Visas to stay in Luxor long-term

[Janen]

Went to Hurghada last week where my friend renewed her visa, one year given for 91.50 le - no questions asked. The notices on the wall were all up to date and in english as well as arabic - methinks the Luxor office is a law unto itself!

[carrie]

Does your friend live in Hurgada? If not can you let us know where the visa office is? Hope to go to Hurgada for a few days in April when my visa will be due if you can get a visa there whilst living in Luxor might give it a try.

[Janen]

My friend is a Luxor resident but had no trouble getting the visa from the Hurghada office. Bit difficult to describe where the office is but its in the Downtown area amongst several other government offices, the taxi drivers seem to know where it is.

[WIZARD]

Went to Hurghada last week where my friend renewed her visa, one year given for 91.50 le - no questions asked. - methinks the Luxor office is a law unto itself!

Me thinks you are correct Janen.

[Dusak]

What would the benefit be of going all that way for an extra six months? The cost alone would be high. We must keep faith in Luxor, they may have a cunning plan up their sleeve.

[BENNU]

My friend had to go through a lot of trouble and humiliation for no reason at Mogamma, Cairo to have her visa renewed. I had told her long ago that it would be worth the cost of an Egyptair ticket to have it done smoothly in Luxor, besides I wanted her to visit me. When she was in Luxor anyway, we went to the passport office, and she agreed that it would definitely have been worth the trip, just to be treated with more respect than up there.

I had tempted her to spend some days together at the Winter Palace pool (very low summer rate), and suggested that she would go now that she could enter such a prestigious address. She was convinced that it had helped show that she was not here for the incredible benefits or whatever else the problem was - she had nothing to hide.

Some might welcome an excuse to go to Hurghada, or plan their next trip around the date of renewal. I am on my last half page and hope to squeeze in an extension and reentry next time. If I had known of this option, I might have chosen to experience Hurghada last year, simply because I might not have time to wait for a new passport next time I go back, so I would like to stretch it until the summer months. Small problem, I know, but it could have helped me.

[Dusak]

Now I come to think of it you could squeeze in a visit to the very good pork butchers they have there.

[hatusu]

Take Careful Note of this. I had to go to the dreaded Passport Office today to renew both visas. I didn’t know how much it was going to be and last time Id renewed one Madame got very umpty because I didn’t have the correct change. Id no idea how much 2 would cost but I wasn’t going to upset her again – I went with 4 of every single denomination note there was. Id also got 10LE in 1LE coins, and 10LE in 50 piastre coins. I had also got 3 copies of everything and 3 photographs. Organised or what? Nothing could go wrong. ………………The kind man who'd photocopied 3 of everything for me carefully matched them all up for me and stapled each bunch together. Big mistake. Madame does not like staples at all and tore them off angrily. I thought I could redeem myself however when it came to paying – the total for the 2 visas came to 152.5LE. I scrabbled about in my purse and then triumphantly handed over the correct change. Madame, who was on the phone the whole time whilst sorting out my paperwork, suddenly stopped and shrieked at the top of her voice, "50 piastres! 50 piastres!" I had inadvertently given her 50 piastres short. I was very lucky – I did get my passport back at 2pm, but the lady who'd been immediately behind me in the queue, and had been told to come back at 1pm, was still patiently waiting when I left. Heaven knows what she'd done to upset her.

[BENNU]

Madame, who was on the phone the whole time whilst sorting out my paperwork, suddenly stopped and shrieked at the top of her voice, "50 piastres! 50 piastres!"

I can almost hear her voice!

[Teddyboy]

"I had to go to the dreaded Passport Office today to renew both visas."

Are you currently suffering from a split personality then, hatusu?

[Winged Isis]

And doesn't she just love to make you wait, whether she is on the phone or not! I just smile very sweetly, say nice things and thank her cheerily in Arabic and English, refusing to be squashed by her rudeness, just to get up her nose. :be:

[Winged Isis]

And doesn't she just love to make you wait, whether she is on the phone or not! I just smile very sweetly, say nice things in Arabic and English, thank her profusely, refusing to be squashed by her rudeness, just to get up her nose. :be:

[Teddyboy]

Frankly, I'm amazed at these reports! Although the black lady isn't all that pleasant, she's not all that unpleasant either, and the other one has always been a model civil servant, in my experience.

[hatusu]

One of the problems yesterday was that Madame didnt have her usual assistant, she was all alone. All the time I was there - some considerable time, she was never off the phone, (literally never) and dealt with everyone whilst talking to someone else. Even when I came back at 2pm to collect my passport she was still talking on the phone. If any real business dealt with customers like that, then they wouldnt have any customers would they?

[Dusak]

Has it gone up in price again? As the cost of one six month visa was 61Le. Or that's what I paid in December.

[hatusu]

The 152LE plus the very important 50 piastres was for the 6 mths Residency visa and the Re-entry visa.

[Jane Akshar]

I went the other day and she was lovely as always. She took the exact money, gave me change, told me to come back at 2 but I actually came back at 1:15. She saw me, ran to the bosses office and then waved me over and gave me the visa. Both of them have always been lovely to me always.

[Dusak]

Perhaps they just wanted to get shut quick.

[Sarah Jane]

I actually went with some people last week and the ever so lovely lady was there alone, when she could be bothered to get off her arse after slurping her tea she gave us the relevant forms, they wanted both visa and re-entry, she sighed when she saw the 2 forms and asked if we could come back tomorrow to do the re-entry (why would you) sweetly I said that was not possible and asked if we could have a years visa, she suggested I spoke with the ever so arrogant manager come sloth I said it was possible to get a year in other parts of Egypt he retorted on his best English well go there then. Such lovely people and soooo helpful.
I will try in Aswan I think next time.

[Dusak]

The main problem is, is that they view this site most days to pass away the long hours of not doing much and they see how us ex-pats are so deliriously happy and content with our lives here that they continually try and pee on our parade. But we will overcome all forms of adversity for we shall not be moved.