Egypt - Renewing Visa

Hurghada, Senzo Mall

Well, my first seven months came and went and it was time for me to renew my visa. I made a bit of a newbie mistake last time – when you get a visa, you need your tourist residential visa and a re-entry visa if you want to travel outside of Egypt. The re-entry visa is valid for a maximum of 6 months and I thought this meant that the main visa would have to have the same duration. However, it turns out that you can get a year’s tourist residential visa and then you just apply later for a second re-entry visa, if you need it. So, this time, I opted for a year’s visa.

Doing things a second time is always mildly satisfying as you get to reflect on how far you’ve come meanwhile. Last time I got my visa, I had my broken foot and I was using Esmat for the first time. My foot now is like it was never broken and I can’t imagine life here without Esmat!

Rules for visas here tend to change fairly frequently. This isn’t so surprising given that the Egyptians have overthrown three governments in fairly quick succession and each time the country has to try and gather itself together and try again. Anyway, it used to be the case that you applied before 10am and then got the visa before 2pm. Now, you need two days as you can’t get the visa on the same day that you apply. Rumours are that there are greater security checks these days.

It’s a bit annoying as that means two taxi journeys (and thus more expense), but I guess it’s also helping the economy a bit because I’m spending more money.

As it turned out, Esmat wasn’t available, so his father-in-law, who speaks no English, drove me there instead. He’s a nice cheery guy who can also look grumpy at times (yes, I know, it’s a strange combination) and I tried out a few bits of my faltering Arabic on him, although I’m not too sure he always even realised I was trying to speak Arabic. But we got by.

There was additional security this time at the passport office, so I had to have my handbag checked before going in. The guy took out the insulated bag inside it and asked me what it was, so I explained it was water. He never looked inside to check; he just wore an expression on his face that the penny had suddenly dropped, and let me in. That was very Egyptian, somehow. The Egyptian people are really quite curious (and gossipy!) by nature.

Ironically, I was less well prepared on this occasion. Last time, I had all the required photocopies with me plus spares; on this visit, I finally got to the desk with my completed forms, only for the official to inform me that I needed photocopies of my last visa and my entrance visa (I’d forgotten that!) plus a new rule stipulated that I needed an extra copy of the photograph page of my passport. Last time, I’d brought extra copies of everything, so I felt a bit foolish. Maybe I’m becoming too blasé.

However, the passport office now has its own photocopier, which is a huge improvement (they didn’t have a photocopier before, so you were stuffed if you didn’t possess the right number of pages. The nearest copier was miles away). For some reason, government buildings always seem to place their photocopiers outside and never in the building. This would be impossible in Europe due to rain, but it seems to work OK over here, although it always feels very strange to see that huge machine standing outside. You just pay the guy directly for your photocopies.

I decided I may as well make the most of my journey, so I asked to be dropped off at Senzo Mall to do some shopping. Esmat’s father-in-law looked a bit confused at first and phoned Esmat. I should really know by now that if I don’t have Esmat, it always flummoxes them if I ask to do anything other than go straight back. Anyway, he dropped me off somewhere a bit odd, so I had to ask him how to get to the Mall; he drove forward about four inches and showed me a hole in the bushes that I could go through and the Mall was just opposite. It was a bit strange, but handy enough! I am becoming more local by the month, obviously.

Esmat ended up picking me up from the mall because, he said, his father-in-law had said he’d already done quite enough work for one day. Esmat laughed and said it was fine, because he was a retired man who didn’t really want to work, but that he had no idea what a long day at work was! I didn’t take it personally and, as it turned out, he phoned Esmat up while I was in the car to let him know that he shouldn’t forget me.

I collected my visa the next day without a problem, so I’m now sorted for a year. I wonder what the next 12 months hold?