Do I Need Travel Insurance For Egypt?
You are planning a fancy trip to Egypt and travel insurance is the least interesting topic you may think about? But during one of your trips, have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to get emergency treatment or where you lost your baggage at the airport?
Hence, you’re probably wondering how to find the best travel insurance for visiting Egypt.
In the below ultimate guide for travelling from the UK to Egypt, we will tell you everything you need to know about travel insurance for your trip: is it compulsory, key features, premiums, driving requirements in Egypt? Let’s get started.
Why do I need travel insurance for Egypt?
Involved in a car accident while driving abroad, injured while practicing sport, sick....
Unfortunately, those things happens much more often than we think, and it could leave you and your travel partners with significant expenses to pay if you didn’t apply for travel insurance before leaving.
Here is a list of the most common unexpected costs arising during people’s trips:
What if…. | How much will you have to pay without travel insurance? | How much will you have to pay with travel insurance? |
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You need air rescue | £5,000 | £0 until medical expense limit is reached |
You need to have surgery and to stay at a hospital | £5,000 | £0 until medical expense limit is reached |
You need medical repatriation | £30 000 | £0 real fees paid out |
Your baggage has been lost at the airport | £800 | £0 until personal belongings is reached |
Someone stole your money | £200 | £0 until limit is reached |
You need to cancel your trip | £5,000 | £0 until cancellation limit is reached |
For as cheap as a few pounds per day, “Comprehensive Travel Insurance” is a contract which fully covers you for your trip to the Egypt and provides you with both financial compensation as well as assistance during your trip.
Travel insurance is not mandatory for anyone holding a valid UK passport but is, however, absolutely necessary to prevent you from significant medical or cancellation costs while travelling abroad.
What are the best travel insurance policies for Egypt?
How can you choose between the plethora of travel insurance policies on offer and find the least expensive policy? Many insurers, even some small ones, offer very good value for money deals. We’ve come up with a selection of small and big actors offering tempting deals.
Among them you’ll find:
Insurer | Our review |
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Even better, use our comparison tool to find the best deal for you! At Safe, we’ve checked out hundreds of travel insurance providers and we are now able to allow you to compare dozens of holiday insurance deals in only a few seconds without giving any personal details.
Always remember to check limits and excess amounts, maximum number of days per trip and exclusions in an insurer’s policy terms and conditions booklet.
What type of travel insurance do I need for my trip to Egypt?
You can apply for different insurance types depending on your type of trip, from frequent luxury or business travel to cheap holidays to Egypt.
You will most often have the choice to apply between different travel plan:
- worldwide excluding USA, Canada
- worldwide including USA, Canada
- Australia, New-Zealand
- Europe.
For Egypt, as for any destination, travel insurance policy types are:
Travel insurance type | Explanation | Main features per type of travel policy |
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Single trip insurance | These travel insurance policies are for one-off holidays. You will be covered from the start of the journey until the end. You can decide the number of days you want to be covered for. |
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Annual multi-trip insurance | These policies are made for frequent travellers going away for holidays, business trips or for any other reason several times a year. You would need to check whether it is more competitive to buy two or three single trip insurance policies or an annual multi-trip policy. |
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Long stay and gap year insurance | These plans are made for students or any british resident wanting to explore the world, including for backpacking, gap year trips or for any other long stay reason. |
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Most of travel insurers offers discounts for couples and group travel insurance policies for your trip to Egypt.
How much is travel insurance to Egypt?
For example, this is the cheapest price for a single trip policy of seven days (with an excess at £100):
Age | Single trip cover to Egypt |
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18 – 35 | From £19.09 |
36 – 50 | From £19.90 |
51 – 65 | From £25.77 |
66 – 75 | From £28.92 |
It is, however, quite difficult to give precise ranges of how much a travel insurance will cost you for Egypt, as prices are based on a wide range of criteria. It will mainly depend on:
- If you’re going for a single or annual multi-trip as mentioned above
- If you’re subscribing to upgrades such as cruise, business or gadget cover
- If you have pre-existing medical conditions
- The length of your stay in Egypt
- If you’re travelling alone, with your partner, a group or your family
- The financial limits you’d like to get in case of a claim
- The excess amount you’re willing to pay
- What will you be doing in Egypt (e.g. winter or extreme sports)?
What does your travel insurance for Egypt should cover?
Each travel insurance policy is different, since it is the insurer who determines the content of the contracts it offers: guarantees, compensation limits, deductibles, travel insurance prices, etc.
However, all contracts on the market must include at least the following guarantees, applicable in Europe and elsewhere abroad:
- Medical expenses: compensation by the insurer for your health expenses during your stay (consultation, analysis, emergency treatment, longer hospital stay, etc.).
- Repatriation assistance to the UK: financial and logistical support by a dedicated 24/7 team for your early return to your country of residence if it proves necessary.
- Trip cancellation and cover for delayed or missed departure: compensation if you need to cancel your trip for whatever reason or if you missed your departure.
- Personal liability: compensation for any damage or injury made to a third-party (consider adding it as extra if not included in standard cover).
- Baggage: compensation for any lost or theft of baggage while travelling (consider adding it as extra if not included in standard cover).
Most of the time, travel insurers offer different formulas. Cover types involved are usually the same, but the compensation limits and deductibles vary.
Main guarantees | Cover you should get for your trip to Egypt | Limit you should get for your trip to Egypt | Good to check |
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Medical travel insurance |
| £1 million limit on average |
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Trip cancellation / curtailment |
| £2000 limit minimum |
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Baggage |
| £1500 limit minimum |
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Missed departure, delay |
| £500 limit minimum (£200 limit for delay) |
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Repatriation |
| Real fees |
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Personal liability |
| £2 million limit on average |
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Legal expenses |
| £15000 limit on average |
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What are the nice-to-have features for your travel insurance to Europe?
Main guarantees | Cover you should get for your trip to Egypt | Limit you should get for your trip to Egypt | Good to check |
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Money and cash | Covers for loss or theft of money or equivalent such as cheques, pre-paid tickets | £500 for money limit minimum £200 for cash minimum |
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Dental emergency | Covers for emergency dental care | £250 minimum |
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Loss of passport or documentation | Covers additional fees such as accomodation or travel replacement as a result of loss of documentation | £250 minimum |
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Which upgrades could you add as extras for your travel insurance to Egypt?
Additionally, you may tailor your policy for your trip to Egypt area with optional extras such as:
- Business trip insurance for Egypt
- Sport, winter sport, extreme sport cover
- Schedule Airline Failure (at least £1500 covered)
- Gadget insurance
- Cruise cover
- Etc.
What does your travel insurance to Egypt not cover?
Most travel insurers will not give financial compensation for:
- Any claim made as a result of pre-medical condition or pending diagnosis undeclared at the time of purchase
- Any claim made as a result of you being under drugs or alcohol
- Difficulties due to natural disaster, war, civil unrest (watch out for strikes)
- Any claim made as a result of a terrorist attack (except if you took this cover as an option)
- Pregnancy and childbirth complications during travel
We would advise you to thoroughly check your policy booklet for the main exclusions before leaving home.
What else should you pay attention to while shopping around for travel insurance for Egypt?
While shopping around for travel insurance for your trip to Egypt, always pay attention to:
- The compensation amounts you will get for a claim by consulting our up-to-date reviews on each insurer (especially for medical expenses, trip cancellation, personal liability, baggage and personal belongings)
- The deductible amounts you’ll have to pay in case of claim (don’t forget that you’ll need to pay the excess on each claim)
- The exclusions you may have in your policy (strike, cancellation trip due to the carrier defaulting etc.)
- Coverages included in policies or available as upgrades (winter sports, business trip etc.)
- The claim process (100% online? How many days do you have to make a claim?)
- The maximum duration of each trip included as standard (at least 31 days)
- The upper age limit (if you are a senior travelling).
What should I know before travelling to Egypt?
Is Egypt safe to visit?
This is what the Foreign Travel Office writes about Egypt:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to the Governorate of North Sinai.
The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the rest of Egypt.
The Egyptian government has announced that flights to and from Egypt will be suspended at 12 noon on 19 March until 31 March. If you are already visiting Egypt, you should urgently contact your airline or tour operator and arrange your departure from the country.
There is an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) and cases have been confirmed in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities have introduced a number of measures to limit the spread of the virus. Schools, universities and nurseries have been closed since 15 March and are currently planned to remain closed until 28 March. The government has also banned large public events.
An estimated 415,000 British nationals visited Egypt in 2018. Most visits are trouble free.
Following the attack on the coalition base at Taji in Iraq on 11 March, and subsequent US airstrikes, tensions may be raised across the region. There is a possibility of an increased threat against Western interests, including against UK citizens. You should remain vigilant and keep up to date with the latest developments, including via the media and this travel advice.
Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Egypt. There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria.
Although most attacks occur in North Sinai, there is a risk of terrorist attacks across the country. Attacks could be indiscriminate, affecting Egyptian security forces, religious sites, large public gatherings and places visited by foreigners. There is a heightened threat of terrorist attacks in or around religious sites and during religious festivals, such as the month of Ramadan and the Christmas period (including Coptic Christmas), when terrorist groups have sometimes called for attacks. Terrorist attacks have occurred over local holiday weekends. Terrorists have attacked tourists in Egypt in the past. There is a heightened threat of terrorist attacks targeting Coptic Christians from extremists linked to Daesh-Sinai in Egypt.
You should follow the advice of Egyptian authorities, remaining particularly vigilant and maintaining a high level of security awareness in crowded places and at large gatherings. You can find a list of public holidays on the British Embassy Cairo website. The authorities in Egypt maintain a significant security presence across the country, including armed security officers stationed at important sites, critical infrastructure, and road checkpoints. Extra measures are in place at tourist sites.
Following the crash of a St Petersburg-bound flight in North Sinai in October 2015, direct flights between the UK and Sharm el Sheikh were suspended. The UK government has worked with Egyptian authorities to enable flights to resume, and on 22 October 2019 the restrictions were lifted. You should check with your airline or tour operator for information on services.
There remains a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation in Egypt. Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK. You should co-operate fully with security officials at airports.
British passport holders travelling to Egypt normally need a visa.
The Egyptian authorities have suspended diplomatic relations with Qatar. If you have a query relating to your travel plans, you should contact your airline or tour operator.
To contact the emergency services call 122 (police), 123 (ambulance) or 180 (fire).
If you’re abroad and you need emergency help from the UK government, contact the nearest British embassy, consulate or high commission. Consular support is severely limited in parts of Egypt where we advise against all travel and limited where we advise against all but essential travel.
Take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before you travel.
How to contact the British Embassy in Egypt?
Depending on where you are located, you can contact:
British Embassy Cairo | |
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Address | British Embassy Cairo |
Phone (if you’re in Egypt) |
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Phone (if you’re in the UK) | 020 7008 1500 |
www.gov.uk/contact-consulate-cairo |