Sharm El Sheikh visa in 2026: the free Sinai stamp, visa on arrival and Cairo trips
For a beach holiday, usually no. If you fly into Sharm El Sheikh and stay under 15 days in the Sinai resorts, UK, EU, US and Turkish passport holders get a free Sinai entry stamp instead of a visa. Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada need a full Egyptian visa, which you buy at the airport on arrival.
Sharm El Sheikh is one of the few places in Egypt you can visit without a visa. The rule is simple: fly into Sharm, stay under 15 days and do not leave the Sinai resorts. If all three hold, you get a free entry stamp at the airport.
If you want to add Cairo, Luxor or Hurghada, buy the visa the moment you land, before passport control. Fixing it later in Sharm is very hard. Day trips are booked separately from your hotel.
We checked this page on 16 October 2026 against the UK Foreign Office's Egypt entry requirements, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry notice for Egypt and its visa table, and Egypt's official e-visa site. Rules change, so check again before you fly.
Entering Egypt at Sharm El Sheikh, step by step (checked 16 October 2026)
Who gets the free Sinai stamp
The UK Foreign Office says that if you fly into Sharm El Sheikh and stay under 15 days at resorts in Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba, you do not need a visa: you get a free entry permission stamp at the airport. Egypt's consulate in London lists EU, UK and US citizens. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry says Turkish citizens arriving in South Sinai get the same 15-day stamp, valid in Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba, Taba and St Catherine. Other passports: check with your airline.
Where the stamp is valid
All of Sharm's hotel areas (Naama Bay, Nabq Bay, Sharks Bay, Hadaba), Dahab and its Blue Hole, Nuweiba and Taba; Türkiye's Foreign Ministry also lists St Catherine. Cairo, the Giza pyramids, Luxor, Alexandria and Hurghada are outside it.
What you may be asked for
For Turkish citizens, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry lists a return ticket, a confirmed hotel booking and at least USD 2,000 in cash or on a credit card. Travellers report these are rarely checked, but carry them. At passport control, say you are staying in Sinai only and ask for the Sinai stamp.
Going to Cairo or Luxor
You need an Egyptian visa. Buy it at Sharm airport at the bank kiosk before passport control: USD 30 since 1 March 2026 (it was USD 25), valid for 30 days. Have US dollars in cash. Decide before you queue: once you have entered on the free Sinai stamp, getting a visa in Sharm is very hard.
Ras Mohammed and boat trips
Ras Mohammed National Park is in South Sinai, and land trips are generally fine on the Sinai stamp. Some boat and dive operators ask for a full visa for offshore trips and wrecks such as the Thistlegorm. Ask before you book; if a boat trip is certain, buying the visa on arrival is the simplest route.
Passport
Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you enter Egypt and have a blank page. Turkish ID cards are not accepted.
Staying longer than 15 days
Buy the 30-day visa on arrival. EU and UK citizens can also use Egypt's e-visa (visa2egypt.gov.eg: USD 30 single entry, USD 65 multiple); Türkiye is not on its list. The visa fee is expected to rise to USD 33 from 1 January 2027.
The 4 hotels in this guide
Pick your dates on any hotel to see the live price. Hotel payment goes to our hotel booking partner.
- airport ~15 minwalk-in beachwalkableCurator's verdict
The easiest first-trip base in Sharm: a short transfer, a sandy beach and a town you can walk to.
- Who it suits:
- First-timers, couples and families who want evenings out without taxis.
- Good to know:
- Palm Wing rooms sit across a busy road from the beach; with young children, book the Beach Wing.
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A big, well-run Naama Bay resort in two halves: the Beach Wing on the sand and the Palm Wing across El Salam Road. The beach is sandy and walk-in, which most Sharm hotels cannot offer.
It leads this page because the airport is about 15 minutes by car and Naama Bay's promenade, market and bars are a 15-minute walk. On a first trip you can clear the visa kiosk and walk out to dinner the same evening.
- airport ~10 minreef off a piersea-view roomsCurator's verdict
A short-transfer reef hotel: dated, but the coral and the Main-building balconies make up for it.
- Who it suits:
- Snorkellers on a short stay who do not need a sandy beach.
- Good to know:
- No sand beach and nothing walkable; Naama Bay is 4 km by taxi, and reviewers call the bathrooms tired.
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A large Sheraton from 1999 on the Al Pasha coast, between the airport and Naama Bay. There is no sand beach: a pier takes you onto a reef that reviewers rate above Nabq's, and the décor is dated.
Our review lists it for short stays with a short transfer, because the airport is about 10 minutes away. Book the 40 m² Classic Sea View room in the Main building and let the balcony and the reef carry a long weekend.
- airport ~10 minhouse reefsoho square on footCurator's verdict
The short-transfer choice when service and the reef matter more than the price.
- Who it suits:
- Couples, and families with older children, who want a short and comfortable first trip.
- Good to know:
- Everything is à la carte and reviewers call prices steep; the hillside means stairs, buggies and waits at peak times.
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Sharm's most polished resort, built down a cliff in Sharks Bay, with a funicular to a small beach and two jetties onto a house reef that reviewers call the best snorkelling they found in Sharm.
It is about 10 minutes from the airport, one of the closest resorts, and Soho Square is a 10–15 minute walk. One reviewer notes that taxis are not allowed up to reception, so arrange the hotel's car for the airport run.
- airport ~15 min600 m beachpontoon to reefCurator's verdict
A short transfer to a long sandy beach and a reef off the pontoon.
- Who it suits:
- Families and snorkellers who will spend most of the trip on site.
- Good to know:
- In-room Wi-Fi is paid and patchy; buy a local SIM at the airport if you need data.
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A 360-room family resort at Ras Nasrani with a 600-metre sandy beach, a pontoon onto the house reef and Tiran Island across the water. The rooms are dated.
The airport is about 15 minutes by car, close enough for a short trip that is mostly beach and snorkelling. Nothing is walkable, so an evening in Naama Bay means a taxi of about 20 minutes.
Prices and availability are checked live before booking.
Questions before you book
Do I need a visa for Sharm El Sheikh?
Not if you fly into Sharm and stay under 15 days in the Sinai resorts: UK, EU, US and Turkish passport holders get a free Sinai stamp at the airport. For Cairo, Luxor or Hurghada, or for longer stays, you need an Egyptian visa.
Can I visit Cairo from Sharm without a visa?
No. Cairo, the Giza pyramids and Luxor are outside the Sinai stamp. Buy the USD 30 visa at Sharm airport before passport control.
How much is the Egypt visa on arrival?
USD 30 since 1 March 2026, up from USD 25, and it is expected to rise to USD 33 from 1 January 2027. Carry US dollars in cash.
Can I go to Dahab on the Sinai stamp?
Yes. Dahab is one of the places the free stamp covers, so you can fly into Sharm and stay in Dahab or visit the Blue Hole for the day.
Can Turkish citizens enter Egypt with an ID card?
No. You need a passport valid for at least six months from the day you enter.
Do I have to show USD 2,000 for the Sinai stamp?
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry lists a return ticket, a confirmed hotel booking and at least USD 2,000 in cash or on a card for Turkish citizens. Travellers say these are rarely checked, but carry them.
Can I go from Sharm to Hurghada on the Sinai stamp?
No. Hurghada is across the Red Sea, outside Sinai. Buy the Egyptian visa when you land in Sharm.
Do I need a visa for a Ras Mohammed trip?
Land trips are generally fine on the Sinai stamp, but some boat and dive operators ask for a full visa. Ask before you book; if a boat trip is certain, buy the visa on arrival.
Visa sorted. Now the hotel
Pick a hotel close to the airport and check live prices for your dates. Rooms are confirmed after payment.
See the hotels