Your Guide to the Requirements to Obtain the Egyptian Nationality and Its Procedure

The Egyptian nationality is considered to be one of the strongest Arab nationality since its rising demand from people abroad, especially Arabs, nowadays. This is due to many reasons including the mega projects Egypt is developing in areas such as the New Administrative Capital, in addition to the political and economic stability Egypt is currently enjoying.

There are other Arab nationalities that many people seek to obtain such as the Emirati, Saudi, Qatari, and Egyptian nationalities. This is because of the economic prosperity each country enjoys and the investment opportunities it offers to its residents and its economy. These investment opportunities are represented in the real estate field, skyscrapers, global towers; which urges people to obtain these nationalities in order to contribute and invest in these megaprojects.

How to Obtain the Egyptian Nationality

The Egyptian constitution stipulates in Law No. 27/2017 that there are 5 different tracks with their own conditions for anyone to pursue in order to obtain Egyptian nationality in exchange for investment. 

First Track: Start Your Own Project by Minimum Budget of $400,000

If you are a foreigner who wants to settle down and invest in Egypt, you have two options. One, you can start your own project with a budget that is no less than $400,000. Two, you can invest in another project and partner with 40% of the project’s capital. In both options, the project has to continue for at least 5 years and in case it stopped; you are required to pay $250,000 to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the money will go to the state’s treasury in order to keep your Egyptian nationality.

Second Track: Buy A State Property of At Least $500,000 Value

The requirements of obtaining Egyptian nationality include buying a state’s property that could be a piece of land, a building, a factory, or anything of that sort that is worth at least $500,000 that are to be transferred from abroad. Similar to the first track, if the property is to be resold, then you are still required to pay non-refundable $250,000 to the Central Bank of Egypt to keep your nationality.

Third Track: A Direct Deposit of $250,000

This is considered one of the easiest requirements of obtaining nationality for whoever does not want to partake in any real estate and/or long-term investments. Whereas, you can transfer through the bank a non-refundable $250,000 to the state’s treasury to obtain your nationality.

Fourth Track: Opening A 3-Year Trust in the Central Bank of Egypt

For whoever chooses this track, are required to pay a one million dollars as a deposit to the Central Bank of Egypt and they can receive their money back without interest after 3 years with the official exchange rate on the received date without exceeding the original number (no more than one million dollars).

Fifth Track: Opening A 5-Year Trust in the Central Bank of Egypt

Similar to the fourth track, any foreigner can open a 5-year trust in the Central Bank of Egypt with the value of $750,000, which they can receive it back after 5 years with the official exchange rate on the received date without exceeding the original number (no more than $750,000)

Official Authorities Responsible for Granting Egyptian Nationalities

In order to facilitate the process for applicants, the state dedicated the Office of Receiving Applications for Egyptian Nationality, which is an office that is a subsidiary of the Ministries’ Cabinet and is located in the administrative building of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones in the Ard El-Ma’ared (Fairgrounds) in Nasr City.

This office has been established to be the only official office that is responsible for receiving and handling applications for Egyptian nationality. It includes specialized units that represent a few Egyptian ministries such as: 

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• The Ministry of Interior
• The Ministry of International Cooperation
• Specialized security authorities

Documents and Papers Needed to Apply for the Egyptian Nationality

After knowing the 5 tracks you can choose from to apply for the Egyptian nationality and where to apply, it is crucial to understand the paperwork and documents needed to complete your application process. These documents are:

• • An original copy of your application to the Egyptian nationality
  • A copy of the receipt of transferring the administrative fees of applying for the nationality, which is $10,000 transferred to the Central Bank of Egypt that is then sent to the Ministries’ Cabinet and a unit that is specialized in processing the applications
  • A copy of the applicant’s passport of their original nationality
  • A declaration from the applicant of any other nationalities that they currently have
  • A copy of each passport of each nationality in case the applicant has more than one other nationality (For example: an American applicant who also carries the French nationality has to submit a copy of their American and French passport to apply for the Egyptian nationality)
  • Official birth certificate 
  • 4 new personal pictures of the applicant
  • An official record from the Ministry of Interior to state their criminal record
  • An official document from the country of origin that proves that there the applicant is not convicted by any criminal penalty, any freedom-restricting penalty, and/or any crime of honor; and the certificate has to be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Original copy of the certificate that states all the movements of the applicant from the country of origin
  • Official certificate that states all the movements of the applicants from the country of residence (where they have lived in permanently and/or have at least spent 5 years in prior to the date of application)
  • The original official certificate of the medical checkup that is signed by the applicant during his time of residency

• In case of investment and/or ownership of properties: the applicant has to submit a copy of the commercial registration and a copy of the taxation ID; in case the applicant owns a company, stocks in a company, a copy of any contract of property ownership in Egypt, and a copy of the driving license of any vehicles the applicant owns in Egypt

• The original document that proves the fulfillment of the investment track chosen by the applicant and it is to be submitted during the time of residency

In Case the Applicant Is Married

• A copy of the marriage certificate
• A copy of their spouse’s passport of their country of origin
• A copy of their spouse’s passport in case they have multiple nationalities (as explained above)
• In case there are children: the applicant is required to submit their children’s birth certificates and national IDs if they are minors and copies of other passports if they have multiple nationalities

The Cost of Applying for the Egyptian Nationality

The applicant is required to pay $10,000 as an administrative fee to start their application process. However, the total cost of obtaining the Egyptian passport varies from one application to another depending on which track the applicant has chosen and its requirements.

Buying and Owning A Property in Egypt to Obtain the Nationality

As previously mentioned, you can obtain Egyptian nationality by buying and owning a property in Egypt that is worth $500,000 according to the specified requirements of investing and/or living in Egypt; which attracts more foreigners to invest in the Egyptian economy and brings more direct foreign investments.

Start searching for Properties in Aqarmap