Updated

EG-CIP

Citizenship by investment

Citizenship of Egyptby investment

Citizenship for a single investment — with a wife and children in the same application and with no requirement to live in Egypt. The passport passes to children born after you.

  • The conditions are checked against the portal of the Egyptian Cabinet
  • 20 years of practice
  • An assessment of your chances before the agreement
The passport of a citizen of the Arab Republic of Egypt
$250,000Investment from
6-12 monthsProcessing time
One per familyThe amount of the investment

01 / About the program

How the Egyptian programme works

Egypt grants citizenship by investment under Article 4 bis of Law No. 26 of 1975 on Egyptian nationality. Applications are received and checked by a separate department at the Cabinet, and the final decision is signed by the Prime Minister. The procedure and the amounts are set by government decrees No. 3099 of 2019 and No. 876 and No. 3562 of 2023.

01

Four options to choose from

A non-returnable contribution to the treasury of $250,000, the purchase of property from $300,000, an investment project from $350,000 together with a non-refundable contribution of $100,000, or a deposit of $500,000 for three years. One option is chosen and the money is transferred from abroad.

02

The amount does not depend on the family composition

The investment and the state fee are charged once per application. A wife and children under 21 come into the same application and add not a dollar to the amount. That is the main difference between Egypt and the Caribbean programmes, where each further family member costs separate money.

03

There are returnable options

The deposit comes back after three years, and property remains your asset and can be sold after five years. Only the treasury contribution and the state consideration fee are entirely non-refundable — that is the payment for consideration and for the citizenship itself.

04

Filing directly or through an agent

The application is filed with the application review department in Cairo in person or through an agent from the official list. The programme has no compulsory intermediary: the list of authorised agents is published, but filing directly is allowed by law.

02 / What you get

What the Egyptian passport gives you

One amount for the whole family

A wife and children under 21 come into the applicant’s application and do not increase the investment. The state fee of $10,000 is also charged once per application, not per person.

The money can come back

A deposit of $500,000 is returned after three years, and a property of $300,000 remains your possession and can be sold after five years. Only the treasury contribution option is non-refundable.

The rights of a citizen in the economy

A citizen is not bound by the 49% limit on a foreigner’s share in a company’s capital, buys land and commercial property and obtains trade agencies — the explanations of the responsible department of the Cabinet.

Free medicine and education

State medical and educational services — from primary school to university — are free for citizens. That provision is named directly in the list of the programme’s advantages.

Dual citizenship is permitted

Egyptian law allows more than one citizenship and you do not have to give up your current passport. It is worth checking separately how the law of your current country of citizenship treats a second one.

Citizenship passes to children

A child of an Egyptian citizen is a citizen by descent regardless of the place of birth. Children born after the passport is obtained receive citizenship with no new investment.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the cost for your family

Set out who is applying with you — the cost on the page recalculates at once. With the calculation you get the Egyptian budget for your composition, the timeline by stage and a plan of action.

Who is applying for citizenship?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

  • The investment and the fees for your family
  • The timeline for each stage of the process
  • A plan of action: where to start
The set of documents for the Egyptian citizenship programme

03 / Why people apply

Why people obtain the Egyptian passport

Egypt is not taken for free entry to Europe — the passport does not solve that task. It is taken as a working instrument: to open the road to the American investor visa, to enter the African and Middle Eastern markets and to take a large family through a programme without multiplying the budget by the number of people.

The road to the E-2 visa in the United States

Egypt is on the United States list of treaty countries: the bilateral investment treaty has been in force since 27 June 1992, and citizens of Egypt may apply for the E-2 investor visa. The visa is non-immigrant, and the suspension of immigrant visas in January 2026 does not extend to it.

Africa and the Middle East without visas

Most of the visa-free destinations are Arab countries and Africa. For trade inside the region and for work with the African free trade area the Egyptian passport removes visa formalities that take weeks to settle on the first passport.

A large family at one price

The applicant, the wife and children under 21 go through on one amount. A family of five costs the same as a single applicant — on the Caribbean programmes such a composition would add hundreds of thousands to the budget.

An investment, not only an expense

The deposit and the property return what was put in: the deposit after three years, the property by sale after five. If the budget matters more than the speed, this is a rare case where citizenship costs only the fee and holding the capital.

A base for business in the region

On an Egyptian passport people register companies with no limit on a foreigner’s share, buy land and enter projects in the Suez economic zone. We stay with that stage too — the work does not end when the passport is issued.

A plan B without giving up the first passport

A second document for when a single passport stops working: a block, a loss, a change of the situation in the country of residence. Egypt does not require you to give up your current citizenship.

04 / Family members

Who comes into the application

The application takes in the applicant, the wife and children under 21. Other relatives file only for themselves, with their own investment. Open a row — the conditions for that category are there.

  • Of full age
  • Not convicted of a crime or of an act dishonouring their name — confirmed by certificates from the country of citizenship and from Egypt
  • Health and legal capacity are confirmed by a medical examination at a state hospital in Egypt
  • A confirmed lawful source of funds: the money is transferred from abroad
  • Comes into the same application and does not increase the amount of the investment
  • Acquires citizenship not at the same time as her husband: she applies to the Minister of the Interior and the status arrives after two years if the marriage continues (Article 6 of Law No. 26 of 1975)
  • The provision of the law is written about the wife of a naturalised man: the husband of a female applicant does not obtain citizenship on this ground
  • Acquire citizenship together with the parent and do not change the amount of the investment
  • Full age in Egypt comes at 21
  • A child who lives permanently abroad and keeps their former citizenship may, within a year of coming of age, choose it instead of the Egyptian one
  • Do not come into the parent’s application
  • Citizenship is possible on their own application with their own investment and their own state fee
  • The programme does not include the applicant’s parents in the application
  • Citizenship is possible only on a separate application with their own investment
  • Brothers, sisters and other relatives do not come into the applicant’s application
  • Each of them needs a separate application with their own investment and their own fee

05 / Cost

What citizenship of Egypt costs

Four state options. The investment is shown large, and below it the all-in total together with the state fee. The family composition does not change the amounts: a top-up appears only for relatives the programme does not include in the application — each of them needs a separate application with their own investment.

A contribution to the treasury · non-refundable

from$250,000

Contribution · 1 person in the application

All-in with fees from $260,000

A wife and children under 21 come into the same application and do not change the amount. A relative the programme does not include in the application files a separate application with their own investment and their own fee. The contribution is not returned. Payment by instalments over up to one year is allowed, and citizenship is granted once payment is complete.

A non-returnable contribution to the state treasury
$250,000
State fee for consideration of the application
$10,000
Total all-in
from $260,000
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Property · the property stays yours

from$300,000

Contribution · 1 person in the application

All-in with fees from $310,000

A wife and children under 21 come into the same application and do not change the amount. Since 2023 the property may be bought not only from the state but from a private developer or owner. The property is held for five years. On a sale before that, $250,000 is paid into the treasury non-refundably to keep the citizenship. Instalments over up to one year are allowed.

The purchase of property in Egypt
$300,000
State fee for consideration of the application
$10,000
Total all-in
from $310,000
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An investment project · $100,000 non-refundable

from$450,000

Contribution · 1 person in the application

All-in with fees from $460,000

The project is created or acquired under the rules of Investment Law No. 72 of 2017. A wife and children under 21 come into the same application and do not change the amount. Of the total, $100,000 goes to the treasury non-refundably. The project is held for five years from the date of launch, and on an exit before that $250,000 is paid into the treasury.

An investment in a project and a non-refundable contribution to the treasury
$450,000
State fee for consideration of the application
$10,000
Total all-in
from $460,000
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A deposit with the Central Bank · returned after 3 years

from$500,000

Contribution · 1 person in the application

All-in with fees from $510,000

The most expensive entry and the gentlest in substance: the money is not spent but frozen. A wife and children under 21 come into the same application and do not change the amount. The deposit is returned after three years in Egyptian pounds at the Central Bank rate on the date of return and without interest — the currency risk sits with the depositor.

A deposit in a special account with the Central Bank of Egypt
$500,000
State fee for consideration of the application
$10,000
Total all-in
from $510,000
Send me this quote WhatsApp Telegram PDF
The main applicant
1
The applicant’s wife
0
Children under 21
0
Children from 21
0
Parents
0
Other relatives
0

A preliminary calculation based on the official rates of the portal of the Egyptian Cabinet as at 9 August 2026. It is not a decision of a state authority: the outcome depends on citizenship, the source of funds and the result of the screening. Translations and legalisation of documents, the medical examination, trips to Cairo and the BRIDGES fee are counted separately — those amounts depend on the country that issued your documents and go into a personal budget.

06 / Comparison

Egypt against the alternatives

If you are choosing between Egypt and other programmes, here are the main parameters side by side. The full comparison of every programme sits on its own page.

EgyptTurkeyVanuatuSaint Kitts and Nevis
Investment from$250,000$400,000$130,000$250,000
Processing time6-12 months3-6 months30-60 daysfrom 4 months
A top-up per family memberNoNoYesYes
The investment comes backA deposit after 3 years, property after 5Property after 3 yearsNoNo
Schengen visa-freeNoNoNoYes
The E-2 visa in the United StatesYesYesNoNo

The amounts are the minimum thresholds for a single applicant, excluding state fees. The timelines come from the practice of the programmes as at the date this page was updated.

Full program comparison →

09 / How it works

How the Egyptian citizenship process works

STEP 1

The consultation and the preliminary check

We go through your situation: the family composition, the sources of funds, the documents at hand, the purpose of the passport. We choose one of the four options and calculate the full budget. The preliminary check shows the risk of refusal before you incur costs.

STEP 2

Preparing the file

We assemble the pack: the passport and the birth certificate, six photographs, a declaration of any other citizenships, the documents of the wife and children, a police clearance certificate from the country of citizenship legalised at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a record of movements over five years and an Egyptian police clearance certificate. The medical report is obtained in Egypt itself.

STEP 3

Paying the state fee

The $10,000 fee is transferred from abroad to the Cabinet’s account at the Central Bank of Egypt. The fee is non-refundable, and the application is signed with an acknowledgement that the authorities may refuse without giving reasons.

STEP 4

Filing the application in Cairo

The application is filed with the application review department at the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones — in person or through an agent from the official list. Within three working days the department confirms whether all the documents are in place.

STEP 5

The screening and the preliminary decision

The department considers the application and issues a preliminary decision within three to six months of the complete set, taking national security considerations into account and after seeking the view of the relevant authorities.

STEP 6

Temporary residence and carrying out the option

After preliminary approval a right to temporary residence for six months is issued — within that period the chosen option must actually be carried out: transferring the contribution or the deposit, completing the purchase of the property or launching the project.

STEP 7

The Prime Minister’s decision and the passport

The final decision is taken within up to three months of the date the option is carried out. The applicant receives a certificate of naturalisation and the passport is then arranged. In the practice of the programme the whole route takes from 6 to 12 months.

10 / Travel

Where you can travel and where a visa is needed

We do not publish a total number of visa-free countries: the lists change and a figure without a date of verification is misleading. Below are the four entry regimes and a straight answer on the key destinations.

Mode 01

Visa-free

Most of the destinations are Arab countries, Africa and individual states in Asia and Latin America. For travel and trade inside the region this is a working document.

Mode 02

Electronic authorisation

Entry is possible after an eVisa or electronic authorisation is arranged online — usually a few days before the trip.

Mode 03

Visa on arrival

The permit is issued at the airport or at the border. The receiving country sets the requirements for passport validity and supporting documents.

Mode 04

Visa required in advance

The Schengen area and the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada — the visa is obtained before the trip. If free entry to Europe is the priority, the Egyptian programme does not solve that task.

All countries on an Egyptian passport

50+ destinations with nothing to arrange in advance — visa-free or with a visa on arrival

Where you are admitted without a visa, where the permit is arranged online, where the visa is put in at the border and where a consular visa is needed — with the length of stay given for each country.

Sources: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex I — Egypt is on the list of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter the Schengen area. From 21 January 2026 the United States suspended the issue of immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries, Egypt included (a State Department cable whose contents were reported by Reuters on 15 January 2026); non-immigrant visas, the E-2 investor visa among them, were not covered by the suspension. Entry rules are set by the receiving states and may change at any time.

Cairo, the Nile

The programme has run since 2020: according to the responsible department of the Cabinet, around a thousand applications have been filed in that time.

The Arab Republic of EgyptNorth AfricaA programme since 2020
Calculate the cost

11 / Our role

Why people obtain Egyptian citizenship with us

We have worked since 2004 and more than 8,000 families have come through us. Egypt is a programme where the price of an error in the facts is especially high: the market still works from a repealed version of the rules, and the state fee is not returned.

01

We check against the primary sources, not other people’s websites

The conditions on this page are checked against the portal of the Egyptian Cabinet and the text of Law No. 26 of 1975. The industry still publishes repealed figures — property “only from the state” from $500,000 and a deposit of $750,000. That version has not applied since 2023 and a budget cannot be planned on it.

02

A straight assessment before the start

Before the work begins we run a preliminary check. The $10,000 state fee is not returned, and under the law a refusal needs no reasons — so if we see a material risk we say so plainly and propose an alternative.

03

We run the application from the file to the certificate

We collect the police clearance certificates and the record of movements over five years, arrange legalisation and certification at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, structure the transfer of funds so that the bank puts the payment through the first time, and coordinate the visits to Cairo.

04

The full cycle, including life after the passport

Arranging the passport and the children’s documents, opening an account, registering a company, supporting a property transaction, returning the deposit after three years. We stay with the client after the passport is issued.

12 / Team

Who runs the Egyptian citizenship process

An Egyptian application is run not by a “sales manager” but by a permanent team: the programme lawyer, a compliance specialist and a family coordinator. You know them all by name from day one.

15 / Materials

Useful materials on Egypt

Materials on Egypt: the investment options, the composition of the application and how the work with the authorities is done.

The main materialPresentation

Egyptian citizenship by investment

The presentation gathers the essentials of the programme: the conditions, the amounts, the family composition, the documents and how the work is done.

Inside:

  • who can take part in the programme
  • which investment options are available
  • what it costs for your family composition
  • which relatives are included in the application
  • which documents will be needed
  • how due diligence works
  • how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A short check: who passes the screening, what the citizenship restrictions are and what due diligence looks at.

The list of documents for the applicant and each family member, marking what has to be translated, certified and apostilled.

We calculate the full budget for your composition: the contribution, the state fees, due diligence and our support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What has changed in the Egyptian programme

15 January 2026

The United States suspended the issue of immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries, Egypt included; the restriction took effect on 21 January 2026. Non-immigrant visas, the E-2 investor visa among them, were not covered by it.

28 November 2025

According to the industry monitor IMI Daily, over 2025 the Prime Minister of Egypt signed 36 decisions granting citizenship, and a requirement for personal visits appeared in the programme: at least two days at the filing stage and up to four weeks after approval. The programme no longer has a fully remote process.

21 May 2023

Law No. 28 of 2023 was published: the requirement to buy property only from the state was removed from Article 4 bis. From 22 May 2023 the programme accepts properties from private developers and owners.

March 2023

Prime Minister’s Decree No. 876 of 2023 lowered the thresholds of the programme: a treasury contribution of $250,000, property of $300,000, an investment project of $350,000 plus $100,000 to the treasury, and a deposit of $500,000 for three years.

Worth having

Download the Egyptian citizenship checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the requirements, the full cost structure, the stages and the timelines — in one list, with nothing padded.

Inside the document

  • The four options and the full cost structure
  • The list of documents and the order of legalisation
  • The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

Yes. The application is filed in Cairo — in person or through an agent from the official list — and the medical examination is taken at a state hospital in Egypt. According to the industry monitor IMI Daily (November 2025), the programme requires at least two days of visits at the filing stage and up to four weeks of visits after approval. At the same time there is no requirement to live in the country permanently, either before filing or after the passport is obtained.

The programme has no language examination — that is stated directly in the explanations of the responsible department of the Cabinet. Documents are filed with a certified translation and we run the support in English.

Yes. Egyptian law allows more than one citizenship and does not require you to give up your current passport. It is worth checking separately how the law of your current country of citizenship treats a second one.

Not at the same time as you. Under Article 6 of Law No. 26 of 1975 the wife declares her wish to the Minister of the Interior, and citizenship arrives after two years if the marriage continues; within that period the minister may refuse by a reasoned decision. Children under 21 obtain citizenship together with the parent. The provision is written about the wife of a naturalised man — the husband of a female applicant does not obtain citizenship on this ground.

Nothing beyond the chosen option: the investment and the $10,000 state fee are charged once per application, not per person. A wife and children under 21 come into the same application. Parents, brothers, sisters and children from 21 do not come into the application — each of them needs a separate application with their own investment and their own fee.

It depends on the option. The $250,000 treasury contribution is not returned. The $500,000 deposit is returned after three years in Egyptian pounds at the Central Bank rate on the date of return and without interest. Property of $300,000 remains your possession and may be sold after five years. In the project option only the $100,000 treasury contribution is non-refundable; the $350,000 investment itself remains your asset. The $10,000 state fee is not returned on any outcome.

Yes, but only on two options: the $250,000 treasury contribution and the $300,000 property purchase may be paid in parts over up to one year. Citizenship is granted once payment is complete, and temporary residence is issued for the period of the instalments. If the payments stop or the applicant withdraws the application, what has been paid is returned in Egyptian pounds at the rate on the date of return, but no higher than the rate on the date of payment, and without interest.

The $10,000 state fee is not returned, and the application is signed with an acknowledgement that the authorities may refuse without giving reasons and that the decision is not challenged in court. That is exactly why we run a preliminary check before filing: if we see a material risk we say so plainly and propose an alternative programme.

No. Egypt is in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 — on the list of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter the Schengen area. The same applies to the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. If free entry to Europe is the priority, the Egyptian programme does not solve that task.

Egypt is indeed on the United States list of treaty countries: the bilateral investment treaty has been in force since 27 June 1992. The suspension of immigrant visas from 21 January 2026 does not extend to the E-2 — it is a non-immigrant visa. But the passport by itself does not give the visa: a real enterprise in the United States, a substantial investment and a confirmed origin of funds are needed. We build the plan for both steps at once.

The law provides for two cases. Citizenship may be withdrawn within ten years if it was obtained by deception or on the basis of false information, and within five years if the person is convicted in Egypt of a crime or of an act dishonouring their name. In other cases the status is open-ended and passes to children.

Yes. Under Article 9 of Law No. 26 of 1975 a naturalised citizen does not enjoy political rights for the first five years and may not be elected or appointed to a representative body for the first ten; Article 4 bis extends those limits directly to citizenship by investment. It does not affect travel, business, property or the rights of children.

No. The explanations of the responsible department of the Cabinet state directly that military service is not required of children who obtained citizenship by naturalisation.

No, citizenship in itself does not create tax residency. Under Egyptian income tax law No. 91 of 2005 a resident is someone who has a permanent home or a centre of business interests in Egypt, or who has spent more than 183 days in the country. A non-resident is taxed only on income from Egyptian sources. Your situation is worth going through before filing — that is what our tax specialist does.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL
Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice