How to Check an Egypt Tour Company Is Licensed (and Why It Matters)
By Islam Hussein · October 7, 2026
In short: A legitimate Egypt tour company holds a licence from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities under Law No. 38 of 1977 and belongs to ETAA. Get its licence number and legal name, check ETAA's companies index, and confirm with the Ministry — free, in about ten minutes.
By Islam Hussein, Egyptologist guide and founder of Sawa Tours · Working in Egyptian tourism since 1993 · Last updated: October 2026
Quick answer: A legitimate Egypt tour company holds a licence from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, issued under Law No. 38 of 1977, and belongs to ETAA, the industry chamber for travel companies. To check one, get its licence number and legal name, look the name up in ETAA's public companies index, and confirm the number with the Ministry. It takes about ten minutes and costs nothing. IATA accreditation is for airline tickets; it isn't a tour licence.
Key facts at a glance
Who licenses tour companies: The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Governing law: Law No. 38 of 1977 on tourism companies
Industry chamber: ETAA, the Egyptian Travel Agents Association (Chamber of Travel Companies and Agencies), established under Law No. 85 of 1968
Where the licence number appears: Website footer, invoices, contracts, booking confirmations
How to check: ETAA companies index (etaa-egypt.org), then the Ministry by email or hotline
Cost and time: Free, about ten minutes
IATA: Airline ticketing accreditation, not a tour licence
Every company that legally sells tours in Egypt needs a licence from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. A website that can't show you one can take your money and disappear.
This guide explains where to find the licence number, how to use the ETAA index, what the licence categories mean, why IATA isn't a tour licence, and the five checks we run on any operator. I've worked in Egyptian tourism since 1993, and these are the same checks that stand behind every tour on Sawa.
Why the licence is the first thing to check
It's the only document that proves a real, Ministry-supervised company stands behind your booking.
A licensed company is registered with the Ministry, has met the law's requirements, and works under Ministry supervision. If something goes wrong, you're dealing with a company the state can hold to account.
An unlicensed website has none of that: no Ministry file, no chamber membership, no verified address. If the trip is cancelled, the guide doesn't show up, or the site vanishes, your options are limited to your bank's dispute process, if you paid by card. That's slow, uncertain, and often too late by the time you've travelled.
The difference in one line: a licensed company gives you a legal name, a licence number and a paper trail. An unlicensed one gives you a brand name and a WhatsApp number.
What licence an Egypt tour company needs
A licence from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, issued under Law No. 38 of 1977 and its executive regulations. The law defines what a tourism company is, sets the conditions for a licence, and sorts companies into categories. The Ministry can close companies operating without one. For you, the law matters for one practical reason: it gives every legitimate company a number you can check.
The licence categories
Category A — organising tours and trips, for visitors coming into Egypt and for travel abroad. This is the category you should expect from any company selling you tours in Egypt.
Category B — selling travel tickets. Can sell you tickets, not organise your tours.
Category C — tourist transport. Runs vehicles, not tour programmes.
The practical rule: a company selling tours in Egypt to international visitors should hold Category A. Ask which category it holds; a vague answer to a simple question is a red flag in itself.
Where the licence number appears
The website footer, usually next to the legal company name, often as "Tourism Company Licence No. ___".
Invoices and receipts, with the legal name and address.
Contracts and booking confirmations, naming the company responsible for your trip.
Email signatures of the staff quoting you.
Watch the name, not just the number. Brand names and legal names often differ. The number is only useful if it belongs to the same legal name that appears on your booking.
What ETAA is
ETAA, the Egyptian Travel Agents Association, is the chamber for Egypt's travel companies. Its Arabic name translates as the Chamber of Travel Companies and Agencies. It was established under Law No. 85 of 1968 and has branches in Alexandria, Aswan, Hurghada, Luxor, Sharm El-Sheikh and the Delta. It represents its members before the government and keeps a public companies index on etaa-egypt.org, listing member companies with a membership number and location.
What ETAA membership does and doesn't prove
It shows a company is registered with the industry chamber. It isn't the licence itself: the Ministry issues the licence, and the chamber is where licensed companies are registered and represented. A company selling tours in Egypt should be traceable in both places.
Search the index by the company's legal name, not its brand. If the name you found on Instagram matches nothing, ask for the licensed legal name before going further.
How to check a licence in five steps
It takes about ten minutes and costs nothing.
Get the exact legal name and licence number. Look in the website footer, on an invoice or in the booking confirmation. If it isn't published, ask for it. A licensed company answers within a day, because it's a document it holds anyway.
Look the company up in ETAA's companies index. Open etaa-egypt.org and find the Companies Index (فهرس الشركات; the site is in Arabic).
Match the names. The legal name on your quote should match the name in the index. A different brand name is normal; a name you can't match at all is not.
Confirm with the Ministry. Email info@mota.gov.eg, or call hotline 19654 if you're in Egypt, and ask them to confirm the licence number belongs to that company.
Check the category matches what you're buying. For tours, expect Category A (see the list above).
If the company isn't listed
No licence number anywhere means don't book, whatever the price. That is the one non-negotiable check.
A missing ETAA entry on its own can sometimes be an administrative delay. Ask the company to explain it in writing, and don't pay until you're satisfied. A real operator can explain it; the others go quiet.
Is IATA accreditation a tour licence?
No. IATA, the International Air Transport Association, is the global association of airlines. An IATA-accredited agency can issue airline tickets and settle payments with airlines. That's all "IATA-accredited" on a website means.
It says nothing about a company's right to run tours. Some licensed Egyptian operators hold IATA accreditation; others don't sell flights at all. The Ministry licence is the document that matters for your tour.
Red flags
The clearest red flag is a company that can't produce a licence number. Everything else follows from that.
No licence number in the footer, on invoices or in the confirmation.
A quote with no legal company name, no address in Egypt, no landline.
Pressure to pay fast: "the price expires tonight".
A deposit to a personal account rather than a company account.
No invoice and no written terms.
A deposit requested before you're told which licensed company will run the tour.
Prices far below every licensed competitor, with no explanation. Compliance costs money; skipping it is how some undercut everyone else.
A licensed company does the opposite: it publishes its number, invoices from its legal name, puts its terms in writing, and tells you who runs the trip. That's the baseline, not a bonus.
How the check works on Sawa
Sawa is a platform for shared tours. Travellers from different countries, booking directly or through their own travel agencies, join the same small group on the same date: one tour, one guide, one vehicle, never more than 8 people. Sawa isn't the tour operator. Each departure is run by one Ministry-licensed Egyptian tour company.
Here's why you can run this article's check before you pay anything:
Reserving a place is free. No card is taken.
When four travellers have reserved, a licensed operator accepts the departure, and its legal name and licence number appear on your booking.
Only then are you asked for a 10% deposit. That gives you time for the ten-minute check first.
The date is confirmed once four deposits are paid. The balance is due 2 days before the tour.
Until an operator accepts, the departure page says "operated by a licensed Sawa partner". You won't be asked for money before the company is named.
Sawa is run by Online Era (Commercial Registration 148500), which collects payments on behalf of the licensed operator. Questions about a specific operator? Message us on WhatsApp, or see the forming departures and how booking works.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if an Egypt tour company is legitimate?
Get its licence number and legal name, find the name in ETAA's companies index, and confirm the number with the Ministry by email (info@mota.gov.eg) or hotline 19654. A legitimate company gives you its number within a day. No licence number means don't book.
What is ETAA?
The Egyptian Travel Agents Association, the chamber for Egypt's travel companies, established under Law No. 85 of 1968. It keeps a public index of its member companies at etaa-egypt.org, so it's the quickest way to check a company really exists.
Which licence category should my tour company have?
For tours in Egypt, Category A, which covers organising tours. Categories B and C cover narrower activities, such as tickets and transport.
Does a tour company in Egypt need IATA accreditation?
No. IATA covers airline tickets only. It isn't required to run tours and doesn't license anyone to run them.
Is there a public register of licensed tour companies?
Not one self-service site, as of October 2026. Use ETAA's companies index for chamber membership, and the Ministry by email or hotline for the licence itself.
What happens if I book with an unlicensed company?
You lose the protections a licence brings: Ministry supervision, an accountable legal company, and chamber membership. If the trip falls through, your main option is your bank's dispute process, if you paid by card. The saving is never worth it.
Who holds the tour licence when I book through Sawa?
The licensed Egyptian tour company that accepts your departure. It is named, with its licence number, before you're asked to pay anything. Sawa is a platform run by Online Era (Commercial Registration 148500), which collects payments on the operator's behalf.
The short version
Ten minutes with a licence number, the ETAA index and the Ministry tells you whether an Egypt tour company is real. No licence number means walk away. On Sawa, the licensed operator is named before you pay, so you can check it first.
About the author
Islam Hussein is an Egyptologist guide who has worked in Egyptian tourism since 1993, and the founder of Sawa Tours.
Sources
Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETAA): etaa-egypt.org (companies index; establishment under Law No. 85 of 1968). Accessed 4 October 2026.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities / Egyptian Tourism Authority: experienceegypt.eg (hotline and contact details).
Law No. 38 of 1977 on tourism companies and its executive regulations.
IATA: iata.org (scope of agency accreditation).
Questions
How do I know if an Egypt tour company is legitimate?
Get its licence number and legal name, find the name in ETAA's companies index, and confirm the number with the Ministry by email (info@mota.gov.eg) or hotline 19654. A legitimate company gives you its number within a day. No licence number means don't book.
What is ETAA?
The Egyptian Travel Agents Association, the chamber for Egypt's travel companies, established under Law No. 85 of 1968. It keeps a public index of its member companies at etaa-egypt.org.
Does a tour company in Egypt need IATA accreditation?
No. IATA covers airline tickets only. It isn't required to run tours and doesn't license anyone to run them.
Who holds the tour licence when I book through Sawa?
The licensed Egyptian tour company that accepts your departure. It is named, with its licence number, before you're asked to pay anything.