Egypt’s Cairo airport to introduce digital visa system

Egypt will launch a new digital visa-on-arrival system across all terminals at Cairo International Airport (CAI) by August 2026, allowing eligible travellers to obtain entry visas digitally before reaching passport control.

 

Under the new system, on arrival visas will shift from physical visa stickers to digitally issued QR codes that can be scanned electronically upon arrival. Travellers will be able to apply through airport self-service kiosks, self-application channels, the official visa-on-arrival website or mobile application, with visa fees and service charges paid electronically before the code is issued.

 

Egyptian authorities said the system will also allow travellers to obtain visas before arrival, within 48 hours of travel, either independently or through approved travel agencies.

 

The platform is being implemented by Cy Shield Technology in partnership with National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr as part of Egypt’s wider airport digitisation strategy. Authorities first announced plans to test the system in late 2025, beginning with Terminal 2 at Cairo Airport.

 

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The digital visa process is aimed at reducing congestion at arrival halls, speeding up passenger processing and improving the traveller experience at one of Africa’s busiest aviation hubs. The move follows other recent airport digitisation measures, including the removal of paper passport cards for citizens earlier this year.

 

The move comes as Egypt continues expanding tourism infrastructure and aviation connectivity as part of a wider growth strategy. During the recent WTTC Leadership Cruise held in Egypt, sessions spotlighted the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which houses more than 100,000 artefacts and is expected to further strengthen demand for heritage tourism. WTTC figures show Egypt’s tourism revenues increased from US$4.9 billion in 2020-21 to more than US$18 billion in 2025. 

 

New hotel developments are on the rise as Egypt accelerates tourism and hospitality investment across key destinations. Global hotel data and construction consultancy Lodging Econometrics reported that Egypt reached record levels in its hotel construction pipeline in Q4 2025, with 140 projects and 31,104 rooms under development, representing a 17% increase in project count year-on-year.

 

Upcoming openings include Rove Hotels’ planned 240-room property in Sheikh Zayed City near the Great Pyramids of Giza, while Radisson Hotel Group is developing additional luxury properties in Marsa Alam and Port Phoenice on the Red Sea.

For more information, visit www.visa2egypt.gov.eg