CAIRO: European and American officials will now be required to apply for biometric visas to enter Egypt on official diplomatic business, the country's foreign ministry has announced. Spokesman for the ministry Amr Rushdi said in comments carried by local newspapers on Thursday that the new regulations will not affect tourism traffic to the country. It comes as a diplomatic row is emerging over the crackdown on local NGO offices in the country. Egyptian security forces raided 17 NGOs, including Freedom House, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, among others, on Thursday, receiving a harsh rebuke from Washington. Egypt's foreign ministry said the new visa regulations for diplomats is part of a “reciprocity” principle and will be implemented next month. Rushdi explained that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Amr Kamel's decision “has been quite clear on the need to take into account considerations of Egyptian tourism, which represents a major source of income for the country, therefore, the application of the biometric visa will be only limited to those who hold official passports and those who are included in the diplomatic category, and special missions, as well as on the ordinary passport holders from the embassies of those countries working in Egypt.” Tourism in Egypt has seen a marked downturn since the January uprising ousted former President Hosni Mubarak and violent clashes over the past few months have caused travelers to avoid Egypt. The ministry decision came as a response to decision to require North African nationals to apply for Schengen biometric visas. The decision will be in effect starting from January 15 and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that it has already provided Egyptian Embassies and Consulates in Schengen Countries, the US, and the UK the necessary equipment for the issuance of the biometric visa and the necessary training for the embassies employees. This means that the applicant will have to go to the Egyptian Embassy in their respective country to be photographed electronically and have their fingerprints taken. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/Pv5j6 Tags: Biometric, Diplomats, Europe, featured, US, Visa Section: Egypt, Latest News, Travel
