For many years now, Egypt has been at the top of the list of favorite holiday destinations. This country attracts Russian tourists with cheapness, an abundance of ancient sights, excellent all-inclusive service and an excellent climate that allows you to relax on the Red Sea even in winter. Also an important factor in the universal love of travelers to Egypt is the absence of delays in obtaining an entry permit. Yes, a visa to the country is needed. But they open it (if the purpose of the trip is tourism) upon arrival and to everyone. No need to beg anyone and prove nothing. Money visa is small. It used to be fifteen dollars. However, since May 1 of last year, it has become twenty-five! A family of four is already running into a hundred. How to save money? For this, there is a Sinai visa to Egypt. How to open it, what advantages it gives and what limitations it has - read in this article.
Sinai Visa History
In the late 60s of the last century, Israel invaded Egypt. During the war, the country conducted economic activity in the occupied territory - the Sinai Peninsula: it built roads, bridges, airports, hotels, and developed infrastructure. Israel has made huge cash investments in the development of the region. The war ended in 1978 with the Camp David Peace Agreement. According to this agreement, Israel had to return the seized territory. But so that capital investments do not disappear, the former aggressor country demanded concessions for its citizens: to freely enter Sinai. And the Egyptians living in the previously occupied territories could visit the border city of Eilat for this. Previously, the Sinai visa was issued only to Israelis. But the 1982 amendments adopted by the Camp David Accord extended it to all tourists, regardless of nationality or citizenship.
What are the benefits of a Sinai visa?
The main advantage of this stamp is that you do not need to pay twenty-five dollars for it. In addition, you save time during the check-in procedure upon arrival. After all, what should ordinary tourists do to be allowed into Egypt? Fill out the migration card form. It is issued on the plane (note, for free). Further, tourists, having only stepped off the plane and receiving luggage, line up in the box office window. Having defended a decent time and parting with twenty-five dollars, they get an insert in their passport. And only after that they are sent to the border guards, who put a stamp on entry on top of the stamp. Those tourists who want to open a Sinai visa simply go to the border guards. It is only necessary to say three magic words “Sinai onli, pliz” - and that’s all. You will put the appropriate stamp in your passport.
Sinai Visa Travel Restrictions
This method has permission to enter and the reverse side of the coin. What are the restrictions imposed on a tourist by the Sinai ONLY stamp? Firstly, the length of stay in Egypt. A regular paid tourist visa gives you the right to stay in the country for a month. And the Sinai is only fifteen days. But the lion's share of tourists come to the resorts of the Red Sea only for a week or two. In addition, this time limit can be circumvented. Below we will tell you how. It is much more difficult to circumvent another restriction - spatial. Not valid Sinai visa in Hurghada, Cairo, Luxor. You can’t go to the pyramids or Alexandria with her. The English word "only" means "only." And this means that you cannot leave the Sinai Peninsula.And even more than that. The Camp David Agreement has clearly defined the territory to which it applies. And therefore, in Tiselgorm - a favorite place for divers, where among the coral lies a sunken ship at the bottom, it will not work.
Where to go with a Sinai visa
Mostly our compatriots go to Egypt over the sea and the sun. Those who have chosen Hurghada as their vacation destination do not have to choose. In any case, they need to buy a visa. But if we want to relax in Sharm El Sheikh, why not use the Camp David Agreement and save twenty-five dollars? Another thing is if our plans include traveling around the country. What territories does the Sinai visa apply to? Sharm el Sheikh and its environs, Mount Moses, Dahab, the monastery of St. Catherine, Nuweib and Taba. As you can see, with the Sinai visa, the traveler will have something to see and where to go. Previously, tourists had difficulty visiting the Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve. It was beyond the scope of the Sinai visa. But since 2015, the Egyptian government, given the popularity of the tourist site, has allowed visiting Ras Mohammad with this stamp.
Filling out a Sinai visa
Even on the plane you will be given a migration card form for free. It needs to be filled. There is nothing complicated about it. Standard columns with the name, year of birth, country of your citizenship, passport number. The only thing you need to take seriously is the correct spelling of your vacation destination in Egypt: indicate the name of the hotel and resort. Next, on the back of the card you need to make a note in large Latin letters: "SINAI ONLY". And it's all. At the airport, immediately head to the border guards window. Hand out your passport and migration card to the state cordon guard. Say: “Sinai only, please.” You do not have the right to refuse.
What to do if you are required to pay
In some cases, border guards that are dishonest may not give you a visa. They may say that such a stamp is issued only to Israeli citizens or that your Taba vacation spot is no longer the Sinai Peninsula. A visa, in accordance with the amendments to the Camp David Agreement of 1982, is given free of charge to all who wish to enter this territory. And Taba, as already noted above, is part of the lands to which the provisions of the contract apply. Therefore, feel that you are in your right and calmly demand a meeting with the “Bikbashi” (boss). This hidden threat returns the bribe taker to the law. Because, according to the agreement, no one should be denied the Sinai stamp. But you need to declare it too. Sinai visa in Sharm is not issued automatically, just upon arrival at the airport. Maybe a tourist considers this border town as a transit point, and intends to go by ferry to Hurghada? Therefore, indicate “SINAI ONLY” on the migration card and repeat this requirement verbally at the border control.
Sinai stamp - not a sentence
But what if you suddenly decide to travel? Suddenly you liked the excursion to the pyramids or do you want to go diving in Tiselgorm at all costs? There is nothing easier than changing the Sinai stamp to a regular visa. To do this, you need to go to Sharm el-Sheikh airport. There almost round-the-clock visa offices work. Pay 25 dollars in the window, get the coveted stamp, which you then extinguish from the border guards. Everything. With it, you can live in the country for a month and travel on it from end to end.
What threatens a visa delay
Every government seriously punishes violators of migration laws. And Egyptian is no exception. Recipients of the Sinai stamp must especially take this into account, because, unlike a regular visa, its validity is only fifteen days. If you stay on the peninsula for at least a day longer, you are in big trouble.If your violation is detected upon departure at the airport, a fine of one hundred fifty-seven Egyptian pounds (about 18 US dollars) will be required from you. Pay and fly home - you still got off easy. If you are stopped by the police in Egypt and it turns out that you have an expired Sinai visa, this threatens with a three-day stay in prison, deportation by a regular scheduled flight from Cairo at your expense and a note about the ban on entering the country for several years.
How to renew the Sinai stamp
If you see that the deadlines are running out, and you want to relax more, you can ... go on a one-day excursion to Israel. So you combine business with pleasure - you will see the Holy Land and extend your visa. You can take not one, but two-day excursion: then you will see not only Eilat, but also Bethlehem, the Dead Sea and other sights of Israel. At the border, when leaving Egypt, your Sinai visa will be canceled. And then at the Taba land checkpoint you will be reopened. And you will have a legal basis for another fifteen days to enjoy your vacation in Egypt. The law does not stipulate any restrictions on the frequency of such trips or the time spent abroad.
