Egypt to restore e-visa for Canadian tourists after imposing costly process: Joly

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OTTAWA — Canada says Egypt will soon stop requiring cumbersome visas for Canadian tourists nearly a year after Cairo imposed the measure on Canadian passport holders.

Last October, Egypt suspended Canadians’ ability to get a visa online or upon arriving in Egypt, which cost roughly $35 for a single person.

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Since then Canadians have been paying $150 and mailing in an application form, passport and itinerary to get a visa.

Egyptian officials told media that it imposed the more arduous process after Canada made it harder for Egyptian citizens to obtain visas, though The Canadian Press could not confirm these reports.

Global Affairs Canada says Egypt’s foreign minister Badr Abdelatty told Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly in a meeting on Monday that Canadians will soon be able to use the streamlined process again.

Egypt’s embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the change and when it would apply.

Canada’s readout of the Monday meeting states that both ministers discussed “the possibility of waiving the requirement of prior-entry visas for Canadian citizens travelling to Egypt.

“Minister Abdelatty agreed that Egypt will take this step very soon, and it will be announced in due time,” the readout states.