had gathered the ministers of Tourism, Communications, Finance, and Interior, along with civil aviation officials and technology company representatives, to assess progress on the integrated electronic visa.
The Prime Minister opened the meeting by pointing out that the recent inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum will lead to an exceptional influx of tourists, requiring a rapid and comprehensive upgrade of border infrastructure.
He underscored the importance of facilitating the entry process for visitors, especially delegations, and set a clear objective: equipping all Egyptian airports by 2026 to allow widespread use of both the electronic visa and the emergency visa.
According to government spokesperson Mohamed El-Homsani, the Prime Minister’s meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress made in digitizing the country’s airports and ports.
Participants discussed the electronic visa system’s capacity to handle increasing demand, coordination mechanisms between the ministries involved, and measures aimed at simplifying traveler procedures to reduce waiting times.
The meeting also highlighted the State’s commitment to supporting and modernizing airport infrastructure, with the goal of making border crossings faster, more reliable, and aligned with international standards.
