How We Handle Traveler Information and Documents

We need full names as on passports, dates of birth, nationality, passport number, and expiry, and contact and emergency details, because airlines, Nile ships and hotels require them for tickets and police registration. Data is shared only with the suppliers delivering your services, kept securely and retained only as long as the booking and legal requirements need.

Egypt's suppliers ask for more personal data than many destinations, and travelers deserve to know why. If you have traveled mostly in places where a hotel asks only for a name and a card, the requests on an Egypt trip can feel unusual: passport numbers for a domestic flight, a passport copy for a cruise, a hotel photocopying your passport at check-in.

This page explains what we collect, why each item is needed, who receives it, how it is protected and what you can ask of us. The binding terms for your trip, including how to contact us about your data, are in your booking confirmation.

What we collect

We collect only what is needed to book and deliver your services:

• Passport details: name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, and expiry, for domestic flight tickets, Nile cruise manifests, and hotel police registration.
• A passport copy: for the ship and some hotels.
• Contact details and an emergency contact: so we and our suppliers can reach you, or someone close to you, if plans change or something goes wrong.
• Dietary, medical and mobility notes you choose to share: so services can be adapted, for example meals on a cruise or a hotel room with fewer stairs.
• Payment details: processed through secure payment providers.

Why names must match your passport

Airline tickets and cruise manifests are checked against your passport. A missing middle name, a nickname or a spelling difference can cause problems at check-in or registration. When you send your details, copy your name exactly as it appears on the photo page of the passport you will travel with, and tell us if you renew your passport before the trip, since the number and expiry date will change.

Why we ask for an emergency contact

An emergency contact is someone at home we can reach if you are ill, injured or cannot be contacted during the trip. Choose a person who is easy to reach by phone and who knows they have been named.

Why each supplier needs it

It can help to see how the same information is used at each step of an Egypt itinerary.

Domestic flights

Domestic flights, for example from Cairo to Luxor or Aswan, are ticketed with your full passport name and, in many cases, your passport number. Tickets that do not match your passport can cause delays or problems at check-in.

Nile cruises

Nile ships prepare a manifest of every guest, and ships are required to register their passengers with the police. That is why cruises ask for passport details in advance and a passport copy before you board.

Hotels

Hotels in Egypt register their guests with the police, which is why they ask to see and photocopy passports at check-in. This is standard practice, not a special request.

Guides

Your guides receive only your names and ages. That lets them prepare for your group and plan the day around who is traveling.

Who receives it

Only the suppliers delivering your services: airlines, the ship, hotels, and, in the form of names, and ages, your guides. Nothing is sold or shared for marketing.

In practice, this means each supplier receives the information it needs to provide its part of the trip. If your itinerary does not include a domestic flight, for example, no airline receives your details from us.

Passports in Egypt

Nile ships hold passports during the cruise for police registration and return them before disembarkation. Hotels photocopy passports at check-in. Carry a copy for shore visits.

What this means for you

Handing over a passport can feel uncomfortable, so it helps to know it is a routine part of Nile cruising. A few simple habits make it easier:

• Keep a photocopy, or a clear photo on your phone, of your passport's photo page.
• Carry the copy when you go ashore on cruise stops, since your passport remains on board.
• Check that your passport is returned to you before you leave the ship.
• Keep your visa or entry documents together with your passport.

Security and retention

Data is stored on access-controlled systems, transmitted to suppliers through secure channels, and retained for the period required for the booking, accounting and legal obligations, after which it is deleted.

What access-controlled means

Access-controlled systems limit who can see your information to the people who need it to arrange your trip. Secure channels protect the information when it is sent to a supplier.

How you can help

You can also protect your information on your side. Send documents only through the channels given in your booking communication, avoid posting photos of your passport or boarding passes on social media, and be cautious of messages asking for your details through unexpected links. If you are unsure whether a request is genuine, contact us through the details in your confirmation before replying.

Your rights

You can ask what we hold, request corrections and request deletion where no legal obligation requires retention. Requests go to the contact in your confirmation.

When deletion may not be immediate

Some information has to be kept for a period after your trip for booking, accounting or legal reasons, which is why deletion applies where no legal obligation requires retention. When that period ends, the data is deleted.

Keeping your details up to date

If anything changes before you travel, such as a new passport, a different emergency contact or a medical note you would like to add or remove, let us know so the right information reaches the suppliers on your itinerary.

Families, groups and documents you keep yourself

Traveling with children or a group

The same details are needed for every traveler, including children, because airlines, ships, and hotels register each guest individually. If one person in a family or group is sending everyone's details, it is good practice to let the others know what is being shared and why, and to double-check each name against each passport rather than typing from memory.

Documents that stay with you

Some documents are yours to carry rather than ours to hold. Keep your passport, your visa, or other entry documents, your travel insurance details and your international flight confirmations together and easy to reach. A digital copy stored securely on your phone, plus a paper copy kept separately from the originals, makes it much easier to recover if something is lost.

In general, travel companies only need the documents that suppliers require for the services they book, so it is reasonable to ask why any item is requested. If a request on your trip is unclear, ask us before you send it.

A short checklist before you send your details

• Your full name exactly as on your passport.
• Passport number, nationality, date of birth, and expiry date.
• A clear copy of the passport photo page.
• Your phone number and email address, plus an emergency contact.
• Any dietary, medical or mobility notes you would like services to know about.
• A check that your passport meets the entry requirements for your trip, including validity, which you should confirm with official sources.

Frequently asked questions

Why do you need my passport number?

Airlines, ships and hotels require it for tickets and mandatory police registration. Without it, domestic flights cannot be ticketed correctly and ships and hotels cannot register you. We use it only to book and deliver the services on your itinerary.

Will my data be shared?

Only with the suppliers delivering your trip, never for marketing. Each supplier receives the information it needs for its part of the trip, and your guides receive only your names and ages. Nothing is sold.

Will the ship really keep my passport?

Yes, during the cruise, for registration. It is returned before you disembark. Carry a copy of your passport when you go ashore on cruise stops.

Do I have to share medical or dietary information?

No. Dietary, medical and mobility notes are shared only if you choose to provide them, so that services can be adapted. If you do share them, they help suppliers such as cruise ships and hotels prepare for your needs.

How do I ask what information you hold about me?

Send your request to the contact in your confirmation. You can ask what we hold, request corrections and request deletion where no legal obligation requires retention.

Plan it with Nourbelle

If you have questions about any document request before or after booking, contact us through the details in your confirmation, or start planning through our trip planning page.