Common Tourist Scams in Cairo (and How to Avoid Them)
Visa-on-arrival and the facilitator scam
- Visa-on-arrival: US$25 (cash, US dollars; some banks now accept card). Available at the bank desks immediately after disembarkation and before immigration. Eligible nationalities (UK, US, EU, most Commonwealth) — check before travel.
- The e-visa alternative: visa2egypt.gov.eg — apply online before travel for US$25. Saves the bank-desk queue.
- The facilitator scam: men in airport-staff-looking polo shirts approach arriving passengers in the bank-desk queue area offering to "help with the visa" or "skip the queue" for US$25-50 extra. They are not airport staff; they take you to the same bank desk and pocket the fee.
- How to refuse: "no thank you, I have it" and walk to the bank desks yourself. The queue is rarely longer than 15-30 minutes.
- What real airport staff look like: official Cairo Airport staff wear ID badges on lanyards with photos and a CAI logo. Anyone without a visible badge offering "help" is not staff.
If a tout has followed you outside
- Walk to the Uber pickup zone (Terminal 3 Door 4 / Terminal 2 Door 1): marked with Uber signage and supervised by airport security. Touts cannot operate in the marked zone.
- Walk to the Cairo Limo desk inside arrivals: re-enter the terminal if needed; the desk has uniformed staff and posted prices.
- If price is disputed mid-ride: pay what was demanded (do not escalate in the car), get out at a public safe spot (hotel lobby), then report.
- Report: Tourist and Antiquities Police 126. Cairo Airport tourist office, +20 2 2265 5000.
- If you've handed cash and feel scammed: take a photo of the car's plate (white taxis have numbered plates) and report at the airport tourist office. Refunds rare but the tout networks are tracked.
FAQ
- Is the Cairo Airport visa-on-arrival scam real?
- Yes. Men in airport-staff-looking polo shirts approach arriving passengers in the bank-desk queue area offering to 'help with the visa' or 'skip the queue' for US$25-50 extra. They are not airport staff (real staff wear visible ID badges with CAI logos); they take you to the same bank desk and pocket the fee. Refuse with 'no thank you, I have it' and walk to the bank desks yourself — the queue is rarely longer than 15-30 minutes. The visa-on-arrival fee is US$25.
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