Taba Border Crossing

Taba Crossing
معبر طابا
מעבר מנחם בגין
The Egyptian border terminal
Coordinates 29°29′N 34°54′E / 29.49°N 34.9°E / 29.49; 34.9Coordinates: 29°29′N 34°54′E / 29.49°N 34.9°E / 29.49; 34.9
Carries Pedestrians, Vehicles, Containers
Crosses Border between Egypt and Israel
Locale Egypt Taba, Egypt
Israel Eilat, Israel
Official name Taba Border Crossing
מעבר מנחם בגין
معبر طابا
Maintained by Egypt Arab Republic of Egypt
Israel Israel Airports Authority
Characteristics
Total length 200 m (Israeli side)
Width 45 m (Israeli side)
History
Opened 26 April 1982
Statistics
Daily traffic 2,147 pedestrians in 2005
74 vehicles in 2005
Toll E£400.00 (Inbound Egypt)
₪101.00 (Outbound Israel)
Taba Crossing

Location of the Taba Crossing at Israel-Egypt border

The Taba Border Crossing also known as the Menachem Begin Crossing (Arabic: معبر طابا‎, Hebrew: מעבר מנחם בגין‎ formerly Hebrew: מעבר טאבה‎) is an international border crossing between Taba, Egypt, and Eilat, Israel.

History

Opened on April 26, 1982 it is currently the only entry/exit point between the two countries that handles tourists. The site is at the bottom of Mount Tallul and was close to Raffi Nelson's Nelson Village and the Sonesta Hotel which both closed due to the handing over of the Sinai to Egyptian control in exchange for normalization of relations. Under terms of the deal, Israelis would be able to visit the Red Sea coast from Taba to Sharm el-Sheikh (and Saint Catherine's Monastery) visa free for visits up to fourteen days. In 1999, the terminal handled a record amount of 1,038,828 tourists and 89,422 vehicles.

The terminal is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year except for the holidays of Eid ul-Adha and Yom Kippur.

In February 2014, a coach taking tourists to Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai exploded in Taba shortly before crossing the border to Israel. Three South Korean nationals and one Egyptian national were killed, while 14 South Koreans were injured; the blast was blamed on terrorists.[1]

In September 2016, the Israeli side of the crossing was renamed to "Menachem Begin Crossing" after the late prime minister, who signed the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. [2]

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

Israeli terminal

The Israeli border terminal was opened in September 1995 at a cost of US $3 million.

Services within the terminal

Transportation to and from the terminal

The Israeli border terminal can be reached from within Israel via Egged bus number 15 from Eilat's central bus station. Privately owned Israeli cars may cross through the terminal and stay in the confines of the Egyptian border terminal (this includes the parking lots of the Hilton Taba and Mövenpick Taba Resort); further travel into the Sinai is possible after change of license plates, registration and the payment of a tax.

Israeli rental cars are not allowed to cross the border.

Passage fee

All travelers to Egypt must pay a border-crossing fee before leaving Israel. The border-crossing fee is NIS 106 (January 2016) per traveler. The fee is quoted in NIS and is updated once a year (on January 1) linked to the Consumer Price Index. It is also payable by credit card for an additional Service charge of 5 NIS.[3]

No border fee is payable if travelling within 1 km of the border. This mean travelers to Mövenpick Resort, Hilton Taba Resort Hotel and Radisson Blue Resort Taba are exempt from any fees, but a printed reservation to the hotel must be shown at the border, otherwise the full fee is due.

Egyptian Terminal

Terminal

Though there is an ATM at the terminal, it is usually not in function so travelers should bring cash to exchange.

Visa

Travelers will get a stamp on arrival allowing entry into the Sinai Peninsula for up to 14 days. With this stamp, travelers can travel as far as Sharm El Sheikh including St Catherine Monastery. There is no cost involved to get the stamp. Travel beyond into the rest of Egypt requires an Egyptian Visa that will need to be obtained in advance.

Passage fee

The Taba border tariff is 400 EGP payable only in cash.[4]

See also

Photographs

References

  1. ↑ "Sinai attacks: Deadly bombing hits Egypt tour bus". BBC NEWS. 16 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Taba Crossing was renamed to Menachem Begin Crossing" (in Hebrew). Reshet Bet. 27 September 2016.
  3. ↑ , Rates and Passage Fees
  4. ↑ "Taba Eilat Border Crossing". La Vida Viva. May 2018.
Official

Coordinates: 29°29′28″N 34°54′12″E / 29.49111°N 34.90333°E / 29.49111; 34.90333

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