Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

1. Overview

AIN Publications, an "independent media company focused on the aviation sector" (AIN Publications n.d.), reported in 2018 that the Egyptian government had spent $76 million on upgrades to airport security over the two previous years, including new luggage scanning machines, metal detectors and closed-circuit television (AIN Publications 1 May 2018). In the information they provide to passengers, the EGYPTAIR international airline states that

[d]epending on your destination, a passport including a visa or other form of identity-card is always required for travel and you may be asked to prove your identity to airlines, security personnel as well as immigration authorities, at various stages of your journey. (EGYPTAIR n.d.)

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) notes that Egyptian authorities maintain records of entries and exits from Egypt, and can determine if an individual is in the country or abroad (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.34).

2. Visas
2.1 Overview

Sources report the following available application procedures for obtaining a tourist visa:

• Online, through the Egypt e-Visa Portal (Egypt n.d.);
• At a port of entry (Hurghada International Airport n.d.a; Egypt n.d.);
• Prior to departure, at an Egyptian consulate abroad (Hurghada International Airport n.d.a; UK 26 July 2019).

Without providing details, the Lonely Planet travel guide's website indicates that all foreigners visiting Egypt must obtain a visa, except for citizens of "certain" Arab countries (Lonely Planet n.d.). In advance of their 2019 conference in Cairo, the AMICAL international consortium on library and information services for educational institutions (AMICAL Consortium n.d.) informs its participants that citizens of Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are exempt from visa requirements, while citizens of all other countries require a visa to enter Egypt (AMICAL Consortium Nov. 2018).

Freedom House's report for 2019 notes that authorities have expelled or denied entry to some foreign researchers or activists (Freedom House 28 Jan. 2019, sect. G1). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.2 Obtaining a Visa Through the Online Portal (e-Visa)

According to Egypt's Ministry of Interior, nationals of selected countries can apply for an e-visa, instead of requesting a visa at a port of entry (Egypt n.d.). The source states that e-visas are delivered electronically and Egyptian officials can verify the visa in their system, although officials still "reserve the right to deny entry into Egypt to a holder of an e-Visa without any explanation," as for other visas (Egypt n.d.). The same source indicates that entry requirements upon arrival in Egypt with an e-visa include: "Passport valid for at least six months from arrival date; e-Visa printout; travel itinerary; supporting letter e.g. … from company or invitation letter for business/family visits; hotel bookings/details about place to visit if tourist" (Egypt n.d.). The UK's Foreign Travel Advice for Egypt indicates that tourist visas delivered through the online portal have a validity period of a maximum of 3 months (UK 26 July 2019). The list of eligible countries, as available on the Ministry of Interior's website on 2 August 2019, is attached to this Response.

2.3 Obtaining a Visa at a Port of Entry

According to Hurghada International Airport in Egypt, "most foreign nationals" arriving as tourists can purchase a tourist visa (also referred to as an "entry visa") upon arrival at the airport or at any other major port of entry (Hurghada International Airport n.d.a). The tourist visa costs [US]$25, can be purchased from a teller at the airport and is valid for [a maximum of (UK 26 July 2019)] 30 days (Hurghada International Airport n.d.b; UK 26 July 2019). Sources indicate that the visa can be extended by applying at the office of the Ministry of Interior in Cairo (Hurghada International Airport n.d.b) or the Egyptian Passport and Immigration Office (UK 26 July 2019).

2.4 Obtaining a Visa at an Egyptian Consulate

The website of the Hurghada International Airport indicates that while most foreigners can request a visa at a port of entry, those from some countries are required to obtain a visa from the Egyptian consulate in their country of origin prior to entering Egypt (Hurghada International Airport n.d.a).

According to the AMICAL Consortium's website, citizens of the following countries should consult their local Egyptian consulate or embassy for the latest visa requirements to enter Egypt: Ghana, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Armenia, Iraq, Kosovo, and Syria (AMICAL Nov. 2018). For example, the Global Detention Project (GDP), a non-profit organization that promotes the human rights of detained migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, reports that since July 2014 the Egyptian government has required Syrian nationals to apply for a pre-arrival visa and security check through the Egyptian embassy in Damascus (GDP Sept. 2018, 2, 10-11).

3. Entry Procedures at Specific Borders
3.1 Sinai Peninsula

Lonely Planet provides the following information:

If you are entering Egypt through the Sinai (at Sharm El Sheikh Airport or at Taba), and are not leaving the South Sinai area (between Sharm El Sheikh and Taba, including St Catherine’s Monastery but not Ras Mohammed National Park), you do not require a visa and can be issued with a free Sinai-only entry stamp, good for a 15-day stay. (Lonely Planet n.d.)

Similarly, the UK travel advice for Egypt reports that a 15-day cost-free entry permission stamp is given upon arrival to those travelling to Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba resorts, and that travel outside of those areas or extension of the stay requires a visa (UK 26 July 2019).

The Lonely Planet website adds that those entering the Sinai Peninsula through the Taba land border, from Eilat in Israel, will also "normally" be issued the free Sinai-only entry stamp (Lonely Planet n.d.). The same source mentions that "[f]ull Egyptian visas" are also available at this entry point, but that the services of a local travel agency in Taba are required to "guarantee" the visa, and that the procedure may be "long-winded" (Lonely Planet n.d.).

Individuals who have obtained a Sinai-only entry stamp but wish to travel elsewhere in Egypt can purchase a full Egyptian tourist visa at Sharm El-Sheikh airport (Lonely Planet n.d.; UK 26 July 2019).

3.2 Rafah: Egypt-Gaza Border

Sources from 2018 and 2019 indicate that the Rafah border crossing has been open sporadically (Canada 31 July 2019; Mada Masr 12 Feb. 2019; AP 18 May 2018), and typically only for a few days at a time (Mada Masr 12 June 2018; AP 18 May 2018). However, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports, in its monthly update on Gaza crossings' operations status for July 2019, that since July 2018, the Rafah border crossing "has been operating" five days a week (UN July 2019).

The UN OCHA provides the following figures on crossings at the Rafah border:

• in 2017, the Rafah crossing was "partially" open for 36 days (UN Jan. 2018);
• in 2018, it was open for 198 days (UN Jan. 2019);
• between January and July 2019, it was open for 141 days (UN July 2019).

Sources state that, some days, Egypt only allowed one-way crossings for those returning to Gaza (DW 18 Nov. 2017; UN July 2019). In 2017, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that Egyptian authorities usually restricted permission to pass to grounds such as medical conditions, having a foreign passport, having a scholarship to study abroad, or "humanitarian reasons" (DW 18 Nov. 2017).

Mada Masr, an Egyptian news website, describes the process to cross the Rafah Border into Egypt as follows:

Palestinians must board special busses and pay large sums of money to register through travel agencies in Gaza. These agencies then submit applications to officers on the Egyptian side, according to several people who attempted the trip. Once officials in Palestine receive a select list of names approved by the Egyptians, they notify those selected to prepare to cross. The list, however, is always handwritten and never bears the official mark of Egypt's Interior Ministry or any other government agency. (Mada Masr 12 June 2018)

The New Zealand travel advisory for Egypt indicates that travellers

are required to obtain permission from the Egyptian authorities to enter and exit the Gaza Strip using the Rafah border crossing. People who enter the Gaza Strip through this crossing must leave the same way and may be delayed in the Gaza Strip for an extended period (possibly months) while waiting for approval to return. (New Zealand 28 Feb. 2019)

For example, the Associated Press (AP) reports that Hamas' Interior Ministry stated that there were more than 20,000 people on an exit waiting list in May 2018 (AP 18 May 2018).

3.3 Borders with Sudan and Libya

Sources indicate that the borders with Sudan and Libya are "porous" (Canada 31 July 2019; UK 26 July 2019) and that the Egyptian military is conducting security operations in the region (Canada 31 July 2019). Sources state that travel to these areas requires a permit from the Egyptian Ministry of Interior's Travel Permits Department (Canada 31 July 2019; UK 26 July 2019). The Arab Weekly, a collection of analyses and opinions on developments in the Middle East and North Africa (The Arab Weeklyn.d.), reports that one of the major border crossings from Libya to Egypt is Musaid, where construction of a 1 km border wall began on 20 January 2019 (The Arab Weekly3 Feb. 2019). The travel website Against the Compass indicates that there is a land border crossing between Wadi Halfa in Sudan and Aswan in Egypt (Against the Compass 21 Aug. 2019). Information on the procedures to cross borders into Sudan and Libya could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3.4 Egyptian Returnees

Australia's DFAT reports the following regarding the treatment of returnees by Egyptian authorities:

Egypt accepts involuntary returnees. Egyptian officials generally pay little regard to failed asylum seekers upon their return to the country, although it is possible that some individuals will be questioned upon entry, or will have their entry delayed. … Egyptians who out-stay their work or tourist visas in other countries are regularly returned to Egypt with no attention paid to them by authorities. DFAT is not aware of failed asylum seekers being reported by airport authorities to the Ministry of the Interior or any of the security services beyond the normal processes for returning Egyptian nationals. (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.39)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Exit Procedures and Requirements

Exit checks are conducted by the Ministry of Interior's Passport Control Department, according to Australia's DFAT, which states that they are "strictly enforced" (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.33).

4.1 Requirements and Procedures for Egyptian Nationals

Egyptians travelling abroad must present a valid passport and, as required by their country of destination, a valid visa (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.33).

Australia's DFAT indicates that Egyptian males must provide evidence of their military service status, which could take the form of a certificate of exemption from the military service, an expired passport comprising an exemption, or an authorization to travel delivered by the Conscription Department (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.33). According to the American University in Cairo (AUC), in their instructions for Egyptian males residing outside Egypt, Egyptian males, as well as those with dual nationality, are entitled to a six month stay in Egypt without military service obligations, but they may not be allowed to leave the country if they exceed this time period, until they "clarify" their military service status or are issued a military service exemption (AUC n.d.).

According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018, Egyptians between the ages of 18 and 40 are required by authorities to obtain an authorization from the Ministry of Interior to travel to the following countries: Guinea, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Georgia, and Yemen (US 13 Mar. 2019, 32). However, the same source notes that this requirement was only "sporadic[ally]" enforced (US 13 Mar. 2019, 32). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Australia's DFAT indicates that children travelling with only their mother require the father's approval to leave the country, either in person or by written approval stamped by a notary, embassy or consulate (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.36). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4.2 Requirements and Procedures for Foreigners

According to the Canadian travel advice and advisories for Egypt, an exit stamp is required in order to leave Egypt, which can be obtained by showing an entry stamp (Canada 31 July 2019). A traveller may be required to pay a fine at the airport upon exit if they stay past the expiration of their visa (Canada 31 July 2019). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4.3 Travel Restrictions

US Country Reports 2018indicates that Egyptian authorities used a “no-fly” list to prevent some defendants in court cases from leaving the country (US 13 Mar. 2019, 32). Australia's DFAT similarly reports that travellers with criminal charges cannot leave the country, that their names are recorded on a "'warning list'" against which all individuals attempting to leave the country are checked, but that not all people with charges appear on the warning list (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.34-5.35). The same source explains that

it is up to the Prosecutor-General to add their names. It is possible for names to be taken off the list, even if trials are pending. Should a person's lawyer request a name be taken off the list, it is the responsibility of the Prosecutor-General to show why the name should remain on it. There have been numerous cases where a person facing trial has had his or her name removed from the list, and subsequently travelled abroad without incident. (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.35)

Australia's DFAT further states that according to "[c]redible" human rights organizations, the Ministry of Interior and intelligence services can add individuals "of interest" to the warning list, including on politically-motivated grounds (Australia 17 June 2019, para. 5.34). According to Freedom House's report for 2019, "a growing list of rights activists, journalists, political party members, bloggers, and academics have been subjected to arbitrary bans on international travel in recent years" (Freedom House 28 Jan. 2019, sect. G1).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Against the Compass. 21 August 2019. Joan Torres. "How to Cross the Egypt-Sudan Border Overland ." [Accessed 9 Sept. 2019]

AIN Publications. 1 May 2018. Kaleyesus Bekele and Gregory Polek. "Egypt Boosts Airport Security, but UK Flight Restrictions Persist ." [Accessed 7 Aug. 2019]

AIN Publications. N.d. "About AIN Publications ." [Accessed 13 Aug. 2019]

The American University in Cairo (AUC). N.d. "Military and Visa ." [Accessed 6 Aug. 2019]

AMICAL Consortium. November 2018. "Visa Information ." [Accessed 9 Sept. 2019]

AMICAL Consortium. N.d. "About." [Accessed 9 Sept. 2019]

The Arab Weekly. 3 February 2019. Ahmed Megahid. "Scepticism Abounds over Egypt-Libya Border Wall ." [Accessed 14 Aug. 2019]

The Arab Weekly. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 14 Aug. 2019]

Associated Press (AP). 18 May 2018. "Egypt Opens Rafah Border Crossing with Gaza for Ramadan, President Announces ." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2019]

Australia. 17 June 2019. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). DFAT Country Information Report: Egypt . [Accessed 16 Aug. 2019]

Canada. 31 July 2019. Travel.gc.ca. "Egypt." [Accessed 2 Aug. 2019]

Deutsche Welle (DW). 18 November 2017. Tania Krämer. "Rafah Crossing to Egypt Opens for (Some) Gaza Palestinians ." [Accessed 14 Aug. 2019]

Egypt. N.d. Ministry of Interior. "FAQ." Electronic Visa Portal. [Accessed 2 Aug. 2019]

EGYPTAIR. N.d. "Travel Documents ." [Accessed 2 Aug. 2019]

Freedom House. 28 January 2019. "Egypt." Freedom in the World 2019 . [Accessed 26 Aug. 2019]

Global Detention Project (GDP). September 2018. Immigration Detention in Egypt: Military Tribunals, Human Rights Abuses, Abysmal Conditions, and EU Partner . [Accessed 6 Aug. 2019]

Hurghada International Airport. N.d.a. "Egyptian Immigration Requirements ." [Accessed 2 Aug. 2019]

Hurghada International Airport. N.d.b. "Tourist Visa ." [Accessed 2 Aug. 2019]

Lonely Planet. N.d. "Entry & Exit Formalities ." [Accessed 6 Sept. 2019]

Mada Masr. 12 February 2019. Ahmad Shehada and Thaier Oun. "As Egypt Defends Control of Crumbling Mediation Efforts in Palestine, Hamas Escalates on Israel Border ." [Accessed 6 Aug. 2019]

Mada Masr. 12 June 2018. Hamza Abu Eltarabesh. "At the Terminal: Stories from the Rafah Border Crossing ." Translated by Salma Khalifa. [Accessed 6 Aug. 2019]

New Zealand. 28 February 2019. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Egypt." [Accessed 7 Aug. 2019]

United Kingdom (UK). 26 July 2019. GOV.UK. "Foreign Travel Advice: Egypt ." [Accessed 2 Aug. 2019]

United Nations (UN). July 2019. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Gaza Crossings' Operations Status: Monthly Update - July 2019 . [Accessed 5 Sept. 2019]

United Nations (UN). January 2019. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Gaza Crossings' Operations Status: Monthly Update - January 2019 . [Accessed 5 Sept. 2019]

United Nations (UN). January 2018. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Gaza Crossings' Operations Status: Monthly Update - January 2018 . [Accessed 5 Sept. 2019]

United States (US). 13 March 2019. Department of State. "Egypt." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018 . [Accessed 2 Aug. 2019]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources:Egypt – Civil Aviation Authority, Consulate General of Egypt in Montreal, Embassy of Egypt in Ottawa, Ministry of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, Ministry of Interior; International Air Transport Association.

Internet sites, including:The Airport Authority; Amnesty International; Brookings Institution; Cairo Airport Company; Daily News Egypt; ecoi.net; Egyptian Tourism Authority; Foreign Policy; Human Rights Watch; International Organization for Migration Egypt; The New York Times; Reuters; The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy; The Times of Israel; UK – Home Office; UN – Refworld; VFS Global; Xinhua News Agency.

Attachment

Egypt. N.d. Ministry of Interior. "FAQ - Who Requires a Visa? " Electronic Visa Portal. [Accessed 10 Sept. 2019]