Moving to Egypt in 2026, Step by Step for Expats

EGYPT · EXPATS & NOMADS

Moving to Egypt starts with a visa, and the official e-visa portal charges US$30 for one entry and US$65 for multiple entries. A residence permit from the Interior Ministry follows, with fees set in US dollars but paid in Egyptian pounds.

This guide follows the steps in order: entry, residence, work, tax, banking, health and safety, with the date of each rule. What the official pages did not confirm is listed near the end, so you know what to ask before you fly.

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Moving to Egypt: The Steps in Order

Most newcomers enter on a visa, apply for residence, settle tax and banking, and then arrange health cover. Each step below gives its fee in US dollars and the date of the rule.

The Interior Ministry is the state ministry that runs police, borders, visas and residence. Its General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality handles residence permits for foreigners.

Amounts in Egyptian pounds use the rate of 56.03 pounds per US dollar on 2 November 2026. Rules changed several times in 2026, so check the date next to every figure.

Read this page together with our guides to Egypt visa and residency, opening a bank account in Egypt and health care for expats in Egypt. The Egypt news hub and the Cairo expat city page add daily coverage and local detail.

Step 1: Entry Visa and Passport Rules

Egypt’s official e-visa portal, run by the Interior Ministry, issues tourist visas to citizens of the countries on its list. That list includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany and Switzerland.

A single-entry tourist visa costs US$30 and a multiple-entry visa costs US$65, according to the portal’s FAQ page. You pay by card, and the portal asks you to apply at least seven days before departure.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months from arrival, and the UK government adds that it needs one blank page. The portal also asks for the e-visa printout, a travel itinerary and, for tourists, hotel bookings.

You can instead buy a paper visa on arrival for US$30 in cash at airport kiosks before passport control, the UK government says. Since Saturday 1 August 2026, Cairo International Airport also sells a digital visa for US$36 by card, which includes a US$6 service fee.

The UK government says tourist e-visas are valid for up to three months. A tourist visa does not let you work, and the portal warns that business or employment without the required permit is an offence.

Visitors flying into Sharm el-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort town, get a free entry stamp for stays under 15 days. It covers resorts in Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba, so it is no use for living in Cairo or Alexandria.

If a visa runs out, you may face difficulties when you leave Egypt, including a fine if it expired more than 14 days earlier. Start the residence process well before your visa ends.

Egypt Visa Fees in 2026 and 2027

Prime Ministerial Decree 2553 of 2026 was published in the Official Gazette, the state’s legal journal, on Sunday 30 August 2026. It sets an administrative fee of US$15 on entry visas, transit visas and some embassy services abroad from Friday 1 January 2027.

The fee is added on top of the base visa charge, so the total depends on the visa type. The portal still lists US$30 and US$65, the prices in force on 2 November 2026.

The Egyptian Travel Agents Association, an industry body, says in Circular 173 of 2026 that the single-entry visa rises to US$33 then. The circular cites a Cabinet decision of Thursday 13 August 2026, and the portal had not shown the new price on 2 November 2026.

No 2027 price for the multiple-entry visa has been announced. If you plan to arrive after Friday 1 January 2027, check the portal before you pay.

Step 2: Residence Permits and Their Fees

Foreigners who stay beyond a visit need a residence permit from the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality. The Interior Ministry runs that office.

Prime Ministerial Resolution 3326 of 2023, dated 29 August 2023, requires residence fees to be calculated in US dollars or another hard currency. You pay them in Egyptian pounds and attach a receipt from an authorised bank or exchange company.

The residence fee schedule itself was not confirmed from an official page, so no US$ amount is printed here. Ask the passport office for the current amount in US dollars before you apply.

Investors have a separate route under the Investment Law, Law 72 of 2017, and its executive regulations. The investor must be a founder, shareholder or partner in a company, or the owner of an establishment.

Residence starts at one year and is renewed if the project is genuinely being carried out. After that it is renewed in periods of five years, never longer than the life of the project.

The permit is cancelled if the investor leaves the company or the company is struck off the Commercial Register. The investment authority may add other conditions, but only with the Interior Ministry’s consent.

Step 3: Work Permission and Your Employer

The e-visa portal states that engaging in business or employment without the required permit is an offence. A tourist visa is therefore never a substitute for permission to work.

Ask your employer which permit it will arrange, how long it will take and who pays the fees, before you give up your current job. Keep every receipt, because residence fees need a bank receipt as proof of payment.

Step 4: Tax Residence and the 183-Day Rule

Egypt’s tax rules count you as a resident after 183 days in the country within 12 months, in one stay or several. A permanent home in Egypt is also a clear sign of tax residence.

The Egyptian Tax Authority is the state revenue agency that collects personal income tax. Its personal tax rates and the treatment of foreign income were not confirmed from an official page.

Ask an Egyptian accountant to set out your position before you pass 183 days. Also check whether your home country has a tax treaty with Egypt.

Step 5: Banking and the Egyptian Pound

On Wednesday 7 August 2024 the Central Bank of Egypt, the national bank, told banks to ease account opening for non-resident foreigners. The banks must still carry out the usual due diligence checks on each customer.

The central bank’s instruction did not list the documents, so ask your bank for its list before you visit. Opening an account is easier once you hold a visa or residence permit and a place to live.

On 2 November 2026 one US dollar bought 56.03 Egyptian pounds. Rates move daily, so convert at your bank’s rate on the day.

On Thursday 29 October 2026 the central bank raised its key interest rate by 100 basis points, or one percentage point, to 20%. It was the first rise since March 2024, and the rate had stood at 19%.

Step 6: Health Care and Insurance

Plan for private health insurance that covers treatment in Egypt and medical evacuation. The UK government warns that travel insurance can be invalid if you travel against its advice.

Dial 123 for an ambulance in Egypt and 126 for the tourist police. The UK government warns that some hotel doctors have overcharged, and that pharmacies outside hotels often sell medicines more cheaply.

Specialist psychiatric care is limited and may not be available outside the big cities. Dengue fever is a health risk, and travellers should check vaccine advice at least eight weeks before they go.

Egypt is rolling out Universal Health Insurance, a state scheme introduced region by region. Whether foreign residents can join it was not confirmed, so treat private cover as your plan.

Step 7: Safety and Where Not to Go

The US State Department rates Egypt at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, because of terrorism, in an advisory reissued on 15 October 2024. It rates North and Middle Sinai at Level 4, Do Not Travel, and also warns against the Western Desert and military border zones.

The UK government advises against all travel to North Sinai and to within 20 kilometres of the Libyan border. It advises against all but essential travel to much of the Western Desert, with Luxor, Aswan and the Faiyum listed as exceptions.

Crime is generally low, the UK government says, but touts and scammers target visitors in tourist areas. Report a crime to the tourist police before you leave Egypt, because a late report is hard to prosecute.

Drug offences, even for small amounts, can bring life imprisonment or the death penalty. Alcohol is legal only in licensed venues, private homes and some resorts.

Photographing military property is illegal, and drones need prior permission from the Ministry of Defence. Avoid protests and large gatherings, because the political climate is restrictive.

What Moving to Egypt Costs

Confirmed entry fees are US$30 for a single-entry e-visa, US$65 for multiple entries and US$30 in cash for a paper visa on arrival. The Cairo digital visa costs US$36, and a US$15 administrative fee is added from Friday 1 January 2027.

Land entry at Taba costs a US$20 border tax, and land travel elsewhere in Sinai costs US$120, both for stays of up to 15 days. Residence fees are set in US dollars, and the exact amounts were not confirmed.

Rents, school fees and import duty on household goods vary widely and were not confirmed from official sources, so none are quoted. Ask for written quotes in US dollars and compare them at 56.03 pounds to the dollar.

What It Means for You

A US citizen can use the e-visa route and pay US$30 for one entry, then apply for residence once in Egypt. Budget for the fee change if you arrive after Friday 1 January 2027.

If you earn money in Egypt, you need a work or investor permit and a tax plan from the start. A special visa for remote workers was not confirmed, so a tourist visa does not cover a long stay.

Families should ask each school for its current fees in US dollars and its admission dates before choosing a home. Retirees should ask the Interior Ministry which permit fits their case, as no retirement visa was confirmed.

What Is Not Known

The residence permit fee in US dollars, the processing time and the full document list were not confirmed from official pages. The rules for residence through marriage, property or a bank deposit were not confirmed either.

Personal income tax rates, the treatment of foreign income and the right of foreign residents to join Universal Health Insurance remain unconfirmed. So do the customs rules for shipping household goods, the process for converting a driving licence, rents and school fees.

Your First 90 Days

Before you fly, check six months of passport validity, apply for the e-visa at least seven days ahead and buy insurance that covers evacuation. Carry the printout and your accommodation details.

In the first weeks, ask the passport office for its residence fee in US dollars and its document list. Book a bank visit with your visa, because the central bank leaves the document list to each bank.

By day 90, agree your tax position with an accountant and note the date any permit expires. If you plan to stay a year or more, check how the January 2027 fee change affects your visa costs.

More: Egypt news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is an Egypt visa in 2026?

The official e-visa portal charges US$30 for a single-entry tourist visa and US$65 for multiple entries. A paper visa on arrival costs US$30 in cash, and a US$15 administrative fee is added from Friday 1 January 2027.

Can foreigners open a bank account in Egypt?

Yes, the central bank told banks on 7 August 2024 to ease account opening for non-resident foreigners, subject to due diligence. Each bank sets its own document list, so ask before you visit.

When do I become a tax resident in Egypt?

Egypt’s tax rules count you as a resident after 183 days in the country within a 12-month period. Keeping a permanent home in Egypt is also a clear sign of tax residence.

Is Egypt safe for expats?

Crime is generally low, but the US rates Egypt at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, because of terrorism. Both the US and UK governments advise against travel to North Sinai.

Which emergency numbers should I know in Egypt?

Dial 123 for an ambulance and 126 for the tourist police, according to the UK government. Save both numbers in your phone before you arrive.

Sources: Egypt e-Visa Portal, Interior Ministry: FAQ, visa types and fees, retrieved 2 November 2026; Egypt e-Visa Portal, Interior Ministry: Disclaimer, retrieved 2 November 2026; UK government, Egypt travel advice: entry requirements, updated 27 October 2026; UK government, Egypt travel advice: health, updated 27 October 2026; UK government, Egypt travel advice: safety and security, updated 27 October 2026; UK government, Egypt travel advice: warnings and insurance, updated 27 October 2026; US State Department, Egypt travel advisory (Level 3), issued 15 October 2024; Executive Regulations of Investment Law 72 of 2017, Articles 4 and 5 on investor residence, 2019 edition; First Bank of Egypt, notice of the Central Bank of Egypt circular of 7 August 2024, 7 August 2024.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief