Another visa fee change could be on the horizon for travelers planning a trip to Egypt.
Under Decree No. 2553 of 2026, published in the Official Gazette on August 20, 2026, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly set a $15 levy, or its equivalent in foreign currency, on entry and transit visas issued by Egyptian authorities at ports of entry.
The same amount will also apply to visas and certain consular services provided by Egyptian embassies and consulates abroad.
The measure will take effect on January 1, 2027.
An extra $15 on the visa? Not exactly
At first glance, the new decree could suggest that $15 will simply be added to current visa fees.
The situation, however, is a little more nuanced.
The levy announced for 2027 already exists. A previous decree issued by the Prime Minister, Decree No. 4873 of 2025, set it at $12 starting January 1, 2026.
Legally, the new decree therefore raises the amount from $12 in 2026 to $15 in 2027.
In other words, it does not create an entirely new $15 charge that would necessarily be added on top of all existing visa fees. Instead, it increases an existing levy by $3.
Why is there a separate levy on visas?
Without getting too deep into the legislation, this levy is not technically the “price of the visa” itself.
It stems from legislation designed to help finance Egyptian Foreign Ministry buildings and infrastructure abroad, including embassies and consulates.
That framework was updated in late 2025. Law No. 175 of 2025 now allows the government to set the levy at up to $20 per entry or transit visa, as well as for certain consular services. The exact amount is determined by the Prime Minister.
The government set it at $12 for 2026. It has now chosen $15 for 2027.
So this is better understood as an adjustment to an existing administrative levy rather than a new across-the-board $15 increase in visa prices.
Will the visa on arrival cost $45 in 2027?
For now, that remains the key unanswered question.
Egypt’s single-entry tourist visa currently costs $30. The Egyptian Ministry of Interior confirms that amount and notes that “consular fees” may also apply.
But the latest decree does not publish a new final price for the tourist visa, nor does it state, for example, that: $30 + $15 = $45.
It only sets the levy itself at $15.
The same levy has officially been set at $12 since January 2026, yet tourists are not currently paying $42 for a visa on arrival.
It would therefore be premature to announce a $45 visa-on-arrival fee before the Egyptian authorities publish implementing details or update their official fee schedules.
What is certain at this stage is that the statutory levy will rise from $12 to $15 on January 1, 2027. How that $3 increase will be reflected in the amount travelers actually pay remains to be seen.
Egypt’s visa on arrival already rose from $25 to $30 this year
The latest development follows an earlier increase introduced this year.
Since March 1, 2026, Egypt’s single-entry tourist visa issued on arrival has cost $30, up from $25.
During the first few days of the increase, the traditional $25 visa sticker was accompanied by an additional sticker stating “+$5 / Surcharge Entry Visa Fee.”
The Egyptian Ministry of Interior now also officially lists the fee at $30.
The e-Visa also increased to $30
A few weeks later, Egypt applied the same increase to its electronic visa.
Since April 2026, Egypt’s official e-Visa portal has charged:
- $30 for a single-entry tourist visa, up from $25;
- $65 for a multiple-entry tourist visa, up from $60.
The decree setting the levy at $15 does not explain how it will be incorporated into e-Visa pricing in 2027 either. The official portal’s fees will therefore need to be watched closely as the measure’s effective date approaches.
A new QR code visa on arrival is now available in Cairo
Egypt has also introduced a new way to obtain a visa on arrival this summer.
Since August 1, 2026, eligible travelers arriving at Cairo International Airport have been able to use a digital process to pay for their visa and obtain a QR code, either before departure or upon arrival in Egypt, which is then presented at passport control.
Egyptian authorities have described the program as the first stage of a system that is expected to be rolled out gradually to other airports and ports of entry.
As VisasNews reported when the service launched, the digital visa on arrival currently costs $36:
- $30 for the visa;
- $6 in service fees for the digital process and QR code.
This system should not be confused with Egypt’s standard e-Visa, which requires travelers to apply and receive approval before traveling.
It is not yet clear how the new $15 levy will affect the price of the digital visa on arrival.
VisasNews Take
The $15 figure can easily be misunderstood. The decree published in August does not say that all Egyptian visas will automatically become $15 more expensive on January 1, 2027. Instead, it raises an existing levy from $12 in 2026 to $15 in 2027, meaning the regulatory increase itself is $3. What remains unclear is how that change will be reflected in the final price of the visa on arrival, the e-Visa and the new digital visa on arrival. VisasNews will continue to monitor official fee updates as the measure’s effective date approaches.
