Since October 2023, Canadian passport holders, who do not hail from Egyptian origin, have not been able to obtain a visa upon arrival at Egypt’s ports of entry, but an advance visa from any Egyptian embassy or consulate abroad.

On Monday, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty and his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly discussed the issue on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

“The two ministers were keen to discuss studying the possibility of cancelling the current pre-entry visa requirements for Canadian citizens travelling to Egypt,” the ministry said on Tuesday.

FM Abdelatty “welcomed and responded positively” to the visa discussions, “with an official announcement expected soon,” it stated.

On her part, FM Joly expressed appreciation for the initiative as part of strengthening relations between the two countries, the statement read.

Moreover, the two foreign ministers discussed the importance of both sides exerting efforts to facilitate travel and visa procedures for their citizens to encourage travel, trade, and tourism.

According to the statement, the meeting also reaffirmed the strong bilateral relations between the two countries, as they celebrate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year.

Starting in 2022, Egypt has expanded its visa facilitation measures, as part of its efforts to enhance tourism.

It has allowed over 180 nationalities to obtain a tourist visa on arrival, provided they have a valid and used visa for the UK, US, Japan, New Zealand, or Schengen countries.