Egypt Visa 2026: What the New Digital Visa Means for Your Holiday in Dahab

Egypt is modernising its arrival procedures: from August 2026, a new digital visa-on-arrival system is due to be introduced at Cairo Airport. Instead of receiving the traditional visa sticker, eligible travellers should be able to enter their details digitally, pay the fee electronically and receive a QR code for passport control.

For most Lagona Divers guests, however, a different point is far more important. If you fly directly to Sharm El Sheikh, spend your entire holiday in South Sinai and leave again within 15 days, you will usually not need a paid tourist visa at all. In most cases, the free Sinai Only stamp is sufficient.

The new digital visa is certainly an interesting development, but for a typical diving holiday in Dahab it changes very little for the time being. Here is why – and when you may still need a full tourist visa.

For most visitors to Dahab, the Sinai Only stamp is enough

Travellers arriving through Sharm El Sheikh Airport and staying exclusively in South Sinai can receive a free entry permit known as the Sinai Only stamp. It is valid for stays of up to 15 days and is perfectly adequate for most diving holidays in Dahab.

The German Federal Foreign Office expressly confirms this arrangement for German nationals. It applies to stays in South Sinai, including Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba.

At Sharm El Sheikh Airport, simply walk past the desks selling the regular tourist visa and continue directly to passport control.

At the desk, politely tell the immigration officer: “Sinai Only, please.” You will then receive the free Sinai Only stamp in your passport.

Do not be unsettled if someone on the way suggests that you should go to the visa counter. If you meet the conditions for Sinai Only, you can go straight to passport control and request the stamp there.

For around 90 per cent of our guests, this is all they need to enter the country. In this situation, neither a paid visa nor an e-Visa arranged before departure is necessary.

Important: the rules may differ depending on your nationality. Always check the current entry requirements for the passport you are travelling on before your trip.

When do you need a full tourist visa?

The Sinai Only stamp is ideal for a typical diving holiday in Dahab, but it does not replace a full tourist visa for the rest of Egypt.

You will generally need a regular visa if you plan to stay for more than 15 days or visit other parts of Egypt during your trip, such as Cairo, Luxor or Hurghada. Sinai Only is also not available if you enter the country through Cairo.

If you are not yet sure whether you might take a trip beyond South Sinai, a full tourist visa gives you more flexibility. By contrast, travellers who fly directly to Sharm El Sheikh, stay only in Dahab and leave again within 15 days can often avoid the visa fee altogether.

You can obtain a regular tourist visa either as a Visa on Arrival at the airport or as an e-Visa applied for online before you travel.

What is the new digital visa?

The new system is a digital version of the existing Visa on Arrival. It is initially due to launch at Cairo Airport. Travellers should be able to enter their details digitally, pay the fee electronically and then proceed to passport control using a QR code.

In the longer term, the system is expected to be introduced at other airports as well. At present, however, there is no officially confirmed launch date for Sharm El Sheikh.

For holidays in Dahab, this means that everything remains as before for now. The new digital process does not replace the Sinai Only stamp; it is simply intended to make the issuing of a regular tourist visa easier in future.

This distinction matters for guests travelling to Dahab purely for diving. A digital Visa on Arrival may sound like the more modern option, but that does not automatically make it the most appropriate one. If you qualify for Sinai Only, you will usually have no need for the paid tourist visa.

e-Visa, Visa on Arrival or Sinai Only?

These terms are often confused, but they describe three different ways of entering Egypt.

You apply for an e-Visa online before travelling and receive a full tourist visa valid for travel throughout Egypt. This option is useful if you prefer to complete the formalities before departure or intend to visit destinations outside South Sinai.

A Visa on Arrival is purchased after landing at the airport. This is the process that is due to be digitalised. It is also a full tourist visa and should not be confused with the free Sinai Only stamp.

The Sinai Only stamp, by contrast, is a free entry permit for South Sinai. For a typical diving holiday in Dahab, it is entirely sufficient in most cases.

The right option therefore depends not on which procedure sounds the most modern, but on your itinerary, the length of your stay and your nationality.

Flying directly to Sharm El Sheikh, staying for no more than 15 days and spending your entire holiday in South Sinai? For many visitors, Sinai Only is the appropriate choice.

Staying longer, entering through Cairo or planning trips to Cairo, Luxor, Hurghada or other parts of Egypt? You will need a full tourist visa.

Preparing for your trip to Dahab

Whichever entry option you choose, check in good time that your passport has the required period of validity remaining. You should also review the entry requirements for your nationality shortly before departure, as the rules can change.

For a typical holiday with Lagona Divers, the process remains pleasantly straightforward: after landing in Sharm El Sheikh, go directly to passport control, ask for Sinai Only and then continue on to Dahab.

The administrative part of the journey is usually over quickly. The far more interesting question is which dive site should be first on the programme.

Our conclusion

The new digital visa-on-arrival system is a sensible step and will probably make entering Egypt easier in future. For travellers flying directly to Sharm El Sheikh and spending their diving holiday exclusively in Dahab or elsewhere in South Sinai, however, it changes nothing for the time being.

For most Lagona Divers guests, the free Sinai Only stamp remains the simplest and most practical option. You will only need a regular tourist visa if you stay for more than 15 days or plan to travel to other parts of Egypt.

That allows you to complete the entry formalities with minimum fuss and focus on what really matters on holiday: crystal-clear water, impressive reefs and unforgettable diving in the Red Sea.

You can find more practical advice about Dahab, diving and planning your trip in the Lagona Divers blog. If your travel dates are already fixed, you can plan your dives in Dahab directly with Lagona Divers. We look forward to welcoming you to Dahab soon.