Taba (checkpoint)

It was opened on April 26, 1982 and is currently the only checkpoint between Egypt and Israel through which tourists can cross the state border. The checkpoint is located at the foot of Tallul Mountain, as well as next to the former village of Nelson and the Sonesta Hotel. The last two ceased operations after Sinai was returned to Egypt in exchange for a normalization of relations. Under the terms of the agreement, Israelis are allowed to visit the Red Sea coast from Taba to Sharm el-Sheikh (and the monastery of St. Katerina) without a visa for a maximum period of 14 days. In 1999, a record 1,038,828 tourists and 89,422 vehicles passed through the terminal.

The terminal is open 24 hours a day, every day except for the weekend of Kurban Bairam and Yom Kippur .

In February 2014, a bus that brought tourists to the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai exploded in Taba shortly after crossing the Israeli border. Three South Koreans and one Egyptian were killed, and 14 Koreans were injured. The incident was called a terrorist act. ^[one]

In September 2016, the terminal on the Israeli side was renamed the “Checkpoint Menachem Begin ” in honor of the late Prime Minister, who signed a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. ^[2]

The checkpoint was closed for a week in April 2017 after bombing attacks on Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt.

An Israeli checkpoint was opened in September 1995 and cost $ 3 million.

Terminal Services

• The ability to cross the border by car
• Currency exchange point
• Duty Free Shop James Richardson
• Cafe

Traffic

The Israeli checkpoint can be reached from Israel by the bus number 15, from the central bus station Eilat . Private and rented cars can cross the border through this terminal. However, rented cars can only remain within the Egyptian border terminal (including the parking lots at the Hilton Taba and Mövenpick Taba Resort), while private cars can drive around Sinai after they change their license plates, as well as after registration and payment of duty.

Border crossing fees

All travelers to Egypt must pay the border crossing fee before leaving Israel. As of January 2016, the collection amount is 106 shekels. The amount of the fee is indicated in shekels and is updated once a year (January 1) and is tied to the so-called. Consumer basket index. If you pay by credit card, a fee of 5 shekels will be charged. ^[3]

Anyone traveling to Egypt should not pay any border fees (entry fee to Taba) if they do not move more than 1 km from the border. This means that the fee is not paid by those staying at the Mövenpick Resort or the Hilton Taba Resort or Radisson Blue Resort Taba. These tourists must provide written confirmation of their reservation at one of these hotels on the border in order to be exempted from paying the fee.