Some information which may prove useful to other travellers.
On a very recent holiday to Sinai and Jordan and without thinking far enough ahead, we used up our single-entry Egyptian Visa on arrival at Cairo Airport. However, we were planning to visit Jordan for a few days and decided to go via the Taba and Eilat crossing rather than the Nuweiba-Aqaba Ferry.
We understood that, on our return to Egypt a‘re-entry’ visa could be issued at the Taba crossing allowing us to travel to Cairo for our journey home. “Yes”, we were told at Passport Control, "No problem", and an official asked us to go to his office (so he must have been important!) and after completing a form and handing over some Egyptian Pounds, he confirmed we had the correct paperwork to go to Cairo in a couple of weeks time. Then on return to Taba following five nights in Jordan, we were specifically asked if we would be travelling on to Cairo. We said we were, our passport and visas were carefully checked and confirmed OK.
However, our “re-entry visa” meant absolutely nothing at Sharm Airport where we were joining a domestic flight to Cairo and if it hadn't been for two very helpful guys, one representing the airport, the other EgyptAir (and despite an aggressive, rude and totally unhelpful immigration official), we would have missed our flight and our subsequent connection to Istanbul.
So, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing - or even maybe what the same right hand is doing! There is even a notice just before you finally enter Egypt at Taba explaining that you can apply for a visa enabling you to travel throughout Egypt and recommending you should do so before having your passport finally stamped.
Our flight to Cairo was delayed by about 30 minutes on our behalf (don’t you just hate these people who board the aircraft late?) and all was well, although we were short of yet a few more Egyptian Pounds!
Anyway, everything sorted itself out and we arrived home safely and on time. Yet another independent traveller’s challenge!
