Visa Matters
Prior to Your Departure
Non-Egyptian students are strongly recommended to get their tourist visa from the Egyptian consulate in their country before their arrival.
You can get a visa application from an Egyptian consulate, but do not wait until the last minute to apply. Allow several weeks if you are getting the visa by mail. North American and European citizens may be able to apply in person for quicker processing time. Depending on your country of citizenship, you may need to allow up to eight weeks to complete the visa process.
You must have a valid passport for six months beyond your arrival date. If not, then you need to file your passport application at least three months before your departure date to avoid any unforeseen delays.
Citizens from the following countries have to obtain a visa prior to their arrival: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chechnya, Croatia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, The Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Tadzhikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and all African countries.
Before coming to Egypt, it is important to check with the Egyptian consulate or embassy in your country about changing visa regulations.
How to apply for a tourist visa?
At an Egyptian Consulate: To obtain a visa prior to your arrival, contact the Egyptian consulate or embassy in your country. Many students will have the option to receive their visa by mail or in person. Allow several weeks if you are getting your visa by mail. If it is convenient to go to the consulate or embassy in your country, you may receive your visa while you wait or within a few days. On the other hand, for citizens of some countries such as Iran and Syria, visa processing usually takes about eight weeks.
At Cairo International Airport: American, Canadian and European Union citizens of some countries will be able to obtain a tourist visa upon arrival at the Cairo airport. Because of changing visa regulations, check with the Egyptian consulate or embassy in your country about new visa rules. To obtain your visa at the airport, purchase the necessary stamp at one of the many exchange windows before passing through customs. Carry it, with your passport and arrival card, to the immigration line. A few rubber stamps later, you are officially in Egypt!
After your arrival in Egypt, AUC will work with the Ministry of Higher Education to obtain your student visa. However, since obtaining the student residence visa may take up to two months, you must get a tourist visa to enter the country. Make sure you have a passport valid for the duration of your stay in Egypt. Your student visa will be issued only after your registration, payment of fees and enrollment verification. A minimum of 12 credit hours (nine credit hours for graduate students) is required for eligibility.
After Arrival
Citizens from the following countries have to register their passports at the Business Support Office: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Libya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, The Philippines, Rwanda, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Trinidad-Tobago, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen.
Required Procedures for New Arriving Students:
- Fill out the online application form
- Check for your file and governmental security approval at the Business Support office, Room G022, Administration Building
- If the governmental security approval hasn't been received, the student will extend his visa temporarily for one semester
- If all governmental paperwork is ready at the Business Support, download the student visa enrollment certificate form
- Fill out the student visa enrollment certificate request form and attach a copy of your passport then submit it to the Office of the Registrar
- After five working days of submitting your form, proceed to the Business Support Office with the original passport and one personal photo, in addition to the fees requested to start the application process
- The visa will take from seven to twenty working days to be issued. This depends on the nationality
- If the security approval is delayed for any reason, the student can apply for a temporary three months tourist visa that can be renewed for another three months until the security approval is received.
Important Note
There are restrictions in the tourist visa applications for the following nationalities (which require entry visa prior their arrival) as they need security check. If the security approval for the tourist extension is not accepted, the student will have to leave the country.
Countries in Asia:
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
- China
- East Timor
- Georgia
- India
- Indonesia
- Kazakhstan
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Srilanka
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
African and Arab Countries:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Chad
- Congo
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Komoro Islands
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maly
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Middle African
- Morocco
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Tunisia
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Arab Countries West of Asia:
- Iraq
- Lebanon
- Palestine
- Qatar
- Syria
- Yemen
Latin American Countries:
- Bolivia
- Columbia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Panama
- Peru
- Salvador
- Venezuela
European Countries:
- Bosnia
- Czech Republic
- Croatia
- Estonia
- Finland
- Lituania
- Macedonia
- Slovakia
- Solvenia
- Ukraine
Required Procedures to Obtain a Student Visa
A minimum of 12 credit hours for undergraduate students (nine credit hours for graduate students) is required for eligibility. Obtaining the student residence visa can take one to three months.
To avoid delays in what is already a long process, you must submit a copy of your passport along with the complete International Student Data Form to AUC's New York Office or to AUC's Office of Admissions. This should have been done as part of the application process. Upon arrival in Cairo, you must visit the Business Support Office, located in the administration building, Room G022, to submit the required documents:
- Passport
- Two passport-sized photos
- Enrollment letter
During your sojourn in Egypt, make sure you keep copies of your passport with you. Moreover, if you plan to travel within Egypt, always carry your passport with you. You will often be asked to show identification to Egyptian police during travel by road, especially in Sinai. Your original passport, not a copy, is required in these instances. You also need your passport to check into hotels.
Males who are Egyptian or dual nationals, or whose father is Egyptian, are entitled to a six-month stay in Egypt as an Egyptian citizen without any military service clarifications or obligations. If you exceed the six-month stay, you have to process the military service exemption for Egyptians/dual nationals in person. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to leave the country until you clarify your military service status and receive a military service exemption.
Returning Students
- Upon arrival, they are required to registrar their stay in Egypt to avoid late fees by submitting the passport at the business support office.
- The student will receive a portal message with the details of student visa renewal.
- After receiving this message, the student must submit his/her passport to the business support office to avoid dropping of courses by the registrar.
- Students should start the renewal procedures for their residency visa one week
- Before the previous one expires.
For further inquiries, contact the Business Support office at +2.2615.2355 or email business.support@aucegypt.edu.
*AUC is not responsible for the denial of any national security approval for non-Egyptian students by the Egyptian government.
