Voting procedure and database to check id card and polling station

Below is the Ministry's Official Election website.

link

By entering your i.d card number you can access your polling information like local polling station.

Steps to vote:

1.Enter i.d card number in box enter id card no here to retrieve local polling station.

2. Go to polling station on appointed day for each governerate with national i.d card.

3. I.D card will then be used as ONLY mechanism to collect ballot paper and numbered ballot paper will be handed to voter who will then enter cross in appropriate box of choice using Pen ink and not pencil. Votes by any other means than a ink cross in a box will be invalid unless voter is illiterate then a thumbprint with a judges official signature will be entered after consulting with voter what choice he wants to make.

4. Ballot paper is then folded and placed in one of 2 boxes. One for the Independant candidate and one for a party.

5. Finger of voter is then dipped in phosphoric ink removable after 24 hours ensures no return to cast another ballot.

6. Blind or otherwise disabled voters will be offered assistance by judges representatives present.

Votes open at 08.00 and close at 19.00 hours.

Sinai Parliamentary and Shura Council Elections dates

The Supreme Council for the Armed Forces have announced the dates for the Parliamentary and Shura Council Elections.

The Parliamentary Elections will be held in 3 waves starting November 28th 2011.

The First wave 28th November will include the following governerates:
 Cairo , Fayoum , Port Said, Damietta, Alexandria, Kafr El Sheikh, Asuit , Luxor and Red Sea.

Second wave will be on the 14th December 2011 and  include the following:
Giza , Bani Sawif , Monufia , Sharkia , Ismailia, Suez, Bahaira , Sohag and Aswan.

Third wave will be on the 3rd January 2012 and will include:
Al Minya, Qalubiya , Gharbiya , Dakhalia , North Sinai, South Sinai, Marsa Matrouh , Qena and New Valley. 

The voting for the Shura Council elections will take place on 29th January 2012.

The opening session for the elected Parliament will take place on the 16th March 2012.

The opening session for the elected Shura Council will take place on 24th March 2012. 

Giza Pyramids Ticket Prices 2011-2012 and update

I went to the Giza Pyramids yesterday and there were quite a decent number of foreign tourists and tour buses returning after the recent revolution.
Let's hope the numbers increase.

There is a new ticketing system. It consists now of an electronic glossy card, 2 part ticket. The small portion is removed and inserted into slot in turnstile and the larger brown portion with Pyramids picture is retained as a souvenir.
Lots of turnstiles and help to get you through.
X Ray machine checks bags and you now walk through metal detector like in airports and hotels.

2 great vantage points for taking photographs.

One is the top of the hill at the helicopter landing pad and the other is the walled off enclosure at the top of the plateau where the souvenir sellers have all been relocated past Menkaure Pyramid and beside the Tourist Police Office. You can get a great view all across the plateau of all 6 pyramids, (3 main and 3 smaller) and mastabas and solar boat museum.

Prices are:

(Tourists)
Adults 60le
Students 30le
Khufu Pyramid entrance to Burial chamber and 'sky chambers' 100le
Menkaure Pyramid entrance 30le
Car parking 2le

(Egyptians)
2le

Visitors are advised to ignore all hustlers at entrance Mena House Oberoi side.

DO NOT!!! be pressured into parking you car at the outside of the Mena House opposite the Al Ahram Police Station. These are hustlers so do not stop for them as they try to direct you to park, just drive past on up the hill. 

At the top of the hill close to the great pyramid you will see the ticket office. First buy your  tickets and go through turnstile and meet your driver at the other side of the turnstile as he will, with his ticket drive the car to the official car park beside the pyramids.

You can drive your car or take a horse, or camel or caleche around the various roads around the plateau.

Fancy a road challenge through Egypt on a Vespa scooter?

Cross Egypt Challenge will test roads in tourism promotion bid

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A group of 16 adventurous travellers plan to scooter across 1700km of roads from Alexandria to Abu Simbel via Sinai in October.
The journey will take place over nine days in a bid to promote tourism in post-Mubarak Egypt.
The aim, says Ahmed Elzoghby, a participant and the group’s spokesperson, is to “attract world attention [to the fact] that Egypt post-revolution is not that dangerous and still has so much to offer in terms of touristic sites and world-class resorts.”
The cross-country challenge will also put Egypt’s roads to the test. According to the World Health Organisation, Egypt has one of the highest traffic death rates per person in the world. Elzoghby admits that “it is quite a challenge to ride as a group on highway roads.”
One route they have slight concerns about is the road between Suez and Taba in South Sinai, though Elzoghby said they have been coordinating with the Ministry of Interior to ensure security.
Another goal is to promote alternative modes of transport, such as scooters, bicycles and motorcycles, which are environmentally more friendly than cars and take less space on the roads, the group argues.
The idea for the challenge came about three months ago, on a casual Friday, when the group of friends met in Alexandria, where they all live. Initially, the suggestion was to take a Vespa trip to Sharm el-Sheikh. “At the time, we were already driving scooters,” Elzoghby said. They then thought about extending it to Luxor and Aswan, and finally Abu Simbel. “We wanted to grab the world’s attention during these difficult times.”
Tourism revenue, which accounts for 11 percent of gross domestic product, has dropped significantly since the uprising in January and February, which ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. This fiscal year’s tourism revenue, up to June 2011, is expected to be $3 billion less than last year’s, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
In an effort to counter this downward trend, and remind the world about Egypt’s touristic highlights, the riders will pass by its major landmarks: the modern Bibliotheca in Alexandria, the Great Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, the Suez Canal, South Sinai’s tourist spots, the Karnak temples and the Valley of the Kings near Luxor. The tour will finish at Abu Simbel.
Asked how the post-Mubarak environment has affected the preparations for such a tour, Elzoghby said he was pleasantly surprised at the support he received from government ministries, something that might have been difficult in the past. As an example, he said that the group met with the tourism minister after just sending a letter informing him about the not-for-profit initiative.
“Before the revolution, things of that nature wouldn’t have had that momentum. There’s a lot of positive energy around,” Elzoghby said.
One of the biggest challenges in preparing for the trip, he said, was setting a date. Early September would have still been too hot in Upper Egypt, and mid-September would have, at the time, clashed with parliamentary elections. The elections have now been set for November, and the group has reached a compromise of starting the journey on 14 October.

The Cross Egypt Challenge is at the moment self-financed, though the participants are looking for sponsorship. Elzoghby said their total budget is LE370,000, a sum that includes accommodation, meals, gas, helmets, photography and other equipment.
“If we can’t find enough sponsors, we might end up staying in camps. But we’re determined to make this journey successful, with or without sponsors,” Elzoghby said.
The group is offering complimentary Vespas to anyone who wants to join the main team for the whole journey, with registration open till Friday 9 September. 

Otherwise, interested motorists can join the challenge for two segments of the journey: from Alexandria to Cairo (210km) and Cairo to Suez (140km). Registration will be open until 1 October.



You can register here


Register here

Trial period for legalising marriage and birth certificates

 BIRTH AND MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY THE GENERAL REGISTRARS OFFICE, UNITED KINGDOM.

In September 2011 the British Embassy in Cairo will work with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on a trial basis to make it easier for British nationals in Egypt to legalise the signature and seal of British birth and marriage certificates issued by the General Registrar’s Office. 
This trial is the first of its kind, and if successful may be adopted by British Embassies worldwide.
Why are we doing this?
We are looking to find alternative options for customers who are already in Egypt and find it difficult to access the service overseas.
Why is legalisation of GRO certificates needed?
Having accepted a job offer to work in Egypt, many British nationals bring their families with them to live here.  Local requirements need certain administrative tasks to be completed in order to obtain residency visas for your spouse and children. One of these is to get your marriage certificate and children’s birth certificates legalised. 
What does legalisation involve?
Legalisation of GRO documents is when the signature and seal of the certificate is checked against a vast UK-wide database in order to confirm the document is genuine.  That signature and seal is then formally confirmed through a process called legalisation.
The Embassy does not have access to this database, so currently the documents have to be returned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Legalisation Office in the UK.
So what happens during this trial process?
Instead of your returning the document to the UK, you will bring it to the Embassy.   We will scan the signature and seal on the document and send it to the FCO’s Legalisation Office, who in turn will check the UK database and confirm to us whether or not the signature / seal is genuine.  Upon confirmation, we will then legalise the signature and/or seal for you.
How will this work in practice?
Step 1
You bring the original birth or marriage certificate to the British Embassy in Cairo.  (Please visit our website for current payment and fee details – www.ukinegypt.fco.gov.uk).
You will need to tell us the name of the signatory on your certificate and the district in which it was issued.
Step 2
We will scan the relevant part of the document to the FCO’s Legalisation Office. 
Step 3
The Legalisation Office will check the signatures and respond to us within 5 working days.  
When the document is ready for collection we will try to either send you an e-mail or call you. Alternatively, after seven days, you can call us on 27916000.
And then what?
After we have legalised your document and you have collected it, you will need to take it to the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who in turn will legalise our signature and stamp.  Here are their details:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Orabi St, Mohandessin, Giza
When can you come to see us to try this out?
We are open to the public from 1000 - 1300 Sunday through to Thursday.  Further information, including directions to the Embassy, the cost of this service and information on any closures for public holidays etc, can be found on our website, www.ukinegypt.fco.gov.uk.
WE CANNOT
- We cannot legalise the document if we are not able to get confirmation from London.
- We are not able to provide certified copies of these documents.
- We are not able to provide a refund.
Disclaimer: The British Embassy accepts no responsibility if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt does not notarise the certificate without the Foreign and Commonwealth Office legalisation.

British Embassy