Egypt has approved an increase in visa and consular service fees to help fund the renovation and modernization of its embassies and consulates abroad, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on March 4.
The decision raises the fee allocated to supporting Egyptian diplomatic buildings from 5 Egyptian pounds to $12 per visa. The charge will apply to all entry and transit visas issued at Egypt’s ports of entry, as well as visas and consular services processed by Egyptian embassies and consulates overseas. The new amount will be added to existing visa fees.
According to the decision, published in the Official Gazette on Tuesday, the government will also increase the fee charged on document authentications carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inside Egypt, from 5 pounds to 20 pounds per document.
The new fees will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, the decision said.
The move follows amendments approved by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Nov. 30 to the law regulating fees for Foreign Ministry buildings. Those amendments set a maximum charge of $20 for entry and transit visas and 20 pounds for document authentications conducted inside Egypt, allowing room for future increases up to those limits.
Lawmakers said during parliamentary discussions that the fee increases are intended to support the renovation, expansion and maintenance of diplomatic mission buildings, including embassies and consulates abroad, without placing additional strain on the state budget.
The Foreign Ministry said the fee had remained unchanged for decades. First introduced at 1.5 pounds in 1980 and raised to 5 pounds in 1982, it has not been adjusted since, despite rising operational costs.
Those costs include expanded responsibilities for the General Authority for the Foreign Ministry Buildings Fund, which now covers maintenance, furnishing and rental expenses for diplomatic missions abroad, according to the ministry.
The ministry said the increase aims to strengthen the fund’s resources while keeping fees for consular services inside Egypt as low as possible for citizens. It added that the charge imposed abroad—whether on foreign nationals or Egyptians living overseas—remains modest compared with similar fees charged by other countries.
