How do you get an Egypt visit visa from Pakistan? (2026)

Do Pakistanis need a visa to visit Egypt?

Yes. A Pakistani passport does not get visa-free entry to Egypt. You arrange a visa before you travel, through the Egyptian embassy, or you enter on a visa on arrival only if you hold one of the qualifying documents that make you eligible.

What the official position is

As of 26 October 2026, the Egyptian authorities require Pakistani nationals to hold a visa to enter. Egypt runs an online e-visa system on the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg, and it also allows a visa on arrival for a defined set of travellers. The key point for a Pakistani passport holder is which of these you can actually use.

Where Egypt sits among your options

If you are still choosing a destination, compare the entry rules first. The Turkey visa guide, the Saudi visit visa guide and the Jordan visit visa guide explain nearby routes for Pakistani travellers, and some are simpler than Egypt if you do not already hold a Western visa.

Why the Egypt e-visa is not open to a Pakistani passport

You will see the Egypt e-visa advertised widely, and it is a real government product. The problem is the eligibility list. The portal only accepts applications from a published set of nationalities, and an ordinary Pakistani passport is not among them.

What the eligibility list shows

As of 26 October 2026, the official e-visa portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg, lists the nationalities that may apply. India appears on that list. Pakistan does not. That difference catches out many Pakistani travellers who read an Indian guide and assume the same route is open to them.

Because eligibility lists can change, check the portal yourself before you rely on this. If your passport is genuinely not accepted at the application stage, that is your answer: the embassy route is the one for you.

Which routes into Egypt are open to you?

With the e-visa closed, two routes remain for a Pakistani passport holder: the Egyptian embassy, and a visa on arrival for those who hold a qualifying document. Work out which applies to you before you plan anything else.

The embassy route

For most Pakistani passport holders, the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad or the consulate is the route. Contact the mission for the current tourist visa requirements, the fee and the appointment process, and submit your form and documents through the official channel. The mission decides, and no agent can promise a different outcome.

The visa on arrival route

If you already hold a valid, previously used visa from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand or a Schengen state, the published rule gives you a 30-day visa on arrival. The same applies to holders of a UAE residence permit valid at least six months, with a confirmed return ticket and sufficient funds. Carry the original document, because the officer checks it at the airport.

This is a genuine shortcut for Pakistani travellers who have already been to Europe or North America. If that is you, the trip becomes much simpler. If it is not, plan on the embassy route and do not let an agent talk you into a product you cannot use.

How much does an Egypt visit visa cost from Pakistan?

The cost depends on your route. The embassy sets its own fee, which is not always published online. The e-visa fee you see quoted online is for the nationalities that can use it, not for an ordinary Pakistani passport.

The embassy fee

The Egyptian embassy sets the tourist visa fee, and it is not always listed on a public page. Ask the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad for the current amount in writing before you commit to travel dates. A figure from a blog, with no date, is not something to budget on.

The e-visa fee, for context only

For the nationalities that can use the e-visa, the single entry fee has been in the region of 25 to 30 US dollars, with a higher multiple entry fee. This matters to you only as context, because an ordinary Pakistani passport cannot apply. Do not pay an agent who quotes the e-visa fee and claims to file one for a Pakistani passport.

What an agent’s quote should show

• the route being used, embassy or visa on arrival, named plainly;
• the government or embassy fee, listed separately from any service charge;
• any ticket, hotel or insurance included in the package;
• what happens to your money if the visa is refused;
• no claim to file an online e-visa on a Pakistani passport.

I would treat a single lump sum with no breakdown, or a promise of an online e-visa, as a reason to slow down. The honest routes are the embassy and, for the eligible, a visa on arrival.

What documents do you need for an Egypt visit visa from Pakistan?

Build one file that works for the embassy application and for the border. Passport, photo, return ticket, paid accommodation and evidence that you can pay for the trip are the backbone, whichever route you use.

The core documents

• Passport. Valid for at least six months beyond your planned entry, with blank pages.
• Photo. A recent passport-style photo that matches how you look now.
• Return ticket. A confirmed return or onward ticket.
• Accommodation. A hotel booking that shows payment, or the host’s address for a family visit.
• Funds. A recent bank statement in your own name with ordinary activity.
• Qualifying visa. For a visa on arrival, the original used US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, NZ or Schengen visa, or the six-month UAE residence.

Documents that answer the money question

Egypt does not publish a fixed amount of money for visitors, so there is no magic figure. What helps is evidence that the trip is affordable for you.

• a recent bank statement in your own name;
• for employees, a letter from the employer confirming your job and approved leave;
• business owners can carry registration papers, such as NTN or chamber membership;
• where a relative pays, their bank statement and a short letter explaining it.

What happens at Egyptian immigration when you land?

An immigration officer checks your passport, your visa or your qualifying document, and decides whether to let you in. A visa, or an eligibility for a visa on arrival, lets you travel, but the final decision is made at the counter.

The officer’s discretion

A visa does not by itself guarantee entry, and a visa on arrival is issued at the officer’s discretion once they see your qualifying document, return ticket and funds. That is normal, and a consistent, true story is your best preparation.

Questions you should be ready for

• Why are you visiting, and for how many days?
• Where are you staying, and can you show the booking?
• When is your return flight?
• How much money are you carrying, and who is paying for the trip?
• What work do you do in Pakistan?
• If you claim a visa on arrival, where is the qualifying visa?

Answer briefly and truthfully, and let your documents back you up. A traveller who says holiday but has no hotel, no return ticket and very little money gives the officer every reason to look closer.

How long can you stay, and what if you overstay?

A tourist visa or a visa on arrival normally allows up to 30 days. Staying longer without an extension is an overstay, and it carries a cost. Plan your return inside the permitted stay.

Length of stay

The single entry e-visa used by eligible nationalities is valid for 90 days from issue, with a 30-day maximum stay. The embassy visa and the visa on arrival also centre on a 30-day stay. If you need longer, ask the Egyptian authorities about an extension before the 30 days end.

Overstaying

Overstaying an Egyptian visa is dealt with by the Egyptian authorities and usually means a penalty paid before you leave, plus a record of the overstay. The amount and the process are set by Egypt. An overstay record can also cause problems later, because many visa application forms ask whether you have ever breached immigration rules in any country.

Can you work in Egypt on a visit visa?

No. A tourist visa or a visa on arrival does not allow any paid work. Working on a visit visa is a breach of your status in Egypt, and a job abroad for a Pakistani also needs protection in Pakistan before travel.

Why a job offer on a visit visa is a warning sign

Under the Emigration Ordinance 1979, every Pakistani going abroad on a work visa must be protected by the Protector of Emigrants, through a Foreign Service Agreement with the employer or a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter. A visit visa gives none of that protection.

Only a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter may recruit people in Pakistan for work abroad. Section 22 of the Emigration Ordinance 1979 makes it an offence for anyone else to take money for providing, or pretending to provide, a job abroad. Check the promoter’s licence with the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment before paying anyone.

What happens at the Pakistani airport before you fly to Egypt?

FIA immigration officers check that your passport and visa are genuine and valid, and they may ask about your trip. Visitors should carry a return ticket, accommodation details and proof of funds. Anyone travelling for work needs emigration protection.

What FIA says it checks

As of 26 October 2026, FIA’s published guidance lists these for visit visa travellers: a valid passport, a return ticket, a confirmed hotel booking with advance payment, and sufficient funds. Its Travellers’ Guide says officers ask questions to confirm your identity and the authenticity of your passport and visa, and a second officer re-checks the documents before you enter the departure lounge.

If you are offloaded

Being stopped from boarding is often called offloading. FIA’s guide says the shift in-charge will personally tell an offloaded passenger the reasons. It also says that if your passport and visa are genuine and valid, with no apparent misdeclaration of facts, immigration staff are not authorised to offload you. FIA’s helplines are 1991 and 051-111-345-786.

How do you spot a fake Egypt visa website or a job scam?

Treat any site that promises an online Egypt e-visa on a Pakistani passport as a red flag, and treat any job that starts on a visit visa as a scam until proven otherwise. Both problems cost Pakistani families real money.

Fake and unofficial visa websites

A search for an Egypt visa brings up paid third-party sites. Some charge several times the real fee, and some promise an e-visa that a Pakistani passport cannot actually use. The official e-visa portal is visa2egypt.gov.eg, and if it does not accept your nationality, no third-party site can change that.

• Any site that sells a Pakistani passport holder an online Egypt e-visa.
• Look-alike sites with Egypt visa in the name that charge far more than an embassy fee.
• Emails or messages with an approved visa you never applied for.
• Any page that promises approval, or sells a faster VIP visa.

The visit visa with a job offer

The usual pattern is a package: a visa, a ticket and a promised job in a hotel, farm or factory, with the work permit to be arranged after arrival. An Egypt visit visa does not allow work, and no work permit is arranged from a tourist status. Watch for these signs.

• The job starts on a visit visa, and the work permit comes later.
• No BEOE licence can be shown, and there is no job order.
• You are told to say holiday to FIA.
• Payment is in cash with no receipt, or into a personal account.
• Someone keeps your original passport.

The guide to checking a visa consultant in Pakistan sets out the registration and licence checks, and where to report fraud. If you have already paid someone and have doubts, you can book a consultation and bring the receipts and messages.

How do you apply, step by step?

The order below works for most Pakistani travellers. Settle the route first, because that decides everything after it.

1. 1

   Work out which route is open to you

   Check whether you already hold a valid, used visa from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand or a Schengen state, or a six-month UAE residence. If you do, a visa on arrival may be open. If not, the Egyptian embassy is your route, because an ordinary Pakistani passport is not on the e-visa list.

2. 2

   Check your passport and build your file

   Make sure your passport has at least six months of validity. Collect a recent photo, a confirmed return ticket, proof of paid accommodation, a bank statement and evidence of your job or business in Pakistan.

3. 3

   Apply at the Egyptian embassy or consulate

   Contact the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad or the consulate for the current tourist visa requirements, the fee and the appointment process. Submit your form and documents through the official mission, not a middleman who cannot show how they are applying.

4. 4

   Check every detail, then pay

   Check your name, passport number and travel dates before you pay anything. Ask the mission for the fee in writing, keep the receipt, and do not book non-refundable flights until the visa is in your passport.

5. 5

   If eligible, prepare for a visa on arrival

   If you hold a qualifying US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand or Schengen visa, or a six-month UAE residence, carry the original document, a return ticket and proof of funds. A visa on arrival is a 30-day entry, and it is still at the officer’s discretion.

6. 6

   Travel with your file and leave on time

   Carry printed copies of your visa, return ticket, hotel booking and bank evidence for FIA and Egyptian immigration. Leave Egypt within your permitted stay, because overstaying is dealt with by the Egyptian authorities and can affect future travel.

What goes wrong most often?

Reading an Indian guide and assuming the e-visa

The Egypt e-visa accepts Indian passports but not Pakistani ones. Travellers who follow an Indian guide pay an agent for an e-visa that their passport cannot use, and lose both the money and the time.

Missing the visa on arrival you were entitled to

A Pakistani who already holds a used UK, US or Schengen visa may be able to enter on a 30-day visa on arrival, but only if they carry the original document. Leaving it at home turns an easy entry into a problem.

Budgeting on a blog figure

The embassy sets its own fee, which is not always published. Travellers who budget on an old blog figure can be caught out. Ask the mission for the current fee in writing.

Booking flights before the visa is issued

The embassy process takes time, and the mission decides. A traveller who books non-refundable flights first can lose the money if the visa is delayed or refused. Get the visa, then book.

Travelling for a job on a visit visa

This is the costly one. The traveller pays for a visa and a promised job, travels without protection, and finds no lawful work on arrival. The money is gone, and staying on turns a bad deal into an overstay.

A realistic example

This is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client. Zoya and her mother live in Karachi. Zoya already holds a used Schengen visa from a trip to Italy last year, and they want a week in Cairo and Luxor in February.

• Six weeks before. They check their passports. Zoya’s Schengen visa, though expired, counts as a previously used Schengen visa, which may open the visa on arrival route for her. Her mother has no such visa, so she plans on the embassy route.
• Four weeks before. Zoya’s mother contacts the Egyptian embassy for the current requirements, fee and appointment, and gathers the documents the mission asks for.
• Three weeks before. They book refundable hotels, hold a return flight, and prepare bank statements for both of them.
• Before travel. Zoya’s mother collects her embassy visa. Zoya carries her original passport showing the used Schengen visa, the return ticket and proof of funds for the visa on arrival.
• At both airports. They carry printed documents, the return ticket, hotel receipts and the bank statements. Their answers match their papers.

Nothing in their file is clever. It simply matches each traveller to the route her documents actually allow.

The version that goes wrong

Now imagine Zoya’s cousin Taha, 25, with no foreign visa. An agent offers an online Egypt e-visa for a Pakistani passport and a hotel job on arrival, keeps his passport and gives no receipt. The e-visa does not exist for his passport, so the money buys nothing. If he somehow reaches Egypt and tries to work, he breaches his status, and once his stay ends, staying on is an overstay.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions