Don’t take our word for it.

Any DMC can print a licence number on a website. Ours is filed in a public registry we do not control, so check it there first. Every other credential below is paired with the body that issued it.

Verify licence 718 on the ETAA registry Request compliance pack

Reviewed 15 October 2026

ETAA Licence No. 718

Category A

This is the licence that makes us a legal tour operator in Egypt. Category A is the top of the three Egyptian tourism classifications, and it is what lets a company build and run full inbound programmes in its own name, instead of acting as a booking agent for someone else.

Issued by: Egyptian Travel Agents Association, under the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities
Held since: Continuously since 7 February 1988
What it permits: Organising and operating inbound tours end to end
Contracting hotels, Nile cruise vessels and transport in our own name
Holding client funds against a booked programme
Where to check: Open licence 718 in the ETAA registry (opens in a new tab)
The entry shows our company name, category, trading-since date and Cairo address, published by the Association rather than by us.

IATA Accreditation No. 90255546

Accredited agent

IATA accreditation is voluntary. It exists so airlines and international partners can deal with us directly, and it is granted only after financial guarantees, an office inspection and staff ticketing certification, then re-examined every year.

Issued by: International Air Transport Association
Held since: Renewed annually, subject to financial audit
What it permits: Issuing airline tickets directly
Settlement through the IATA BSP system
Recognition by airline and trade partners worldwide
Where to check: Check code 90255546 with IATA (opens in a new tab)
IATA's free Check-a-Code lookup. Enter 90255546; IATA runs the database and we cannot edit what it returns.

Company registration, tax and insurance

On request

Behind the tourism licence sits an ordinary Egyptian company with ordinary obligations: commercial registration, tax registration, social insurance for employees, and insurance for our vehicles and ground operations. None of it sits in a public registry, but a contracting team is entitled to see it.

Issued by: Egyptian commercial registry and tax authority
Held since: Renewed annually
What it covers: Commercial registration certificate
Tax registration card
Third-party liability certificate
Vehicle and passenger transport insurance certificates
Where to check: Not in a public registry. Request the compliance pack below.

Ministry of Tourism permit, Luxor office

Published as PDF

We publish this permit because it states the things you would want to check on ministry letterhead: company licence 718, its 7 February 1988 issue date, and the head-office address.

Issued by: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, under Law 38 of 1977
Held since: States company licence 718, issued 7 February 1988. Our Luxor operations base has run since 2014.
What it permits: Operating our Luxor office as a branch of company licence 718
Where to check: View the Ministry permit (PDF)
Two names are blacked out: the private owner of the Luxor building and the branch manager, neither of whom is a public officer of the company. Nothing else is altered.

Compliance pack for your contracting team.

Sent by email on request. Some of these carry commercial detail, so we send them to the team that needs them instead of publishing them.

Licence documents: ETAA licence 718 and the Ministry permit for our Luxor office
Commercial registration certificate
Tax registration card
Insurance certificates: third-party liability, and vehicle and passenger transport
Guide licences for named Egyptologists on a specific programme

Request compliance pack Verify on the registry first

Questions your compliance team will ask.

What licences does Discovery Tours Egypt hold as a DMC?

ETAA Licence No. 718, Category A, the top classification for Egyptian travel companies, held continuously since February 1988; and IATA accreditation No. 90255546. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities permit for our Luxor office is published on this page.

Is 718 a licence number or a membership number?

It is the ETAA licence number, and the category attached to it is A. It is one credential with one number, not a Ministry licence plus a separate ETAA membership. You can read the entry in the ETAA public registry.

Does your Egypt DMC hold IATA accreditation?

Yes: IATA accreditation No. 90255546. It is voluntary, granted after financial guarantees, an office inspection and staff ticketing certification, and re-examined every year. It lets us issue airline tickets directly and settle through the IATA BSP. IATA runs the lookup; we cannot edit what it says.

Can my contracting team see the actual documents?

The Ministry permit for our Luxor office is published here as a PDF, with two private names blacked out. The commercial registration certificate, tax registration card, insurance certificates and guide licences for a named programme are sent by email on request, through the compliance pack.

What insurance coverage protects B2B partners?

We hold third-party liability insurance, and vehicle and passenger transport insurance. Certificates of insurance are provided to trade partners on request for contract files.

How long has the DMC been licensed and operating?

Licensed in Cairo since February 1988. The ETAA registry shows our trading-since date as 7 February 1988; the Ministry permit published here states the same issue date for company licence 718.