Egypt Golden Visa
Duration
12 months
Overview
Egypt has no permit officially called a golden visa. The label is used for a temporary residence permit for foreigners who own property in Egypt or hold a qualifying bank deposit, set by Ministry of the Interior Decision 977 of 2023. It is a residence permit, not a citizenship route.
The entry tier is a one-year, renewable permit for owning property worth from USD 50,000. Higher tiers run three or five years. A bank deposit route also exists. Qualification rests on the investment, not on income, so no income test applies.
The permit can reportedly cover the property owner and first-degree relatives. The application fee, processing time, medical and interview requirements, work rights and presence rules are not published in enough detail to state here, so they are left out rather than estimated. Figures come from press reporting of the decision and law-firm commentary. Treat them as a starting point, and take the terms for your own case from the Egyptian passports, immigration and nationality department before you commit funds.
Citizenship by investment is a separate nationality route with different amounts. It is not covered here.
Eligibility Requirements
visa rules list nationality restrictions as “all,” which means any nationality can apply for the Egypt Golden Visa in principle. In practice, applicants from sanctioned or heavily scrutinized jurisdictions such as Iran, Syria, North Korea, and, depending on the banking channel used, Russia or Cuba can encounter serious hurdles with bank compliance, remittance of the 250,000 USD investment, and security clearances, even if they are not explicitly barred by law. Before assembling a full document and funding package, confirm eligibility and current practice directly with the Unit for Granting Egyptian Citizenship in Exchange for Investment under GAFI (General Authority for Investment and Free Zones), which manages the investment-citizenship framework Egypt’s Golden Visa is tied into.
Min Investment
$50,000
Duration
12 months
Requirements Checklist
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Tax Information
Egyptian tax residence
An individual is an Egyptian tax resident with a permanent home in Egypt, or after more than 183 days, continuous or intermittent, within 12 months. PwC on Egypt reports that residents are taxed on worldwide income only where the centre of their commercial, industrial or professional activities is in Egypt. Non-residents are taxed on Egyptian-source income. PwC also reports that gains on foreign securities falling within Egyptian taxation face progressive individual rates. The current bands change with each budget cycle, so none are given here. Holding the residence permit does not by itself determine tax residence. Take local advice before selling foreign investments while resident.
For US citizens and green card holders
US persons file annual US returns on worldwide income wherever they live. The foreign earned income exclusion is USD 132,900 for tax year 2026. It covers earned income only, not dividends, interest, capital gains or pensions. Egypt appears on the IRS treaty list, and that treaty records entry into force on December 31, 1981. Tax treaties are amended over time, so treat the 1981 text as the baseline rather than the last word.
FBAR (FinCEN 114) applies when the combined value of foreign financial accounts exceeds USD 10,000 at any time in the year. FinCEN’s inflation-adjusted maximum non-willful penalty is USD 16,536. The willful maximum is the greater of USD 165,353 or 50% of the account balance. Opening an Egyptian bank account to complete the property purchase can trigger the filing duty. Form 8938 may also apply at higher thresholds.
A US expat tax adviser plus a local Egyptian tax adviser is the safe setup.
Living in Egypt
COL Index vs NYC
21.5
Monthly Cost (excl. rent)
$338
1BR Rent (City Center)
$148
Safety Index
54.0
Healthcare Index
48.1
Quality of Life Index
85.4
Time Zone
UTC+02:00
Capital
Cairo
Population
102.3M
Official Languages
Arabic
Avg Internet Speed
108 Mbps
Public Transit Quality
Fair
With a budget covering rent and living costs, you'd need roughly $486/mo for a comfortable single-person lifestyle in Egypt.See how far your money goes →
🏙️ Best Cities in Egypt for Golden Visa Holders
What the permit is
Under Ministry of the Interior Decision 977 of 2023, which amended Decision 8180 of 1996, foreigners can be licensed for temporary residence for non-tourism purposes. The grounds tie the permit to owning property in Egypt or holding a bank deposit. Commentary often calls this Egypt's golden visa. A Cairo law firm notes that Egypt's investor residence works as a set of routes, not a single standardized product.
The five tiers
| Basis | Amount | Term | |---|---|---| | Property | at least USD 50,000 | 1 year, renewable | | Property | at least USD 100,000 | 3 years, renewable | | Property | at least USD 200,000 | 5 years, renewable | | Bank deposit | USD 50,000 | 1 year | | Bank deposit | USD 100,000 | 3 years |
The deposit tiers run for the stated term and do not advertise renewal. Figures in dollars or the foreign-currency equivalent.
Documents
For the property route, expect a purchase contract registered and attested at the Real Estate Publicity Department, proof the price moved through an official Egyptian bank (from abroad, where you are buying from overseas), and your passport. The passports department sets the final list, so it can vary by case.
Do not confuse it with citizenship by investment
Citizenship by investment is a separate route under prime ministerial decrees, with higher amounts such as USD 250,000 or USD 300,000. It grants nationality. This permit does not, and the two are often confused in coverage of Egypt.
What is not published
Application fee, processing time, medical exam, interview, health insurance, work rights, presence requirements, and any path to permanent residence are not published for this route. A general residence-permit fee increase was reported for 2024, but it was not tied to this route. Ask the passports, immigration and nationality department, or an Egyptian immigration lawyer, before you rely on any of these.
Work Permissions
What's typically permitted:
Application Steps
- 1
📋 Choose the tier
- 2
📋 Complete the purchase or deposit
- 3
📄 Register the property contract
- 4
📄 Confirm the document list
- 5
📬 Apply for residence
Frequently Asked Questions
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At a Glance
Last verified: November 11, 2026