As of 2005 there is a new fee structure for visiting yachts and is as follows;

Since the 1^st of August 2007 the fees are 30 $ for Yachts up to 60 feet (18m) LOA and 50 $ for Yachts over 60 feet LOA per month.

This permission is valid only for touristic Marinas in Egypt such as Port Ghalib, Wadi Dome, Hurghada Marina etc., so you don't have to pay when you're sailing to another Marina and you will not need to do any other papers / payments with a Shipping Agent. N.B.: This receipt is not valid for Sharm El Sheikh Port, where you will be liable for further fees similar to those charged at Hurghada Port.

On entering the Port of Entry / marina you must pay for the whole duration of your intended stay in Egypt and you will be given a receipt in Arabic/English, please remember that it is not possible to extend this receipt or purchase another one once you have left the marina.

Unfortunately this new system has only been officially implemented at two marinas in Egypt so far: Port Ghalib marina near Marsa Allam in the south of Egypt and Taba Heights marina in the Gulf of Aqaba in Sinai.

This rather stupidly means that boats coming from any other Port of Entry will be liable for much higher fees  (detailed below) under the old system which covered the 'commercial' Ports but still applies to visiting private boats.

Until this situation changes we recommend the following;

Coming From the South:
Stop at Port Ghalib Marina (Marsa Mubarak on the charts) and pay for the entire duration of your planned stay in Egypt and keep the receipt with you (having copies to give out is always useful, if you hand over the original make sure you will be getting it back).

Coming From North:
You will need to check in at Port Said or Port Tawfik (Suez) before you arrive at the marina (i.e. check into Egypt - get visa's in your passports don't just transit the Canal). Get the Shipping Agent to make you a sailing permit for 'Abu Tig Marina, El Gouna' and come straight to the marina. Once you are here you will need to get an Agent to complete the papers you will require from Hurghada Port Authorities (the boat will not have to go to Hurghada).
As detailed above all foreign flagged boats not coming from either of the two marinas listed above, will come under the 'old' much higher fee system, this involves paying fees at Hurghada Port (we come under Hurghada Port's jurisdiction) and includes various fees as follows;

Rough Cost Estimation for Official Fees for one day up to 1 month stay: US$ 180, Cost Breakdown: Agency Fee US$ 50, Various Port Fees (calculated on LOA and tonnage), etc (US$ 43), Customs Fee (1 month) & stamps (US$ 40), Marine Inspection (US$ 20) Immigration & Police (US$ 20) Quarantine (US$ 7) plus a Visa for each Passport US$ 15.

For a longer stay, you will have to pay US$ 280 for each 4 month period, PLUS the Customs Fee on top (e.g. first 4 months add LE 250, next 4 months add LE 500 and so on). This US$ 280 includes all the various fees in Hurghada Port and the Agency fee.

Foreign flagged boats may stay up to one year from the date of arrival. After the one year boats need to be bonded for four months or leave the country for the same period. (This period is calculated from the day you entered Egypt - not the day you arrived at the marina.)

Customs Fee:
LE 250 for the first four months
LE 500 for the next four months
LE 1000 for the final four months
LE 100 for yachts staying less than one month (you can not pay month by month - either 1 month or a 4 month period).

(Egyptian Pound currently LE 5.68 to the US $ - June 07)

We understand that this may seem very strange to have two different fee structures but new laws can often be slow to be implemented and things do not happen with the same consistency / logic that you may be used to. However we can assure you that since 2000 we have been very much at the forefront of helping to reduce the fees / bureaucracy for visiting yachts and expect to have this new system in place at Abu Tig marina in El Gouna by the end of the first half of 2006. Then we will start with our next mission - to reduce the Suez Canal Fees!

AGENCY CONTACTS:

Agency Fees: US $ 40-80

SUEZ CANAL TONNAGE CALCULATION & FEES: (supplied by; Stephen Davies)

Formula used:

(L x (0.5G+0.5B)squared) x 0.17/0.18
100 (if in feet)/2.83 (if in metres)

L = LOA (strictly length between the inside faces of stem post and stern planking)

G = girth (measured as the distance from the point of maximum beam on the upper deck on one side, beneath the hull at right angles to the center line, to the point of maximum beam on the upper deck on the other) - this usually goes under the keel, so centreboarders should have theirs up!

B = maximum beam

0.17/0.18 = factor depending on whether construction is in 'wood' (0.17) or 'iron'
(0.18) 100/2.83 = factor depending on whether measurements are in feet (100) or metres (2.83)

An approximation of likely tonnage without measuring can be got by calculating G as:
G = 2(square root ((D+F)squared + 0.5B squared))
D = Draft, F = freeboard at point of maximum beam

On top of that there are the usual fees such as: Port Authority Fees, Bank charges, Port clearance, Quarantine, Immigration, Customs, Explosives and drugs check, Insurance, Duty stamps, Agent's fee.

Rough Total Cost Estimation Canal Transit for average cruising sail boat was reported to be around US$ 450 in 2005.