Egypt Citizenship by Investment 2026: Four Routes and Fees

Where Egypt stands

Egypt grants its citizenship in return for investment, and it does so on a statutory basis. Law No. 140 of 2019 inserted a dedicated article into the Nationality Law of 1975: the Prime Minister may grant citizenship to a foreigner who buys property, sets up an investment project, or pays foreign currency to the state or deposits it with the Central Bank. The amounts are fixed by a decree of the Prime Minister, last amended in 2023.

Applications are reviewed by a dedicated unit at the Council of Ministers, staffed by representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Interior and Investment and of the security services. Its portal sets out the path like this: you apply in person in Cairo or through licensed migration agents, then comes the review, a spell of temporary residence and, at the end, the Prime Minister's decision. The government has published neither a suspension nor a relaunch. The portal itself dates from 2020; for the amounts, what counts are the 2023 decrees in the Official Gazette.

The facts from the official source

Legal basis: Law No. 26 of 1975 on Egyptian Nationality, Art. 4 bis, inserted by Law No. 140 of 2019 and amended by Law No. 28 of 2023; Prime Minister's Decree No. 3099 of 2019, amended by Decrees No. 876 and No. 3562 of 2023

Competent authority: Citizenship by Investment Unit at the Egyptian Council of Ministers

Investment routes and fees under the law, the decree and the authority's portal, as of November 11, 2026
Real estate	a purchase of at least 300,000 USD; the money is wired from abroad or declared to customs on entry; a declaration that the property will not be sold for five years Source
Business	an investment project of at least 350,000 USD, plus 100,000 USD paid straight to the State Treasury as revenue, non-refundable Source
Deposit	500,000 USD in a special account at the Central Bank; repaid after three years in Egyptian pounds at the exchange rate of the day, without interest Source
Direct payment	250,000 USD paid straight to the State Treasury as revenue, non-refundable Source
Instalments	available for the property route and the direct payment, spread over one year at most; citizenship is granted only once everything is paid, with temporary residence until then; if the application ends early, the money is repaid in Egyptian pounds without interest Source
Application fee	10,000 USD, non-refundable, wired from abroad or paid straight into the unit's account Source
Selling within five years	according to the authority's portal, anyone who sells the property or the business within five years keeps citizenship only by paying a further 250,000 USD, non-refundable Source
Deadlines in the law	a first decision within three months; once approved in principle, six months of temporary residence; a final recommendation within three months of a complete file Source
Where to apply	in person at the unit's reception inside the investment authority GAFI, 3 Salah Salem Street, Cairo, or through licensed migration agents; completeness check within three working days, preliminary decision three to six months after a complete application according to the portal Source
Minor children	acquire Egyptian citizenship along with the parent, unless they normally live abroad and keep their existing citizenship; they may then choose in the year after they come of age Source
Dual citizenship, language, military service	according to the authority's portal, dual citizenship is allowed, no language test is required and naturalised children are not called up for military service Source

Four routes and what they really cost you

The decree sets out four routes. Two of them tie up capital, two are payments you will never see again:

Direct payment of 250,000 USD: the shortest route, and the money does not come back.
Property from 300,000 USD: you buy and hold for five years. Since 2023, privately owned property counts too, not just property sold by the state.
Business with 350,000 USD: plus 100,000 USD to the State Treasury, which does not come back either.
Deposit of 500,000 USD: you get it back after three years, but in Egyptian pounds and without interest.

Every route carries the 10,000 USD application fee on top. With the deposit, the exchange rate is the real calculation: what comes back in pounds after three years is no longer the same amount once you convert it into dollars.

How the procedure works

Under the law, the unit decides within three months whether to accept the application in principle. You then receive temporary residence for six months, during which you complete the investment in full and hand in the remaining documents. Within three months of a complete file, the unit issues its recommendation, and the Prime Minister takes the decision. The portal puts the whole procedure at six to twelve months.

If you pay in instalments, you receive citizenship only after the last one. If an application ends early, the state repays the money in Egyptian pounds and without interest.

More on Egypt from us

Every programme compared
Minimum amounts, fees and timelines of the open programmes side by side.
Donation or real estate
What the difference between money that is gone for good and capital that stays tied up means for your sums.
How to spot a sound programme
How to tell a programme anchored in law from an offer with nothing behind it.

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Questions about Egypt

Can I apply for Egyptian citizenship today?

Yes. The portal of the unit at the Council of Ministers describes applying in person in Cairo or through licensed migration agents. To date, the government has published neither a suspension nor a relaunch of the programme.

Which route is the cheapest?

The direct payment of 250,000 USD to the State Treasury, which you do not get back. The 10,000 USD application fee comes on top.

Do I get the 500,000 USD deposit back?

Yes, after three years, but in Egyptian pounds at the exchange rate on the day of repayment and without interest. The currency risk is yours.

Do I have to live in Egypt?

Neither the law nor the decree requires permanent residence. While your application is under review you hold temporary residence, and on the property route you undertake to keep the property for five years.

Does the investment cover my family too?

Under the law, minor children acquire citizenship along with you. No official source sets separate amounts for a spouse or children; your wife and children are listed on the application form with their documents.

Egypt: a passport for investment, with four routes set in law