# Sharm for 6 months



## chilli76 (Sep 14, 2010)

Hi

I am wanting to go to Sharm el Sheikh for 6 months next year to stay with my friend (english female!!) who is living there.

I am just wondering, what visa do I need to get? I have looked at the egyptian consulate website and it appears that I would have to leave the country every 60/90 days!! I would have enough money to live for 6 months without working but would try to get a job anyway (so that I don't get bored) - is it correct that my employer would need to get me a work permit visa and if so, how easy would that be? My friend is working there and has a permit but not sure how she went about moving there.

Any other advice on moving there (temporarily) would be greatly received as am only just starting to work out the logistics of it and whether it will be possible.

Many thanks


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## Whitedesert (Oct 9, 2011)

You can try your luck with 3 month tourist visas, and renewing it once, which may or may not happen...and maybe convince an employer here to apply for a work permit that will allow you a residence visa. Everything is up in the air at the moment, so anything is possible, or not possible, depending on the mood and the flavour of the day, and on what side of the bed the immigration officer got out that morning...


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## chilli76 (Sep 14, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. I understand that everything is a bit up in the air over there at the moment!! Would I need to apply for a 3 month visa before going or do I get it on arrival into the country??


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

Technically they haven't changed the rules yet, so it shouldn't be a problem.


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## Widget (Jan 22, 2011)

chilli76 said:


> I am just wondering, what visa do I need to get? I have looked at the egyptian consulate website and it appears that I would have to leave the country every 60/90 days!! I would have enough money to live for 6 months without working but would try to get a job anyway (so that I don't get bored) - is it correct that my employer would need to get me a work permit visa and if so, how easy would that be? My friend is working there and has a permit but not sure how she went about moving there.


As it stands at the moment, you can get a month long tourist visa on arrival at Sharm airport, when this is coming up for expiry you can then go to El Tor and get a 6 month tourist visa (because you're from the UK, nationals from other countries can sometimes only get 3 or 1 month extensions at a time). To do this you need to take your passport, and photocopies of the picture and visa pages of the passport, and possibly some passport photos aswell (sorry I can't remember, but it's always good to have a stock of these anyway for official paperwork). I think it cost about 60le when I did it in May (again prices may have changed). You cannot work on a tourist visa, and yes employers are supposed to sort out work visas but this takes a lot of paperwork and quite often they don't do it, ever since the revolution in January they're a lot stricter on employing non egyptians, and from what I gather in order to be granted a work visa, you have to have a skill which cannot be found by employing a national.

As for how you go about moving here, get on a plane and find somewhere to live - simples!


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## chilli76 (Sep 14, 2010)

That's excellent. Thanks for that Widget 

Exactly what my friend said....just get on a plane!! But I'm trying to be sensible and make sure I have saved up enough to live on for 6 months comfortably. How much do you think I would need for that (incl rent, which I will be sharing with my friend)?

Chills x


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## hurghadapat (Mar 26, 2010)

chilli76 said:


> That's excellent. Thanks for that Widget
> 
> Exactly what my friend said....just get on a plane!! But I'm trying to be sensible and make sure I have saved up enough to live on for 6 months comfortably. How much do you think I would need for that (incl rent, which I will be sharing with my friend)?
> 
> Chills x


Surely the best person to be asking is the friend you are going to live with....only she/he knows how much rent they are paying and are you also sharing the day to day living costs...also are they paying local prices for food or being ripped off and paying tourist prices.....which is the norm when you haven't been living there for very long.


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## chilli76 (Sep 14, 2010)

hurghadapat said:


> Surely the best person to be asking is the friend you are going to live with....only she/he knows how much rent they are paying and are you also sharing the day to day living costs...also are they paying local prices for food or being ripped off and paying tourist prices.....which is the norm when you haven't been living there for very long.


She's currently living with some friends (a couple) renting their spare room so when I go over, we would be looking to share an apartment near Naama Bay.

I believe that she used to get ripped off but now they have got to know her...probably still gets charged more than the egyptians though!


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## Whitedesert (Oct 9, 2011)

chilli76 said:


> That's excellent. Thanks for that Widget
> 
> Exactly what my friend said....just get on a plane!! But I'm trying to be sensible and make sure I have saved up enough to live on for 6 months comfortably. How much do you think I would need for that (incl rent, which I will be sharing with my friend)?
> 
> Chills x


 The problem with a question like that is, it depends who you ask! If you asked me I would say you need (minimum) about 5,000 US $ per month. If you asked somebody else they would be horrified at my 5000 and say No way, at least 10,000 US a month. Then somebody else will tell you "what!" no way, 1,500 US will do. This has everything to do with life-style and what you are either used to, and want to maintain, or what you are prepared to give up (for the experience).


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Whitedesert said:


> The problem with a question like that is, it depends who you ask! If you asked me I would say you need (minimum) about 5,000 US $ per month. If you asked somebody else they would be horrified at my 5000 and say No way, at least 10,000 US a month. Then somebody else will tell you "what!" no way, 1,500 US will do. This has everything to do with life-style and what you are either used to, and want to maintain, or what you are prepared to give up (for the experience).




Well said personally I would not want to be living and working abroad and have the life style of pauper.


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## chilli76 (Sep 14, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Well said personally I would not want to be living and working abroad and have the life style of pauper.


True...but then I know people who have money and aren't at all happy with their life and yet I know people (in england and egypt) that are skint, yet always have a smile on their face. There is more to life than money. Plus the lifestyle in egypt for 6 months would be very different to life in London....I wouldn't need to fork out £200 a month just to get to work for a start (not that I'm bitter - ha ha)!!!!


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

chilli76 said:


> True...but then I know people who have money and aren't at all happy with their life and yet I know people (in england and egypt) that are skint, yet always have a smile on their face. There is more to life than money. Plus the lifestyle in egypt for 6 months would be very different to life in London....I wouldn't need to fork out £200 a month just to get to work for a start (not that I'm bitter - ha ha)!!!!




It is my personal view point...


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## Whitedesert (Oct 9, 2011)

MaidenScotland said:


> Well said personally I would not want to be living and working abroad and have the life style of pauper.


Personally I was headhunted to come up here and negotiated something to make it worth my while. Coming from so far south of the equator this was an opportunity for my wife and myself to see a lot of countries, as it is expensive to fly all the way from Johannesburg, and Cairo is ideal to visit the UK/Europe/Balkans/Mediteranian countries. We are doing that, and pauper money just will not cut it. This is the reason I did not comment on the cost of living thing because I saw the life style of the expats that did comment, and realised that I should just keep my mouth tightly shut!


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## chilli76 (Sep 14, 2010)

Whitedesert said:


> Personally I was headhunted to come up here and negotiated something to make it worth my while. Coming from so far south of the equator this was an opportunity for my wife and myself to see a lot of countries, as it is expensive to fly all the way from Johannesburg, and Cairo is ideal to visit the UK/Europe/Balkans/Mediteranian countries. We are doing that, and pauper money just will not cut it. This is the reason I did not comment on the cost of living thing because I saw the life style of the expats that did comment, and realised that I should just keep my mouth tightly shut!


Fair do's. I guess everyones situation is different. Obviously a fantastic job there would be great but I only want to go for 6 months for the experience so don't need to think about making money long term. Just need to save up enough to be able to enjoy life whilst I'm there. 

Saying that, if your company is looking for a good office manager with experience in engineering/architecture firm's, give me a shout!!


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

I hear Libya will be in need of a few good engineers and architects very soon now.


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## Whitedesert (Oct 9, 2011)

chilli76 said:


> Fair do's. I guess everyones situation is different. Obviously a fantastic job there would be great but I only want to go for 6 months for the experience so don't need to think about making money long term. Just need to save up enough to be able to enjoy life whilst I'm there.
> 
> Saying that, if your company is looking for a good office manager with experience in engineering/architecture firm's, give me a shout!!


 Yup, you right, I should flag myself:focus: sorry!


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## Widget (Jan 22, 2011)

Whitedesert said:


> The problem with a question like that is, it depends who you ask! If you asked me I would say you need (minimum) about 5,000 US $ per month. If you asked somebody else they would be horrified at my 5000 and say No way, at least 10,000 US a month. Then somebody else will tell you "what!" no way, 1,500 US will do. This has everything to do with life-style and what you are either used to, and want to maintain, or what you are prepared to give up (for the experience).


 $5000 (US) really! That's nearly 30,000LE, I survive on about $1500 (US) a month (about £950 give or take a few depending on the exchange rate!), ok we're not eating out much - basically because we're too busy working, but we eat well at home, and that covers rent, bills, petrol, cigarettes, everything.

Like you say though it all depends on the lifestyle you want to live.


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