Visa extensions

Hi
i read your blog and left some info on travel costs as unfortunately you paid too much for your micro bus and taxi fare...

You can extend the visa at the 'Jawazaat' Office, Passport Office located behind the Red Sea Governorate.

Those western citizens who wish to extend their visa needs to present themselves early in the morning, if they wish to collect their passport at 1 pm the same day, otherwise they will have to collect it the day after.

The visa extension costs less than 90 EGP, and it could be 3 or 6 months or 12 months in one go if you are a western national. NB Somehow USA, Australia and western EU receive a preferential treatment comparing to eastern EU countries, member of the EU).

The amount of months given by the officer is totally discretional. If one requests 6 months might just get 3, which is the most common nowadays.

Thank you, your comments do explain a couple of things I'd heard, but hadn't put into context. I posted the blog because when I was looking on the web for information on how to do a visa extension I couldn't find anything up to date, although this could be the result to poor searching technique.

The blog was an account of my experience getting the extension... intended to be helpful to anyone wanting to do the same..... including information on how to find the office.

Where is the

Jawazaat' Office, Passport Office, located behind the Red Sea Governorate?

This may mean something to seasoned Hurghadaians but nothing to many westerners trying to figure out the geography in a city without street maps.... is it the place I described?? or somewhere else? I'm guessing there aren't two such offices in Hurghada?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6833214023/   this could be helpful to you.. to find info about anything in hurghada. the office is in dahar.. but i dont know the exact directions.

peteregypt wrote:

Thank you, your comments do explain a couple of things I'd heard, but hadn't put into context. I posted the blog because when I was looking on the web for information on how to do a visa extension I couldn't find anything up to date, although this could be the result to poor searching technique.

The blog was an account of my experience getting the extension... intended to be helpful to anyone wanting to do the same..... including information on how to find the office.

Where is the

Jawazaat' Office, Passport Office, located behind the Red Sea Governorate?

This may mean something to seasoned Hurghadaians but nothing to many westerners trying to figure out the geography in a city without street maps.... is it the place I described?? or somewhere else? I'm guessing there aren't two such offices in Hurghada?

Hi

  This has got out of context. The original post was

Hi,

   If anyone wants to know about visa extensions in Hurghada I have put something about this on my website at

hello-hurghada.blogspot.com/p/visa.html


There is also a paragraph about the government store.

Hope it's useful


Peter

I know were the office is, (read blog)


Jawazaat' Office, Passport Office, located behind the Red Sea Governorate


is accurate and true but of little practical value... at least that's my point. I posted the blog as an account of what happened when I went, in the hope this would be beneficial to others faced with the same task

It not unpractical Peter, because people won't walk to the passport office,it can only be reached by car, so it is enough to tell the taxi driver 'jawazaat as siyaah' (Passport office, for tourists).

In most middle eastern countries addresses are virtually not existing, or not well known by people.
We locate places based on buildings and landmarks.

Anyway the correct address of the Passport Office is:


Passport Office - Hurghada
Address:    El Amn St.
Downtown, Hurghada
Landmark:    Behind Red Sea Security Directorate

Phone Number:     065-3546727

[Downtown Hurghada, does not mean much, El Amn street, probably people do not have any clue,
but if you say 'behind Red Sea Security Directorate' everybody will know where it is, including the taxi].

Don't bother to call, nobody will answer...

Hello,

      I am now thoroughly confused. We arrived at the office by microbus, went into Sakala from the office by microbus, went back to collect our passports by microbus and went home from the office by microbus. So either we are talking about different places or car isn't the only way of getting there…..  I'm just saying what we did on the day….. I wrote it so others could follow in our footsteps if they so choose…

And before I set out I like to know where I am going, information which I found difficult to come by..... I also was keen to know how much we would have to pay, this information too proved elusive …

yes you can get there by bus.... you change at Dahar Central and take a bus from there heading out on the El Gouna route. I personally walked from Dahar Central and it did not take long....

btw... all information on this site is useful for many people and this discussion you started has been added to by a few of us and therefore will be very helpful

Thanks Tigerlily3103

                    Yes, all this info and a handy little map is on my blog at

hello-hurghada.blogspot.com/p/visa.html

Different people see and do things differently ....

In the interests of cash preservation my wife and I tend not to use taxis, and find the microbuses a pleasant adventure, and get into some interesting conversations. This is possibly a Hurghadaian newbie attitude and I suspect if we were using them every day the novelty value might quickly fade. (As it did in Malta when I was daily using their ancient fleet of ill maintained and grumpily driven public buses). 


We are getting to grips with the taxis here and learning how to ensure we pay the right fare. I suspect, in truth, that our reluctance to use cabs is due in part to being ripped off once too often.

ExpEgypt makes the point that the length of time of the visa extension is at the discretion of the government officer. This I had heard as rumour and we had discussed applying for 3 months at our first visit. In the end we decided to go for the year on the grounds that

Always ask for more than you want, they can knock you back

We are an older (but not old) couple,

The current economic climate makes it more likely that outwardly respectable looking people will be more likely to be granted long stay.

All this was of course guesswork, and may be a touch egotistical…. Whatever the reasons, we reckoned a years extension would be no problem and were proved right. Perhaps if we had been long haired facial piercings adorned youths with a penchant for Anglo-Saxon vocabulary things might have been different. What I am trying to say is that while ExpEgypt (aren't we all) doubtless has lots of experience of all this, he isn't the only one to have been around the block a few times….

Peter,

Western nationals over the age of 60 do NOT need a visa extension. You are free to stay in Egypt as long as you like, with your 30 days entry visa. If you fall into this category, no need for visa extension. You can contact your embassy to confirm the information.

These is a scheme from the Egyptian gov. to encourage pensioners to spend their money here, purchase properties etc. Unfortunately the scheme is not advertised as such, with the consequence that many people go and pay for a visa extension despite they do not actually require it.
Then, they congratulate themselves for obtaining 1 year. This is the same case with wives of Egyptians who have not yet requested an official residence permit.

People are not denied extensions over their piercing or look. Foreigners are checked by the national security directorate, and based on their age, countries they travelled to or frequency of visits to Egypt, they might be denied the visa.

The senior officer who signs the visa extension is not in touch with the public, so he hasn't got a clue whether the applicant looks more or less respectable. He will put your passport no. in the computer system and see if anything pops up. age is another crucial factor in determining visa extension. It is more likely that people over 40 will be granted the extension, as it can be assumed they reached a certain financial stability. While youngsters might just live in Egypt on a tourist visa, working in tourism, virtually subtracting jobs to Egyptians. This is one of the main reasons while the gov. started to crack on extensions.

Despite employees sitting at the counter might not look that professional, Egypt has a sophisticated national security system to check who is allowed to stay and who is not.

The decision is not certainly taken based on looks.

PS It is uncommon for tourists and new comers to take microbuses, they might be used by foreigners who actually live in Hurghada and visit Egypt often. If this is the case, surely they already been to the Passport Office.

I would personally not advise in a blog for new comers to reach the place by microbus. They might just get lost, especially if the route involves several changes. The microbus adventure is better to be tried when not on official businesses or carrying one's passport.

If you know the city well, surely the microbus will save you quite a few pounds. It can be a fun diversion, but not the best way to reach a public office in time.

peteregypt wrote:

Thanks Tigerlily3103

                    Yes, all this info and a handy little map is on my blog at

hello-hurghada.blogspot.com/p/visa.html

Different people see and do things differently ....

In the interests of cash preservation my wife and I tend not to use taxis, and find the microbuses a pleasant adventure, and get into some interesting conversations. This is possibly a Hurghadaian newbie attitude and I suspect if we were using them every day the novelty value might quickly fade. (As it did in Malta when I was daily using their ancient fleet of ill maintained and grumpily driven public buses). 


We are getting to grips with the taxis here and learning how to ensure we pay the right fare. I suspect, in truth, that our reluctance to use cabs is due in part to being ripped off once too often.

ExpEgypt makes the point that the length of time of the visa extension is at the discretion of the government officer. This I had heard as rumour and we had discussed applying for 3 months at our first visit. In the end we decided to go for the year on the grounds that

Always ask for more than you want, they can knock you back

We are an older (but not old) couple,

The current economic climate makes it more likely that outwardly respectable looking people will be more likely to be granted long stay.

All this was of course guesswork, and may be a touch egotistical…. Whatever the reasons, we reckoned a years extension would be no problem and were proved right. Perhaps if we had been long haired facial piercings adorned youths with a penchant for Anglo-Saxon vocabulary things might have been different. What I am trying to say is that while ExpEgypt (aren't we all) doubtless has lots of experience of all this, he isn't the only one to have been around the block a few times….

Well there you go, we learn something useful every day, its a well kept secret that,  if this were Thailand I would still get a visa though, as the rules there flex depending on how much a particular officials gambling debt is that day....

Does that mean that if over 60 you don't need any stamp in your passport at all???

PS When I said old, I didn't mean old, older as in not young,with a bit of veradigris behind at least one ear

Thanks, I think we have fundamentally different views of the world.... I don't agree with your analysis of microbus travel, am happy to use them... if you aren't that fine too. it just comes down to personal choice

We also seem to have different senses of humour, perhaps that why we are happy with a more informal approach to life..... and frankly saying people might get lost by having to change buses, once, doesn't say a lot for your faith in the abilities of your fellow man. It isn't a big deal... it looks like to need to agree to disagree on our mutual approach to life

Peter,

I am just trying to report some information that can be useful to the public.

So I try to be practical and concise. It is not about any particular approach to life, simply going straight to the point, nothing personal.

Please cheer up!

Rules on over 60:

People over 60 years old need to purchase the 15 USD entry visa stamp like any other tourist, but they are not bound to obtain any extension. They will just stay as long as they want, and once they exit the country the official will put an exit stamp. That's it.

Please confirm with your consulate if this applies to your nationality.

Dear ExpEgypt,

              All the information that is creeping into the public domain of this forum is of inestimable worth to the public, it is what these bulletin boards are for.... and I impressed by the depth of your knowledge on all this, really I am. When I was looking for all this I couldn't find it, so this debate should be of great value to others, those intrepid few who still want to come and to stay in this fascinating country for a while.

On the subject of Visas we were given an “application for a visa return” form which we ignored on the grounds that we aren't planning to leave Egypt any time soon, and if we do, the odds are we won't be coming back….. I have been told we should have handed it in, but the source of this advice didn't know why that would have been a good idea.

Re admonishment to cheer up. I am sitting on a balcony, beavering away over a hot keyboard, occasionally nipping downstairs for a dip in the warm waters of the complex's pool. I have no shirt on, there is a gentle and cooling breeze, and no danger of rain. This evening we shall be tucking into one of my wife's delicious home made Chicken Caesar Salads. Tomorrow we will be diving in the Red Sea, home to more of the world's top 100 dive sites than any other single location on Earth. I am fairly sure that all this means my cheer rating is pretty near the top of the scale… and is in no need of upping….. but thanks for the concern.

Re point about being practical and concise and that “it's not about any particular approach to life”

May I please again disagree. We all approach life in different ways. This, it seems to me is part of the natural scheme of things. Diversity is what it all about. Too much of anything is bad, no matter how good it may be. The world needs balance, conflict, (up to a point), and variety. Without these it wouldn't function. This means we need people who understand, make and enforce rules, just as much as we need people who would happily strangle those intent on trotting out reams of trivial and annoyingly petty officialesse. In other words DNA has produced society makers and frontierspeople.

We are happy to use microbuses to travel to a government office. You see this as something to be avoided at all costs. Your advice is coloured by this belief. “The only way to get to the office is by car.” I understand where you are coming from; it's a very valid viewpoint. I just don't concur.

You approach life your way and advise accordingly, I live my life my way and do the same. That's how it is…. Simples… but in an open forum and this is what all this has been leading up all the options should be presented and the public allowed to make their own decisions…..


 



So I try to be practical and concise. It is not about any particular approach to life, simply going straight to the point, nothing personal.

Children children - chill out.
For someone with so much relaxation going on - you are very uptight!!

If I had been here for three months I would already know about microbuses and so going to the passport office would not prove a problem...I have lived all over the world and always travel on local transport from bush taxi's in central Africa (which work similarly to microbuses but are cars)to motorbikes and pick up truck buses in Vietnam all work out cheap and easy to use..and the drivers are usually helpful and happy to have a foreigner on the bus...