VISAS for Egypt: Jewels of the Nile

We see that Visas are required for Egypt and there are various ways of obtaining them. We can use the company we used for African Visas but they are expensive and it takes time. However, the Tauck website states that you can get them at the Cairo Airport for $25. Is this doable for Tauck travelers or will it cause major concerns and time delays for the company meeting us at the airport and the other travelers? We have also gone on the Israel and Jordan trip and Tauck had Jordanian visas ready for us when we crossed the border. Any thoughts on the process from previous travelers to Egypt would be appreciated.

Comments

  • Virginia_Travelers Tauck will secure the Visas for you at no cost.

  • For the Jordan & Egypt tour Tauck pays for and assist us getting the Jordanian visa at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman upon arrival. They also obtain our Egypt visas when we fly from Aqaba to Aswan.

  • Thanks to you both.

  • edited January 2020

    I would call Tauck to confirm the procedure for obtaining an Egyptian visa for Jewels of the Nile. It may be different than ours for Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids.

    While the website Before You Go sections of each tour mention the need to obtain Egyptian (and Jordanian) visas, the info is likely outdated and incorrect. This is what it says in our most recent contract (dated 3 Jan 2020) for the Jordan & Egypt, Petra to Pyramids tour (it has significant changes from what is on the website):

    "Your Jordanian visa will be presented to you upon your arrival at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport. Tauck's partner in Jordan will obtain this visa in advance of your trip at no cost, provided we have received your passport information no later than 60 days before your tour begins.

    Egyptian visas will be obtained upon arrival at Aswan International Airport on Day 5. The cost of the Egyptian visa is included in the tour price."

  • Alan - there is some confusion so we will follow up for sure. Thx

  • I am in Egypt now. Travelers met with our a Tauck representative upon arrival, and he obtained the visas for us at that time. No need to purchase it ahead of time.

  • I spoke with a Tauck representative (actually a third level person - the first two levels couldn't explain it) about this process. It is different than for tours where Egypt is not your first country. For the Egypt: Jewels of the Nile tour the Tauck representative said the following (but he didn't seem real confident about this):

    1) You will fill out paperwork on the plane
    2) You will get in a line upon arrival at the airport
    3) You will pay $25 to receive the visa
    4) The rest of the process continues as normal - proceed through customs with your bags and meet the Tauck transfer representative outside of customs

    Since Tauck is just restarting this tour I wouldn't place huge confidence in this being the actual process. Hopefully this will get cleared up when the first people going on the Egypt: Jewels of the Nile tour. I asked if Tauck could more clearly define this process in the 'Green' book since this isn't a normal process. We'll see if that happens.

  • I think ChicagoTravelers said it all:

    "I am in Egypt now. Travelers met with our a Tauck representative upon arrival, and he obtained the visas for us at that time. No need to purchase it ahead of time."

  • I read that. However, in my Tauck "Summary of Purchase" document it says it's our responsibility to obtain and pay for the visa. As the old saying goes, YMMV, especially on a new tour.

  • edited January 2020

    BKMD
    9:57AM

    I read that. However, in my Tauck "Summary of Purchase" document it says it's our responsibility to obtain and pay for the visa. As the old saying goes, YMMV, especially on a new tour.

    You aren't going 'til late 2020 (or 2021?) are you? Remember, many travelers signed up almost a year ago, likely before the new procedures went into effect. I'll bet if you make some change that requires a new "Summary of Purchase" to be generated (like with me), the new Summary will have the updated visa info. It will probably be in the Green Books as well. I'm expecting mine this week or next. I'll post the info when it arrives. Anyone on a Winter/Spring 2020 departure should call Tauck. No use going through the hassle and expense getting a visa if Tauck is taking care of it.

    I first heard about the new procedures for Jordan visas early last year from joycesw. Years ago she was within a few weeks of departure when Tauck cancelled tours due to the Arab Spring. She finally got tired of waiting so went with another tour company last August. Jordan initiated the new procedures for people entering the country and traveling with a Jordanian-based (or licensed?) tour company (and I suppose companies like Tauck, that utilize the services of a Jordanian-based support company.) Like with ChicagoTravelers, Joyce was met at Amman's Queen Alia Airport by a tour company rep who expedited the visa process. I suspect the same has/is happening in Egypt. Both countries need and really want the tourist business so are doing everything they can to make it easy.

  • I'm going in 2021. Plenty of time to work the kinks out and the museum to open!

    The expedited visa seems to be big business in Jordan. Our TD told us Tauck paid a pretty penny for expedited Jordanian visas at the land crossing between Israel and Jordan. We were there about an hour. He said normally it could take 4-6 hours.

  • Hi all: I am in Egypt now on the first Jewels of the Nile tour. Don’t get your visa ahead of time. We were met at the airport by a rep who obtained the visas for the group. We did not fill out any paperwork on the plane or anywhere else, and we did not pay the fee. Anyone who obtained the e-visa wasted their money!

  • Thanks Judy.

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