Can Foreigners Own Property in Egypt? The 2026 Legal Guide

Yes, foreigners can own residential property in Egypt, and have been able to since the 1990s, but the ownership comes with specific statutory conditions that a buyer must understand before paying anything.

The core law is Law No. 230 of 1996, which governs the ownership of built property and vacant land by non-Egyptians. Under that law, ownership was historically permitted for residential purposes subject to clear limits. A government easing decree in 2023 and a subsequent draft amendment have begun to loosen some of these limits, while adding a hard foreign-currency payment requirement. Because the framework is in transition, the practical rules below should always be confirmed with a local lawyer for your specific transaction and location.

The traditional limits under Law No. 230 of 1996

As originally applied, Law No. 230 of 1996 set two main quantitative limits on a foreign individual:

- A maximum of two properties in Egypt, intended for residential use by the owner and immediate family.

- A maximum area of 4,000 square meters per property.

The law also generally required approval from the Council of Ministers for foreign acquisitions, a step that historically added time to the process. Acquisitions above the standard limits required special exemption.

Two further conditions sit alongside the caps. The property must not be classified as an antiquity under the Antiquities Protection Law, and the two-property limit attaches to the individual or entity rather than to a project, so two flats in different cities use up the entire allowance.

Routes outside the Law 230 caps

Property acquired for an approved business activity under the Investment Law is not subject to the two-property cap, and that is the route foreign developers and operating companies use. A 2024 amendment to the Desert Land Law liberalised foreign ownership of land for investment projects beyond the previous ceilings. Buyers acquiring through either route may not be subject to the same five-year lock that applies under Law 230.

The five-year disposal restriction

A distinctive feature of the regime is the resale restriction. As a general rule, a foreign owner may not dispose of (sell or transfer) the property for five years from the date of acquisition or registration, unless a specific exemption is obtained from the Prime Minister. Buyers planning a short-term flip need to factor this holding period into their plans. The same five-year horizon appears in the citizenship-by-investment route, where the qualifying property generally cannot be sold for five years.

Prohibited and restricted zones

Foreign ownership is not available everywhere. Restricted and prohibited categories include:

- Agricultural land and land that can be reclaimed for agriculture, which foreigners cannot own.

- Military zones, border areas, and certain strategic or sensitive sites.

- The Sinai Peninsula, where foreign ownership of land is restricted and projects are generally structured as long-term leaseholds (often 99 years) rather than freehold, consistent with the Sinai development framework.

- Some coastal and heritage areas that require specific government approval.

Before you fall in love with a plot near the coast or a border governorate, confirm the zoning and whether freehold is even legally possible there.

Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada sit inside the foreign-ownership regime, though specific sub-areas can still require special clearance. In restricted parts of Sinai the instrument on offer is a usufruct, a right of use for up to 99 years, rather than ownership.

The 2023 easing and the foreign-currency requirement

In July 2023, the Egyptian Cabinet issued a decree easing some restrictions in order to attract foreign currency. Under the new approach, foreigners were no longer strictly limited to two residential properties that had to be in different cities, but the payment had to be made in foreign currency. Specifically, the value of the unit must be transferred from abroad through the formal banking system, deposited in a fully state-owned bank, and the funds must enter Egypt and be registered through official channels in line with Central Bank of Egypt rules. The Egyptian Cabinet has since drafted further amendments to the foreign-ownership law along the same lines. Treat the foreign-currency payment route as a firm requirement and keep documentary proof of every transfer.

Registration and the title problem

Ownership on paper is not the same as a registered title. Egypt has two parallel systems administered by the Real Estate Publicity Department (the Shahr El-Aqari) under the Ministry of Justice, with Law No. 114 of 1946 as the principal registration statute. The reality is that the great majority of Egyptian property has never been formally registered. In 2022 the Minister of Justice stated that more than 90 percent of the country's properties were unregistered. Many transactions instead rely on unregistered private contracts, which are weaker against third-party claims. For a foreign buyer, registering the title in your own name at the Shahr El-Aqari, rather than relying on a private contract, is the single most important protective step.

Egyptian practice runs three tiers of paperwork, and only the last is ownership. A customary contract (orfi) binds the parties but proves nothing against a third party. Signature validation (sahha tawqee), where a court validates both parties' signatures on the contract, is stronger and is what many new developments use. Full registration at the Shahr El-Aqari produces the green contract, the highest form of proof in Egypt. For a foreign buyer, registration includes a Ministry of Interior security clearance that runs two to four months, followed by the registration itself at 30 to 60 days. Start it early and budget the time.

Fees and taxes

The property registration fee is capped at EGP 2,000 following post-2017 reforms. A Real Estate Transaction Tax of 2.5 percent of the agreed price applies on resale and is paid by the seller. Annual property tax is 10 percent of the deemed rental value, with significant exemptions below a stated annual rental value, and stamp duties apply to the contract documentation. Reservation deposits typically run 5 to 10 percent, and the reservation form often carries the main contract as a schedule, so read it before signing.

Residency and citizenship through property

Property purchase can support residency, and a larger purchase can support citizenship. Egypt's citizenship-by-investment program includes a real estate route requiring an investment of at least USD 300,000 in qualifying property. Other routes in the same program include a USD 350,000 business investment (with an additional treasury contribution), a refundable bank deposit, or a non-refundable treasury contribution. The real estate route has been broadened in recent updates and generally carries the five-year hold before the property can be sold. Citizenship processing typically takes several months and requires at least one visit to Egypt. Residency permits tied to investment have also been offered to investors establishing businesses in the country.

The program is administered by the General Authority for Investment. On the paperwork side, a foreign buyer needs a passport copy, visa or residence status documents, source of funds evidence with the wire confirmation from a state-licensed Egyptian bank, a buyer tax registration card, and, if buying remotely, a power of attorney notarized and apostilled in the country of origin.

Practical takeaways

Foreigners can own residential property in Egypt, but the value comes from doing it correctly: confirm the property is in a zone where freehold is permitted, pay in foreign currency through a state-owned bank with full documentation, register the title at the Shahr El-Aqari, and plan around the five-year resale restriction. A transparency platform such as Bektu can help you verify a project's standing against public records, but it does not replace a qualified Egyptian real estate lawyer, who you should retain before signing any contract.