Arriving at Cairo Airport on a Private Trip: What Happens

At Cairo airport (CAI) you land at Terminal 1, 2 or 3, buy a visa at the kiosks before passport control unless you hold an e-visa, then pass passport control, collect your bags and clear customs. On the journeys, a representative meets you with a name sign at passport control, and a private car takes you about 40 km to Giza or about 25 km to the Nile hotels.

Cairo airport arrival, step by step

Every arrival at Cairo International Airport (CAI) follows the same order: terminal, visa, passport control, baggage, customs, then the drive. The table sums it up; the sections below explain each stage.

Which terminal you land at

Cairo International Airport has three passenger terminals in use, Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, plus a Seasonal Flights Terminal. There is no Terminal 4 yet: it is planned, and construction is expected to take about four years. Your airline decides your terminal, and your ticket names it.

EgyptAir and the Star Alliance airlines use Terminal 3. The airport's official list names EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian, Aegean and LOT. British Airways and Air France use Terminal 2. For Emirates, Etihad and Saudia, sources differ on the terminal, so check your booking before you fly.

The visa: an e-visa before you fly, or a visa on arrival

The Egypt visa is not part of the journeys: the journeys that begin in Cairo list it under Not included, next to international flights. There are three ways to get one.

An e-visa before you fly

Egypt's official e-visa portal sells a single-entry tourist e-visa for USD 30 and a multiple-entry e-visa for USD 65, paid by credit or debit card (Visa or MasterCard) on the portal only; those were the fees on 13 August 2026. The portal lists 79 countries and territories whose citizens can apply. The UK government describes tourist e-visas as valid for up to 3 months. On arrival, the e-visa printout is one of your entry documents, and the passport officers can check its validity on their system.

A visa on arrival at the kiosks

The UK government's entry advice (checked on 13 August 2026) describes kiosks before the immigration counters where you buy a physical visa for USD 30, cash only. That visa is valid for up to 30 days, which covers any journey on this site: they run from 5 to 11 days.

The digital visa on arrival

From 1 August 2026, arrivals at Cairo International Airport can also get a digital visa on arrival through self-service kiosks, the official website or a mobile app, paid electronically. The visa fee is USD 36: USD 30 plus a USD 6 service fee. You receive a QR code, which the passport officers scan on arrival.

Whichever route you take, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date and have one blank page. Visa rules change, so check the portal and your own government's current entry advice before you fly; the UK entry requirements page is the source of the kiosk and digital visa details above.

Passport control and meeting your representative

Meet and assist at the airport by a representative is included in the journeys. On the journeys that begin in Cairo, the representative waits at passport control with a sign bearing your name.

Cairo Airport also runs its own meet-and-assist service, called Ahlan, where a greeter meets you with a name sign. At its Meet & Assist level, staff escort you through border control and security with priority access and collect your luggage at the claim area. At its VIP level, you get a fast track to border control and a dedicated car to the Ahlan lounges while staff complete the arrival formalities and your baggage. Your written proposal names what is included and what is not, so it is the place to check which airport assistance your journey has.

Baggage and customs: what to declare

After passport control you collect your bags at the baggage claim area and pass through customs. There is no limit on foreign currency, but amounts over 10,000 US dollars, or the equivalent, must be declared on arrival. Egyptian pounds are limited to 5,000 in or out.

Declare any goods that may be prohibited or subject to duty. Satellite phones and radio communications equipment are likely to be confiscated without prior clearance, and seeds and agricultural seedlings are prohibited. On the duty-free allowance for alcohol and tobacco, sources differ, so check the current rule before you buy.

The drive to Giza or the Nile hotels

On the journeys, every transfer is in a private, air-conditioned deluxe vehicle. The pyramids-area hotels, such as the Marriott Mena House at the foot of the Pyramids of Giza, are about 40 km from the airport. The downtown Nile hotels are closer: the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, on the Corniche in Garden City, gives 25 km (15 miles), and The St. Regis Cairo, on the Nile Corniche downtown, about 24 km.

Published drive times differ between sources, for Giza and for the Nile hotels alike, though every figure published is under an hour. On the Egypt's Palace Hotels journey, the first day is simply the arrival and the Marriott Mena House. For how the Giza and Nile hotels compare, see luxury hotels in Cairo and Giza.

Departure from Cairo: what to check

• Your terminal. The airline decides it, so read your ticket: EgyptAir and the Star Alliance airlines leave from Terminal 3.
• Your Egyptian pounds. The limit of 5,000 Egyptian pounds applies on the way out as well as on the way in.
• Your souvenirs. Egyptian law prohibits all trading in antiquities, so do not buy or carry any.
• Domestic flights. On journeys that fly between Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, the domestic flights are not included; they are booked and paid separately.
• Your transfer. The journeys list meet and assist at the airports and private transfers throughout.

To see how the arrival and departure would work on your own dates, send a request through the contact page. A request costs nothing and is not a booking; the written proposal names the route, the hotels and what is included and what is not.