How I got my Egyptian work visa

Before I came to Egypt I read as much articles I could find on oriental dance work papers, permits and visa's for Egypt. I scanned information from dancers blogs and even public conversations on that matter on their walls. How else would a new-by learn and prepare herself...The best article I could find is written by Carolina Evenoff, a dancer in Cairo. My respects and regards to her!

I started writing this post long time ago, when my visa journey started and because I had quite a good feeling how it would turn out, here is how I wanted to start the story:

My Opera contract

Now 1 year and 2 months later I was ready to do the same things, trips to Mogamma, documents, copies, photos, stamps and signatures, long ques, tired and bored officers, trying to figure out arabic signs and directions. I will now see the jungle of bureaucracy with my own eyes - the challenge of a foreign artist getting a work visa in Egypt.

Now after 3 weeks I have my visa in my passport and I know I can't start my story the same way as others. Because my journey was not like other dancers had experienced. Honestly, it was fast and easy and cheap. How is this possible, I will tell You:


Start of the journey
I was issued the official employment document from Cairo Opera House on June 10th 2013. After Morsi was takes from power and after Tahrir seemed once again a more or less safe place to go in the morning I headed for the big notorious monster building at the corner of Tahrir Square. I had everything with me - the document to prove I

 

The employment paper

was hired by the opera, my passport and it's copies, many photos. I was just told, this is Your magic paper (the hiring paper) that will take You through the process smoothly. From the first floor, where I have normally extended my touristic visa, I was directed to go to the foreigner's work permit department on the 4th floor. 1st floor was packed with loud, tired and sweaty people from all over Africa. I didn't spot any foreigners that day. I was relieved to leave that floor and go up, where perhaps there was more air and the employees more alert and welcoming.


 Deserted Mogmma
The first shock came when we reached the 3rd floor. It looked deserted, carpets torn, rubbish on floors, walls covered with burn marks and and dust, some homeless cats sleeping on top of cupboards...don't even ask, I really don't know why or how...
Finally we got to the right room, that even had an english sign "foreigner work permits" and it seemed promising we had made it to the right place. There was 2 men before me and they finished soon. When I got to the officer I handed over the documents. He looked at them and asked me if I'm married to Egyptian or not. I replied "no". Apparently a married foreigner is treated as an egyptian, she has more rights and the journey for a visa is more easy.
Second shock came when the old officer man, who by the way was pleasantly surprised to see a foreigner at the other side of the window for a change, started reading me out loud all the extra documents I have to go and get. 11 additional documents! From different governmental institutions...
One of them an HIV-test for example. I had read about it from Carolina's article, but to have to face this myself It felt intimidating. After having written down all the extra requirements I understood Egypt is very protective of its work markets, even paranoid to an extent. But knowing the Egyptian social and political and even geo-political position and the history of foreign artists and dancers, these things are takes seriously and I was no exception. In this moment I realized I was in "the game", in the struggle to become face-to-face with the real struggle to justify my wright to dance in an Egyptian governmental company, the prestigious Cairo Opera House.

Good news
Not so jolly any more, I went home and started making calls to my friends dancers and managers in Opera, who would help me how to start and how to get my hands on all the documents. One man in the Opera was the angel who gave me the breaking news:
I WAS ON THE WRONG FLOOR AND I DON'T NEED TO GIVE THE 11 EXTRAS!

Stamp of Culture Ministry

Let me explain. My first mistake was to go to a wrong office in Mogamma. Its would have been the right one when I was an employed foreigner and the first big step is to get the Culture Ministry blue stamp on my contract, to verify I'm are a suitable candidate for work permit. To get the Culture Ministry approval I would need the 11 extras. And to my surprise I ALREADY HAD THE MAGIC STAMP! Because I was hired by the opera house and because is officially considered part of the Culture Ministry. That means I was well in head of the journey most foreigner have to deal with. And I was free from the obligatory notorious HIV-test in the unhygienic governmental hospital.

Second trip
So I went back to the 1st floor, to the same window that extends the tourist visas, but apparently also gives out the non-Arabic temporary stay visas for 1-5 years. We handed over my visa-applications, copies from my passport and photos. Then bought stamps for 8 pounds (1 EUR) and that was that, we left Mogamma being told to come back in 10 days. But it took me a lot longer to return, because in the meanwhile they took down Morsi and Tahrir was closed,
then the police forced the Morsi protesters away and they declared State of Emergency.

Happy end?
I went to Mogamma the next day at 9 AM after the first day of Curfew. Probably noone though Mogamma would be working that day and noon showed up. The hallways were empty and the ladies at windows sitting and sipping their tea and just staring at the clock. It had been about 2 weeks since my last trip. I handed over my passport, payed 83 LEU (10 EUR) and was asked to come back in 2 hours. We came back in 1,5 hours and found my passport with my frest work visa ready and waiting for me. I HAD MADE IT!
I was lucky thanks to the fact that I was hired not by a private company, but by a governmental one, I had people in Opera to help me do the right things, I had many previous touristic visas already in my passport (so it was easy to check my background). Sure it did take patience, going forth-and-back to Mogamma and a bit of money, but I have a feeling I got away much much more easily.
As the last thing, Opera will now provide me with their official Opera artist ID card that assures me the benefits of Opera artists and protects me by work laws.

So here I go now! Im legally hired by Cairo Opera, I have a 1 year contract and 1 year work visa. I am ready to give myself to Egypt - my dance and my taxes;) Lets see what can Egypt give me in return...