VISA FACILITATION:

Some of our colleagues with passports from different nations have expressed having difficulty communicating with Egyptian Consulates to apply for and acquire their visas.

We have contacted the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and they were very cooperative, especially when they understood the nature of the ALA Conference. 

We have sent a list of all participants whom we believe to be non-American citizens to all five Egyptian Consulates in the U.S. (we may have missed those who are not obviously international). That list is accompanied by a letter explaining the purpose of these people's trip to Egypt.

We have received responses from the Consulates.  The Consul General in Chicago, Al Husseiny Abdel Wahab, has offered to facilitate and hasten the service to provide our members with visas.  Therefore, those of you who are not American citizens or traveling with an American passport, please follow this procedure:

• Contact the Egyptian Consulate in Chicago at 312-828-9162/9164 (U.S.)
• Ask for Ms. Nabila Wassef
• Identify yourself as an ALA member
• Follow the steps she outlines

You will receive your visa immediately. You must however identify yourself as an ALA member and ask for Ms. Wassef.

Routinely, each of the five Egyptian Consulates is responsible for specific states; however, the consul in Chicago is making this exceptional offer to facilitate the procedure for us and  will  provide service to all our participants, regardless of their location. 

On the other hand, as stated above, we have communicated with all five consulates (New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston) and have provided them with the necessary information.  Therefore, if you have already sent your application for the visa to a consulate other than the Chicago consulate, you will still receive the special service for ALA.

This was intended to help our non-American colleagues, since Americans can acquire their visa upon entry in Egypt. However, if you are a U.S. citizen and prefer to get your visa before departure, please inform us and we will add your name to the list at the consulates so that they may identify you as an ALA member.

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(OLD INFORMATION)

You are required to obtain a visa for entry in Egypt. You may do so by following the procedure outlined below to apply for the visa yourselves or you may use the service provided by the Star of Egypt agency.

PROCEDURE FOR VISA

  The visa application fee for Americans is $15. 

  The two-page application form needed is available on the Embassy’s web page. 

  Picture for the application must be adhere to the following guidelines:

• the right ear visible

• no jewelry

• no writing on your clothing.

For your convenience we are providing a direct link to the embassy’s web page containing this application:

Visa Application web page:

http://www.egy2000.com/ft41l.html

STAR OF EGYPT TRAVEL ADDITIONAL SERVICE

• Star of Egypt will acquire the visa for you upon your arrival at Cairo airport. This is guaranteed for individuals with valid passports from the following locations: United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, and Europe (except Poland).  Individuals need to mail a copy of their passport and a letter, on official university letterhead, stating the purpose and length of the visit to Egypt,  to Star of Egypt at least two weeks before their arrivals---Cost $20

PLEASE NOTE: THIS FEE, TOGETHER WITH THE COPY OF THE PASSPORT AND UNIVERSITY LETTER, NEEDS TO BE HANDLED DIRECTLY THROUGH THE STAR OF EGYPT TRAVEL AGENTS.

• Individuals with passports from the following countries must apply for and obtain their visa from the nearest Egyptian embassy  to them: Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, China, Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Poland, Kenya, Ghana

• Individuals from all other countries may request Star of Egypt to obtain their visa for them by mailing a copy of their passport and a letter, on official university letterhead, stating the purpose and length of the visit to Egypt,  to Star of Egypt at least four weeks before their arrival---Cost $20

For details about any of these options, please contact Star of Egypt directly at: ala@starofegypt.com