# Entering Egypt with a passport that's expiring in less than 6 months



## chemikyn

Hi all.

I already have my return plane ticket from Nairobi to Cairo. I would arrive in Cairo on March 4 and would leave Egypt on March 17. The problem is, my Spanish passport will expire in mid-July, in four and a half months time, and in theory it should expire at least six months after I get the visa.

I just went to the Egyptian embassy in Nairobi and they can't give me visa because they only give it to Kenyan citizens or residents. They guy told me I can easily get my tourist visa at Cairo Airport. Then I told him about my passport expiring in mid-July and he said people at Cairo Aiport are usually strict but he doesn't know, I may be let in or may be not.

As I said, I already have my return ticket, I would leave Egypt in mid-March, four months before my passport expires. And I would be applying for a turist visa just to see some friends of mine in Cairo after all this revolution thing.

So my question is: does any you know how flexible they are about this at Cairo Airport? Does any of you know about someone in a similar case to mine who was allowed (or not) to enter the country?

Many thanks!


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## chemikyn

Just one thing: I asekd the Spanish embassy in Nairobi and they told me I could get a new passport through them, as long as I was registered as a resident of Nairobi. But for that, I would need to get a Kenyan work permit, which takes months and costs hundreds of dollars. Then, after talking and discussing, the Spanish embassy told me that I can renew my passport through them even if I'm not registered as a resident of Nairobi. But even in this case, my new passport would arrive in about a month time from now. So my question above still applies.

Thanks for any advice or info you may give me!


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## MaidenScotland

Hi and welcome to the forum

What a dilemma and no one can answer you factually, even what happened last week might not happen this week. My advice would be to cancel your flight and get yourself a new passport.

I do know that I have had to send all my foreign staffs passports to immigration today despite the fact they have visas valid until August. I have no idea what is about but it sounds foreboding 

Maiden


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## chemikyn

Hi Maiden, thanks for your answer.

I've been reading on the internet and most people say the Egyptian authorities are flexible with this 6-month thing.

I'm trying to call the flight company (EgyptAir) but their phones seem not to work. I'll go to their only office in Nairobi later today to ask them, as I could even not been allowed on the plane because of my passport expiring in less than 6 months. Also, I'll call the Egyptian embassy here to see if I can talk to someone else than the guy of this morning to ask about this question.

I'll post here any information I'll find out - but any advice or info will be still welcome, thanks!


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## MaidenScotland

chemikyn said:


> Hi Maiden, thanks for your answer.
> 
> I've been reading on the internet and most people say the Egyptian authorities are flexible with this 6-month thing.
> 
> I'm trying to call the flight company (EgyptAir) but their phones seem not to work. I'll go to their only office in Nairobi later today to ask them, as I could even not been allowed on the plane because of my passport expiring in less than 6 months. Also, I'll call the Egyptian embassy here to see if I can talk to someone else than the guy of this morning to ask about this question.
> 
> I'll post here any information I'll find out - but any advice or info will be still welcome, thanks!




They may have been flexible in the past but this is a new era.. and people on forum can only give opinions it is up to you really what you decide to do


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## bat

chemikyn said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I already have my return plane ticket from Nairobi to Cairo. I would arrive in Cairo on March 4 and would leave Egypt on March 17. The problem is, my Spanish passport will expire in mid-July, in four and a half months time, and in theory it should expire at least six months after I get the visa.
> 
> I just went to the Egyptian embassy in Nairobi and they can't give me visa because they only give it to Kenyan citizens or residents. They guy told me I can easily get my tourist visa at Cairo Airport. Then I told him about my passport expiring in mid-July and he said people at Cairo Aiport are usually strict but he doesn't know, I may be let in or may be not.
> 
> As I said, I already have my return ticket, I would leave Egypt in mid-March, four months before my passport expires. And I would be applying for a turist visa just to see some friends of mine in Cairo after all this revolution thing
> So my question is: does any you know how flexible they are about this at Cairo Airport? Does any of you know about someone in a similar case to mine who was allowed (or not) to enter the country?
> 
> Many thanks![/QUOTE
> Passport of EU or British must be valid up to six months after the date of obtaining the visa, so you should be ok, but at the airport could be a different story, having said that
> They do seem to be fairly flexible at the airport, I didn't look to see if you were male or female being female of course will get you through, very easily but the most they will do is give you the run around for a bit if your a male and if worst comes to worst keep the number of your embassy in Cairo on you call them .
> But make sure you have either address tel num of people your seeing hotel etc


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## bat

bat said:


> chemikyn said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi all.
> 
> I already have my return plane ticket from Nairobi to Cairo. I would arrive in Cairo on March 4 and would leave Egypt on March 17. The problem is, my Spanish passport will expire in mid-July, in four and a half months time, and in theory it should expire at least six months after I get the visa.
> 
> I just went to the Egyptian embassy in Nairobi and they can't give me visa because they only give it to Kenyan citizens or residents. They guy told me I can easily get my tourist visa at Cairo Airport. Then I told him about my passport expiring in mid-July and he said people at Cairo Aiport are usually strict but he doesn't know, I may be let in or may be not.
> 
> As I said, I already have my return ticket, I would leave Egypt in mid-March, four months before my passport expires. And I would be applying for a turist visa just to see some friends of mine in Cairo after all this revolution thing
> So my question is: does any you know how flexible they are about this at Cairo
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Airport? Does any of you know about someone in a similar case to mine who waallowed (or not) to enter the country?
> 
> Many thanks![/QUOTE
> Passport of EU or British must be valid up to six months after the date of obtaining the visa, so you should be ok, but at the airport could be a different story, having said that
> They do seem to be fairly flexible at the airport, I didn't look to see if you were maleor female being female of course will get you through, very easily but the most they will do is give you the run around for a bit if your a male and if worst comes to worst keep the number of your embassy in Cairo on you call them .
> But make sure you have either address tel num of people your seeing hotel etc
> 
> 
> 
> Apoligise again reread, if your a chancer, you could try and plead ignorance if your female , but yes getting new passport best option to be very sure. Sorry
> Bat
Click to expand...


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## astraeus

AM working in Borg ElArab Airport in Alex.. i think u can get a tourist visa at the airport will cost u 15 USD.. also will ask the immigration officers about ur passport.. and will get back to u soon..


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## bat

MaidenScotland said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum
> 
> What a dilemma and no one can answer you factually, even what happened last week might not happen this week. My advice would be to cancel your flight and get yourself a new passport.
> 
> I do know that I have had to send all my foreign staffs passports to immigration today despite the fact they have visas valid until August. I have no idea what is about but it sounds foreboding
> 
> Maiden


I was talking about that today as I think they might start if not canceling them , maybe not renewing them when they run out and I figured that maybe teachers would bare the brunt, so am waiting to see what happens around aug / sept .


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## MaidenScotland

bat said:


> I was talking about that today as I think they might start if not canceling them , maybe not renewing them when they run out and I figured that maybe teachers would bare the brunt, so am waiting to see what happens around aug / sept .




I hope it's not teachers with a proper teaching degree...Egypt needs good teachers to help educate it's young.


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## bat

MaidenScotland said:


> I hope it's not teachers with a proper teaching degree...Egypt needs good teachers to help educate it's young.


No I think it may either be a clean sweep, or reduce the numbers and the ones allowed, to instruct the Egyptians ( on the job training so to speak) for a limited period only.they know and get up set about the foreign salaries.
Then again they may just open the working visa to all !!


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## chemikyn

Thank you bat for all your infos and thank you astraeus for inquiring about this and please do let me know what your colleagues think about the question.

Yesterday, I talked to EgyptAir and they were very confident I would be let in. They said immigration officers are usually flexible and that it should help the fact that I have my return ticket to leave Egypt two weeks later.

Also, the lady at EgyptAir told me embassies have a stamp that can extend the passport's validity in these cases, but at least the Spanish embassy here has never heard of such a thing and told me they can't be of any help.

I'll keep you guys posted, we'll see what happens!


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## chemikyn

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## astraeus

the immigration officer in Alex airport said there is no problem for u to enter the country and u can get the visa upon arrival .. even the validty of ur passport less than 6 months.


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## chemikyn

That is wonderful news, astraeus. I hope officers at Cairo Airport are as friendly as your colleagues in Alexandria and, hopefully, I'll be walking the streets in Cairo in a few days. I'll let you know!


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## GM1

my passport is valid till 2 July this year, I was a week in Holland, I left 22 February, came back 1 March. No problems at all at Cairo airport. Only he asked about where my daughter was (she is still in my passport).
What I know (maybe only valid for Holland?? although I don't think so) is that a normal passport must still be valid for 2 months, if you are coming for business then your passport must still be valid for 6 months.


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## chemikyn

Thanks GM1 for your comment.

Actually, I am in Cairo now. In fact, I didn't have any problem at the airport. The immigration counters were empty and the officer barely looked at my passport before granting me the visa 

So now we know they don't take that norm very seriously and we are free to move around.

Thanks all for your answers!


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