Foreigners can buy property in Egypt. The main statute, Law No. 230 of 1996, permits non-Egyptians to own real estate, and since May 2023 the earlier caps on the number of properties and their size have been removed. What remains are three things you have to work around: the full price must arrive in foreign currency from abroad, you cannot resell for five years, and certain areas and land types are off-limits or restricted. Get those right and the transaction is straightforward. Miss them and the registration office will reject your paperwork or you will end up holding a contract that no Egyptian court treats as ownership.
What Foreign Buyers Are Allowed to Own
Law No. 230 of 1996 originally limited non-Egyptians to two residential properties, each no larger than 4,000 square meters, and excluded historical sites.1General Authority for Investment and Free Zones. Land and Real Estate Ownership Laws In May 2023 the Prime Minister announced the removal of those limits, and the Cabinet formalized the change by decree shortly after.2State Information Service. Egyptian Cabinet Drafts Amendment to Law Regulating Foreigners Real Estate Ownership There is now no cap on how many properties you can hold or how large they can be.
The five-year resale lock survived that liberalization. A foreign owner cannot sell a property within five years of registering it unless the Prime Minister grants an individual exemption by decree.1General Authority for Investment and Free Zones. Land and Real Estate Ownership Laws Treat any Egyptian purchase as a minimum five-year commitment. There is no tax you can pay to shortcut this.
If you buy vacant land rather than a built property, you also take on an obligation to begin construction within five years of registering ownership. Buyers of finished apartments or villas are not affected.
Where You Can and Cannot Buy
The Sinai Peninsula
Law No. 14 of 2012 generally bars foreigners from owning land in Sinai. Only Egyptian nationals born to Egyptian parents, and companies with entirely Egyptian capital, can hold freehold title there. Foreigners can obtain usufruct rights, a long-term lease granting full use of the property, for up to 50 years, subject to approval from the military, interior ministry, and intelligence services.
Presidential Decree No. 128 of 2022 tightened the rules further for Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, and the Gulf of Aqaba sector. In those zones foreigners are limited to usufruct rights of up to 75 years, not freehold, and security approvals apply.
Red Sea Resorts and Coastal Developments
Prime Minister Resolution No. 548 of 2005 opened several resort areas to full foreign freehold ownership on the same footing as Egyptian nationals. Hurghada, the broader Red Sea coast, Sidi Abd El Rahman, and Ras El Hekma all fall inside this regime. These have become the most active markets for foreign buyers because the ownership structure is clean.
Agricultural Land
Law No. 15 of 1963 prohibits foreign nationals from owning agricultural land.3General Authority for Investment and Free Zones. FDI Regulations – Land and Real Estate Ownership Laws The classification travels with the land, so a plot listed as agricultural is off-limits even if it sits at the edge of an urban area. No Prime Ministerial exemption is available for this one.
The Foreign Currency Payment Rule
Since March 26, 2024, every property sale to a foreigner has to comply with Circular No. 41 from the Real Estate Registration and Notarisation Authority. The full purchase price must be transferred from abroad in foreign currency to a bank authorized by the Central Bank of Egypt. You will need the transfer documentation to register the property.
How the contract is written affects the mechanics:
- If the price is stated in Egyptian pounds, you still pay in foreign currency, converted at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of transfer.
- If the price is stated in foreign currency, prior approval from the Central Bank of Egypt is required before the sale can close.
Arrange the transfer before signing anything. Without the bank paperwork the registration office will reject your application, and no workaround exists.
The Registration Trap Most Foreign Buyers Miss
By some estimates over 90% of Egyptian properties lack formal registration. They change hands through “customary contracts,” private sale agreements between buyer and seller, sometimes with a chain of prior contracts running back years. A customary contract is not worthless, but it does not give you enforceable ownership against third parties. The seller could resell to someone else. The seller’s heirs could contest the sale after the seller dies. Utility companies and government agencies may not recognize you as owner.
A registered deed at the Real Estate Publicity Department, known locally as Shahr El Aqary, is the only form of ownership that carries full legal protection. Before agreeing to buy, ask whether the property has a clean path to formal registration. If the seller cannot produce an original registered title deed, or if the plot has disputed zoning or an agricultural classification, registration may be impossible whatever contract you sign. Do not accept the argument that a customary contract is “good enough because everyone does it.” For foreign buyers it is not.
Where a seller is uncooperative or the paper trail is incomplete, Egyptian law offers a judicial route called the validity and enforceability lawsuit (Sihha wa Nafaz), which asks a court to confirm your sale contract. A judgment does not itself register the property, but it clears the way for registration and blocks later challenges. The process runs roughly 8 to 18 months. It is a repair mechanism, not a plan A.
Buying Through an Egyptian Company
Some investors hold Egyptian property through a company rather than in their own name, particularly for commercial or industrial projects or a portfolio of rentals. In late 2023 parliament amended the Desert Land Law (originally Law No. 143 of 1981), with changes taking effect in January 2024. The amendment removed the old requirement that Egyptian nationals hold at least 51% of a company’s capital and that no individual own more than 30%. Foreign investors can now acquire land for investment projects through a company without any minimum Egyptian ownership share, provided the investment complies with Egypt’s broader Investment Law.4State Information Service. Parliament Grants Foreigners Right to Own Land for Investment
Company ownership brings corporate filings, commercial registration compliance, and a different tax profile. For a single residential purchase the overhead is rarely worth it. For a portfolio it often is.
Documents and the Registration Timeline
To register a property you will need a valid passport plus proof of legal residency or visa status, the seller’s original registered title deed, the building license, a survey map or cadastral certificate from the competent surveying department, and the bank transfer documentation required by Circular No. 41. Verify during due diligence that the building license matches what is actually standing on the plot.
If you cannot appear in person, an Egyptian lawyer can act for you under a power of attorney. A power of attorney signed abroad must be notarized, legalized through the Egyptian embassy or consulate in the country where it is issued, and must explicitly authorize buying or selling real estate. Vague or unofficial versions will be rejected.
All documents go to the Real Estate Publicity Department.5The Official Egyptian Real Estate Platform Blog. Property Registration in Egypt: Process and Timeline Under Law No. 9 of 2022 the target registration timeline is 37 days: 30 days for registration and 7 for complaints. Foreign buyers add a security clearance step that involves review by the Council of Ministers and security agencies, and in practice this commonly takes about two months, longer depending on location and nationality. Budget several months between signing and holding a registered title.
What It Costs at Purchase and Every Year After
Registration fees are set by schedule under Law No. 9 of 2022 based on property type and are paid to Shahr El Aqary at submission. A transfer tax of 2.5% of the sale value, with no deductions, applies as well. Law No. 196 of 2008 puts that tax on the seller, and any contract clause trying to shift it to the buyer is void. Confirm before closing who is actually paying.
Egypt then charges an annual real estate tax of 10% on the net annual rental value of the property, whether or not you rent it out. The Real Estate Tax Authority sets an annual rental value, deducts 30% for maintenance and depreciation, and applies the 10% rate to the remaining 70%.
As of 2026 the exemption threshold for primary residences was raised to EGP 8 million in property value.6State Information Service. Minister of Finance: Facilities, Incentives in Real Estate Taxes to Ease Burden on Citizens The exemption applies to your “main private residence for yourself and your family,” so it will not help most foreign buyers unless they live in Egypt full-time. Non-residential properties get no exemption. Late payment carries a penalty equal to the Central Bank’s annual interest rate plus 2% of the overdue amount.
Rental income is captured through the same property tax framework. The tax is assessed on the property’s rental value as set by the Tax Authority, not necessarily on the actual rent collected. Owners who disagree with the assessed value can appeal at the local Real Estate Tax Authority office within 60 days of receiving the notice.
Residency and Citizenship Tied to Your Purchase
Buying property can also give you the right to live in Egypt. The residency permit scales with the investment amount:
- $50,000 minimum: one-year renewable residency permit.
- $100,000 minimum: three-year renewable residency permit.
- $200,000 minimum: five-year renewable residency permit.
All are renewable as long as you keep the investment. The residency lets you spend extended time in Egypt without a separate long-stay visa or work permit.
Egypt also runs a citizenship-by-investment route. It requires a minimum $300,000 investment in real estate from government-owned projects. You can combine one or more properties to reach the threshold, and units under construction qualify. After five years the property can be sold.
Mortgage financing is available from Egyptian banks to foreign nationals, but only those with valid Egyptian residency. You must be at least 21, show a stable and verifiable income, and keep monthly installments within an acceptable share of net income. The property has to meet registration requirements, so an unregistered property will not qualify. This is another reason to insist on formal title from day one.
Inheritance Planning If You Own in Egypt
Under Article 17 of Egypt’s Civil Code, inheritance is governed by the law of the deceased’s nationality at the time of death. A British citizen who owns a flat in Cairo has that flat’s succession decided under British law, not Egyptian law. Egyptian courts will generally honor a foreign national’s will if it was valid where made and does not violate Egyptian public policy.
Without a will, Egyptian civil courts may fall back on Islamic succession rules, which distribute assets according to fixed shares among relatives. That can produce a result very different from what you intended, so a valid will matters here more than in many other jurisdictions.
For a foreign will to be enforceable in Egypt, it needs to be legally valid and probated under your home country’s law, then certified and legalized by an Egyptian embassy or consulate. Egypt is not part of the Apostille Convention, so a standard apostille stamp is not enough. The will must also be translated into Arabic by an official translator. Foreign heirs will need an Inheritance Declaration from an Egyptian family court confirming their identities and shares, and they typically appoint an Egyptian lawyer through a legalized power of attorney to handle the transfer.