Residency in Egypt is available to anyone who buys property worth $50,000 or more. The length of the permit depends on the sum invested: one year, three years or five. It is one of the lowest thresholds in the region, but the programme comes with conditions that can leave a buyer without the status, or take it away after the purchase.
Let us look at how the thresholds work, what counts towards them and how this status differs from citizenship by investment.
Contents:
- Three thresholds, three terms
- How the payment has to be made for the purchase to count
- What the status gives you
- What the status does not give you
- How the status is lost
- How renewal works
- Documents required
- If the goal is a passport rather than residency
- Who the programme will not suit
- What changed in the rules by 2026
- Frequently asked questions
Three thresholds, three terms
A residence permit is authorisation to stay in the country legally for longer than a tourist visa allows. The current rules for granting it against property are set by Ministry of Interior decision No. 977 of 2023.
The principle is straightforward: the larger the investment, the longer the permit.
| Property value | Length of residence permit | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| from $50,000 | 1 year | yes, while the property is retained |
| from $100,000 | 3 years | yes, while the property is retained |
| from $200,000 | 5 years | yes, while the property is retained |
The sum is taken from the price stated in the contract, not from a market valuation.
Thresholds can be reached with several properties. A flat worth $60,000, for instance, secures a one-year permit. To qualify for the three-year permit you need to reach $100,000, and a second flat at $40,000 registered to the same owner will do it. Since July 2023 there has been no limit on how many properties a foreigner may hold.
How the payment has to be made for the purchase to count
The money must come from abroad in foreign currency and pass through an Egyptian bank. This is a requirement rather than a recommendation.
Paying in cash, paying in pounds from an account opened in Egypt, arranging the deal through an Egyptian relative: any of these may get you a flat, but none of them creates grounds for residency. Two documents are needed for the application:
- confirmation of a foreign currency transfer from abroad through an Egyptian bank;
- a contract registered with Shahr Aqari, the state property registration department that maintains the register of ownership rights.
An unregistered contract, known on the local market as an urfi, is of no use here: in legal terms it does not establish ownership.
There is no way to reconstruct a purchase after the event if it bypassed the bank. That is the most common reason for refusal: the flat exists, the title is registered, but there is nothing to evidence the transfer from abroad, say specialists who handle transactions for foreign buyers.
What the status gives you
- the right to stay in the country without leaving to renew a visa;
- the option to include a spouse and minor children in the application;
- access to opening a local bank account, which is harder to arrange on a tourist visa;
- access for children to local schools, international ones included.
International schools are concentrated in New Cairo and Sheikh Zayed, which is one reason families with children tend to choose these districts.
What the status does not give you
- The right to salaried work. Employment requires a separate work permit, arranged by the employer.
- Citizenship through length of residence. The European pattern of five years of residency followed by a passport does not exist in Egypt: citizenship here runs through a separate programme with separate sums.
- Visa-free travel elsewhere. Egyptian residency applies in Egypt and nowhere else.
How the status is lost
There are two reasons, and both are predictable.
The first is a long absence from the country. Staying away from Egypt for more than six consecutive months can lead to cancellation. That rules out the pattern where a buyer visits once a year for a fortnight: the programme is built for people who genuinely live in the country or come regularly.
The second is selling the property. Ownership is what the status rests on. Sell the flat and the grounds disappear, so the permit will not be issued at the next renewal.
The programme suits those who spend a substantial part of the year in the country. For an investor who visits once a year it offers no real advantage, note relocation advisers.
How renewal works
The renewal application is submitted before the current permit expires. Restoring a lapsed status is harder than renewing a valid one, and in some cases it brings a fine for overstaying.
By the time of renewal the property must still be yours and still registered. If you have sold one flat and bought another in the meantime, the whole application is filed afresh: a new transaction means new grounds.
A common mistake is to count the term from the date of purchase. It runs from the date the permit was issued, and several weeks or months can pass between the two.
Documents required
The application goes to the passport office covering the location of the property:
- a passport valid for the period being requested;
- the purchase contract registered with Shahr Aqari;
- bank confirmation of the foreign currency transfer from abroad;
- a certificate of no criminal record;
- results of a medical examination;
- photographs in the prescribed format.
State fees for processing are low. The main costs go on translating and legalising documents, and on an agent if you would rather not handle the filing yourself. Processing times vary in practice from several weeks to several months.
If the goal is a passport rather than residency
Citizenship by investment is governed by a separate instrument: Prime Minister's decision No. 876 of 2023, published in the official gazette on 4 December 2023. Four routes are available.
| Route | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution to the state treasury | $250,000 | no |
| Purchase of property from an approved list | $300,000 | the property remains yours |
| Business investment plus treasury contribution | $350,000 + $100,000 | the contribution is not refundable |
| Interest-free bank deposit | $500,000 | yes, in Egyptian pounds after 3 years |
An administrative fee of $10,000 is added to any of the routes. There is no residence requirement, no language test, and existing citizenship is retained.
The difference from residency is fundamental. For resident status any property from $50,000 will do; for citizenship only a property from the government-approved list, priced at $300,000 or more. These are two separate programmes with separate rules.
Who the programme will not suit
Anyone counting on European prospects. Egyptian residency is not part of any freedom of movement agreement and brings you no closer to status in an EU country.
Anyone unwilling to hold capital in an Egyptian asset. The entry threshold is low, but property here is denominated in pounds, and the pound has been through several devaluations in recent years, trading at around 50 to the dollar in August 2026. The $50,000 you put in stays $50,000 only in the contract.
Anyone planning to visit once a year. The six-month rule will end that arrangement at the first renewal.
Who the programme does suit: people who are genuinely relocating. For the winter, for remote work, for retirement, for a school place. In those cases the low entry threshold becomes a working tool.
What changed in the rules by 2026
The tiered scale of $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000 has applied since 2023. Before that the term barely depended on the sum invested, so guides stating that residency is granted strictly for one year are out of date.
Since July 2023 the limits on the number and area of properties one foreigner may own have been lifted. The threshold can now be reached with several flats rather than a single large purchase.
Citizenship thresholds were cut in 2023: the property route fell from $500,000 to $300,000. The figures of $700,000 and $500,000 still circulating in articles have nothing to do with the current rules.
Frequently asked questions
Does residency give the right to work in Egypt?
No. Employment requires a separate work permit arranged by the employer. Residency through property gives the right to stay in the country, not to take salaried work.
Can the threshold be reached with several flats?
Yes, provided all the properties are registered to the applicant. Since July 2023 there has been no limit on how many properties a foreigner may hold, so two flats at $50,000 produce the same result as one at $100,000.
What happens to the status if the flat is sold?
The status rests on ownership. Once the property is sold the grounds disappear and the permit will not be issued at the next renewal. If another property has been bought, the application is filed afresh.
How much time has to be spent in Egypt?
There is no requirement for a set number of days, but an absence of more than six consecutive months can lead to cancellation of the status.
How does residency differ from citizenship by investment?
They are separate programmes with separate paperwork and sums. Resident status is available from $50,000 on any property; citizenship starts at $300,000 and only for properties on the government-approved list.
