# Import personal Car in Egypt



## FromPaname

I'm french and I would like to know the different ways that i have to import my personal car here in Cairo. (Peugeot 406 model 2000, 2L)
I heard many things, that i will have to pay a lot of taxes, that i can't use my car more than 6months/year... 

Any other suggestions ?
If i go out the country (Lybia or Jordan) and come back after ? Can it work ?  
Any idea about prices of taxes ?
May i sale my car in Egypt after a while ?

Thanks in advance for your help


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## nutkenz

I'd like to know more about this as well...


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## aziza66

Foreigners can have their car into egypt either by paying taxes or not paying taxes. In order not to pay taxes you have 2 options: either you are working for a foreign mission (embassy) or you are an expat in a project related to the government (oil companies for example). In this case you can import your car, pay minimum fees (around LE2000 first time and around LE1000 for registration each year). At the end when your mission in Egypt is ended you will have either to export your car or sell it to another expat. 
If you are an Expat not working for a mission or a project related to the government, you have two options either to get it in as trip ticket and in this case you can only use the car 6 months in Egypt and export it for another 6 months before you can have it back into Egypt. The cost I assume will be around LE3000. There are duty free areas (parking lots) in Egypt where you can leave your car their for storage for the 6 months. Driving the car to Jordan and coming back is not possible as the car has to stay out of the country for 6 months. The other option will be that you pay full taxes for the car. In this case you can only pay taxes for a brand new car, i.e. zero mileage. A brand new 2000 cc car will pay around 220% of its original value as customs, taxes and other fees.
If you need more help, let me know.
Aziza


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## nutkenz

aziza66 said:


> Foreigners can have their car into egypt either by paying taxes or not paying taxes. In order not to pay taxes you have 2 options: either you are working for a foreign mission (embassy) or you are an expat in a project related to the government (oil companies for example). In this case you can import your car, pay minimum fees (around LE2000 first time and around LE1000 for registration each year). At the end when your mission in Egypt is ended you will have either to export your car or sell it to another expat.
> If you are an Expat not working for a mission or a project related to the government, you have two options either to get it in as trip ticket and in this case you can only use the car 6 months in Egypt and export it for another 6 months before you can have it back into Egypt. The cost I assume will be around LE3000. There are duty free areas (parking lots) in Egypt where you can leave your car their for storage for the 6 months. Driving the car to Jordan and coming back is not possible as the car has to stay out of the country for 6 months. The other option will be that you pay full taxes for the car. In this case you can only pay taxes for a brand new car, i.e. zero mileage. A brand new 2000 cc car will pay around 220% of its original value as customs, taxes and other fees.
> If you need more help, let me know.
> Aziza


220%? That's insane... Is this a registration or importation fee? For instance, does this also apply if you buy a new car car in Egypt (from an Egyptian dealer)?


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## aziza66

Yes. Taxes are very high on larger engine. till 1.6 ltr. taxes are OK. You can buy a Renault Megane 1.6 ltr. duty paid for LE140,000 while a Mitsubishi Pajero duty paid 3.8 ltr. will cost today around LE650,000.


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## LOLALOLITA

Hi.if i bring my car here(trip ticket),i understood that i can keep it in egypt only 6 months,than return the car another 6 months or leave it in duty free areas(storage).but can i sale my car in this 6 months?to a expat or an egyptian?i will apreciate your help.


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## LOLALOLITA

What about if i make taukhil to an egyptian for the car?can i sale it like this?


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## LOLALOLITA

*I want bring my car from abroad,can i sale it egypt?*

Like i said,i want bring my care in egypt from abroad.in that 6 months when my car can stay here,can i sale it?my husband is egyptian,can i put the car on his name,or does this help me in any way?i not work neither for embassy nor for government,so,can i sale it if i want,to a expat or an egyptian?


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## bondags

Dear Aziza,

Since you seem to be the expert on the subject, I'm an Egyptian and hold also the swiss passport. Can I get a car from abroad with the trip ticket use it for 6 month and park it in a duty free park for 6 months on an ongoing basis?

Most importantly, can I get a really old car like from the 60s? A 1969 Mercedes 280 SL is my dream. Can it work like this?

What is the regulatory authority that I need to speak with?

Many thanks.


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## shabrash

*Mr*

Dear Aziza,
I shall be thankfull if you can reply me these questions.
I am an Expat residing in Cairo, at the moment I am working in UAE and need to bring my Car to egypt by road via Saudi Arabia.
My car is 1.6ltr 2006 model Hyundai Matrix.
Q1) How many years old model is permitted to bring.
Q2) what shall be the tax ratio over it.
Q3) Do we need to pay tax on entering the border or only prepare the docs. & pay while registering.
Q4) Do you have any idea for routes to come in by road to egypt.
Can you please email me at shabrash6774 @ yahoo


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## GM1

if you bring a car from abroad (as an expat) and use it in Egypt as an expat, *YOU ONLY* are allowed to drive the car! If you get checked by the police (on the road) and someone else is driving the car, you have to pay all the taxes. You CAN'T sell it after to an Egyptian, only to expats, or export it again.


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## gullwing

dear aziza ... your info were not very accurate

panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to export it out every 6 months ... the 6-months-regulations is only for Egyptians with a residence-visa abroad ... only first-grade family members and a driver are allowed to drive your car ... u pay taxes depending on the cc / engine-displacement of your car ... between 2000 - 18000 LE ... u can drive in-side and out-side egypt as much as u want ... if your car was imported in 2009 and is a 2009 model, then you can sell it later after u pay the customs ... it has to be the same model year when imported ... embassies have a different (and much better rule) ... if you import the car in 2009 and it was a 2002 then u can sell your car only to an expat or an Egyptian with residence-visa outside Egypt or to a diplomat ... otherwise u will have to export it again ... or give it up to the Egyptian customs (if the car is not worth the shipping costs back to Europe!) .. or u can spend a weekend in Alexandria, then drive it over to Libya and just sell (or leave it there!)
the current customs for 1.6 litre cars are app. 40 % , for cars over 2.0 litres it is around 135 % ... customs will change soon again ...
LolaLolita ... if you have a tourist visa, then u can keep the car only for 6 months ... if you have a work or residence visa then u can keep it as long as u want ... u can sell your car to egyptian only if it is the same model year when it was imported, and of course after u pay the taxes ... u cannot sell it even u make tawkil (certificate of certificate / power of attorney ) to an Egyptian

bondags ... you can bring any car u want as long as u have a foreign passport ... and u can keep it as long as u want ... if you park it every 6 months in the customs free zone ... u would need to contact the egyptian customs for that ... check their website ...

shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...


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## shabrash

gullwing said:


> dear aziza ... your info were not very accurate
> 
> panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to export it out every 6 months ... the 6-months-regulations is only for Egyptians with a residence-visa abroad ... only first-grade family members and a driver are allowed to drive your car ... u pay taxes depending on the cc / engine-displacement of your car ... between 2000 - 18000 LE ... u can drive in-side and out-side egypt as much as u want ... if your car was imported in 2009 and is a 2009 model, then you can sell it later after u pay the customs ... it has to be the same model year when imported ... embassies have a different (and much better rule) ... if you import the car in 2009 and it was a 2002 then u can sell your car only to an expat or an Egyptian with residence-visa outside Egypt or to a diplomat ... otherwise u will have to export it again ... or give it up to the Egyptian customs (if the car is not worth the shipping costs back to Europe!) .. or u can spend a weekend in Alexandria, then drive it over to Libya and just sell (or leave it there!)
> the current customs for 1.6 litre cars are app. 40 % , for cars over 2.0 litres it is around 135 % ... customs will change soon again ...
> LolaLolita ... if you have a tourist visa, then u can keep the car only for 6 months ... if you have a work or residence visa then u can keep it as long as u want ... u can sell your car to egyptian only if it is the same model year when it was imported, and of course after u pay the taxes ... u cannot sell it even u make tawkil (certificate of certificate / power of attorney ) to an Egyptian
> 
> bondags ... you can bring any car u want as long as u have a foreign passport ... and u can keep it as long as u want ... if you park it every 6 months in the customs free zone ... u would need to contact the egyptian customs for that ... check their website ...
> 
> shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...


Dear Gullwing,
Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge.
I just need to clarify something.
I have a resident visa of egypt and am working in UAE my family is in Cairo Egypt but we all are Pakistan nationality holding Pakistani passport.
As you said the car should be same year when imported, Does that means I cannot bring my car which is 1.6ltr Hyundai Matrix 2006 model, whereas I am the 1st Owner of the car.
Please let me know if you can help


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## shabrash

*Mr.*

Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge with us. Please calrify me the following if you can.
As you wrote the car imported *has to be of same year model of import*
Whereas my car is 2006 model but I am the first owner and need to come by road.
I need to bring my car permanently and not on temporary basis. CAN I BRING THE CAR?
What are the documents we need to bring the car?

I am an Expat and have a *RESIDENT* visa of Cairo Egypt (No work permit), at the moment I am working in UAE and need to bring my Car to egypt by road via Saudi Arabia.
My car is 1.6ltr 2006 model Hyundai Matrix.
Q1) How many years old model is permitted to bring.
Q2) what shall be the tax ratio over it.
Q3) Do we need to pay tax on entering the border or only prepare the docs. & pay while registering.
Q4) Do you have any idea for routes to come in by road to egypt.
Can you please email me at shabrash6774 @ yahoo 



gullwing said:


> dear aziza ... your info were not very accurate
> 
> panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to export it out every 6 months ... the 6-months-regulations is only for Egyptians with a residence-visa abroad ... only first-grade family members and a driver are allowed to drive your car ... u pay taxes depending on the cc / engine-displacement of your car ... between 2000 - 18000 LE ... u can drive in-side and out-side egypt as much as u want ... if your car was imported in 2009 and is a 2009 model, then you can sell it later after u pay the customs ... it has to be the same model year when imported ... embassies have a different (and much better rule) ... if you import the car in 2009 and it was a 2002 then u can sell your car only to an expat or an Egyptian with residence-visa outside Egypt or to a diplomat ... otherwise u will have to export it again ... or give it up to the Egyptian customs (if the car is not worth the shipping costs back to Europe!) .. or u can spend a weekend in Alexandria, then drive it over to Libya and just sell (or leave it there!)
> the current customs for 1.6 litre cars are app. 40 % , for cars over 2.0 litres it is around 135 % ... customs will change soon again ...
> LolaLolita ... if you have a tourist visa, then u can keep the car only for 6 months ... if you have a work or residence visa then u can keep it as long as u want ... u can sell your car to egyptian only if it is the same model year when it was imported, and of course after u pay the taxes ... u cannot sell it even u make tawkil (certificate of certificate / power of attorney ) to an Egyptian
> 
> bondags ... you can bring any car u want as long as u have a foreign passport ... and u can keep it as long as u want ... if you park it every 6 months in the customs free zone ... u would need to contact the egyptian customs for that ... check their website ...
> 
> shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...


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## gullwing

*import car to Egypt*



shabrash said:


> Dear Gullwing,
> Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge.
> I just need to clarify something.
> I have a resident visa of egypt and am working in UAE my family is in Cairo Egypt but we all are Pakistan nationality holding Pakistani passport.
> As you said the car should be same year when imported, Does that means I cannot bring my car which is 1.6ltr Hyundai Matrix 2006 model, whereas I am the 1st Owner of the car.
> Please let me know if you can help




Dear Shabrahs,
if you are the first owner, then there should be no problem. as a pakistani national you have two options: either drive the car in egypt with customs plate (meaning you do not have to pay the customs duty - and the car doesnt need to be same model year) or you can pay the customs and register it with 'private' number plates... meaning u can sell it later on to Egyptians in Egypt (here it needs to be same model year - or like in your case: you are need to be the first owner!). if you drive it with customs plates, then u cannot sell it to Egyptians and you will need to export it outside egypt once your resident visa expires, or sell it to a foreigner or diplomat in egypt.
hope that was helpful ...


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## shabrash

*Mr.*

:clap2:It was Very very helpful, infact you solved my biggest concern because i couldnt sell my car in UAE because of the present senario of no resale value for cars, infact now i shall be able to use it in egypt.

Please see if you can clarify me the below points.

1) I shall be renewing my visa every year in egypt, so can i keep with customs 
plate as long as I renew my visas or is their any limitations on time to keep 
customs plate.
2) If customs plate renewal every year is possible,
A) Will customs plate registration be more expensive than duty paid yearly 
registration
B) where do we have to go for Custom plate registeration renewal
to the same port where we entered or it can be done in Cairo.
3) In case if we enter egypt with customs plate can we register the car in cairo 
and pay duty there later within 1 year.

Once again lot of thanks for your help in sharing valuable information





gullwing said:


> Dear Shabrahs,
> if you are the first owner, then there should be no problem. as a pakistani national you have two options: either drive the car in egypt with customs plate (meaning you do not have to pay the customs duty - and the car doesnt need to be same model year) or you can pay the customs and register it with 'private' number plates... meaning u can sell it later on to Egyptians in Egypt (here it needs to be same model year - or like in your case: you are need to be the first owner!). if you drive it with customs plates, then u cannot sell it to Egyptians and you will need to export it outside egypt once your resident visa expires, or sell it to a foreigner or diplomat in egypt.
> hope that was helpful ...


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## hcwurche

dear Gullwing,

we apreciate very much your input. 

Just another question for my understanding. 

I would like to import my wife's car ex Mexico (have been living there before moving to EG, -she is mexican). The car was bought in December 2008 & is registrated under her name. 

What do I have to do in order to get a permit for imports ? The car has a 3.5l engine ( Mazda CX-9, SUV). Where could I get information about the taxes to be paid ? 

I would import it on a tempoarly basis ( re-exportation after 3 or 4 years ).

thank you for your comments, Beste Gruesse

hcwurche





gullwing said:


> dear aziza ... your info were not very accurate
> 
> panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to export it out every 6 months ... the 6-months-regulations is only for Egyptians with a residence-visa abroad ... only first-grade family members and a driver are allowed to drive your car ... u pay taxes depending on the cc / engine-displacement of your car ... between 2000 - 18000 LE ... u can drive in-side and out-side egypt as much as u want ... if your car was imported in 2009 and is a 2009 model, then you can sell it later after u pay the customs ... it has to be the same model year when imported ... embassies have a different (and much better rule) ... if you import the car in 2009 and it was a 2002 then u can sell your car only to an expat or an Egyptian with residence-visa outside Egypt or to a diplomat ... otherwise u will have to export it again ... or give it up to the Egyptian customs (if the car is not worth the shipping costs back to Europe!) .. or u can spend a weekend in Alexandria, then drive it over to Libya and just sell (or leave it there!)
> the current customs for 1.6 litre cars are app. 40 % , for cars over 2.0 litres it is around 135 % ... customs will change soon again ...
> LolaLolita ... if you have a tourist visa, then u can keep the car only for 6 months ... if you have a work or residence visa then u can keep it as long as u want ... u can sell your car to egyptian only if it is the same model year when it was imported, and of course after u pay the taxes ... u cannot sell it even u make tawkil (certificate of certificate / power of attorney ) to an Egyptian
> 
> bondags ... you can bring any car u want as long as u have a foreign passport ... and u can keep it as long as u want ... if you park it every 6 months in the customs free zone ... u would need to contact the egyptian customs for that ... check their website ...
> 
> shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...


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## gullwing

Lieber HCwursche,
you could surely get some information regarding the taxes from the Egyptian Customs Authority. Maybe your company (or embassy) could contact them in Cairo and get you the exact amount of taxes.
Is your wife the first owner? that would surely be helpful in case you would be coinsidering to sell the car in egypt after 3-4 years.
Of course your wife will need to have a residence visa / permit before she imports the car (solltest du schon im Vorfeld vorbereiten!).
Regarding the Mazda CX-9 itself, you need to be aware of the fact that there is no proper Mazda Service Station or Mazda importer in Egypt. The main Mazda model sold in Egypt is the Mazda3. Neither the mazda5, nor the Mazda6 and surely not the CX-9 will have reliable and available spare parts at all time ... so watch out for that point! maybe u wonna get another car instead of the cx-9.
hope that was helpful.
mfg,


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## hcwurche

Hallo gullwing,

thank you for the info! Will check abt all the points you've mentioned. Mazda srv = schlecht... you are right abt that point. Needs to be considered indeed. In fact my wife is the first owner. Let's see what she thinks about selling her beloved car  Gruesse ! Hans Christopher






gullwing said:


> Lieber HCwursche,
> you could surely get some information regarding the taxes from the Egyptian Customs Authority. Maybe your company (or embassy) could contact them in Cairo and get you the exact amount of taxes.
> Is your wife the first owner? that would surely be helpful in case you would be coinsidering to sell the car in egypt after 3-4 years.
> Of course your wife will need to have a residence visa / permit before she imports the car (solltest du schon im Vorfeld vorbereiten!).
> Regarding the Mazda CX-9 itself, you need to be aware of the fact that there is no proper Mazda Service Station or Mazda importer in Egypt. The main Mazda model sold in Egypt is the Mazda3. Neither the mazda5, nor the Mazda6 and surely not the CX-9 will have reliable and available spare parts at all time ... so watch out for that point! maybe u wonna get another car instead of the cx-9.
> hope that was helpful.
> mfg,


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## Monia Lamarche

There are a lot of info on that subject and I am not sure I understand all of it for my situation.
- I am a Canadian expat on an Egypt tourist visa. My domestic partner has a work permit visa.
- I have a Toyota Echo 2003, berline, 4 doors in Quebec, Canada (bought it used for 4,000$). 
- I would like to ship it to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
- The estimation is around 1,700$ USD to ship it from Canada to Egypt. 

If I understand it right, on top of that cost:

1. I have to pay between 2,000 - 18,000 LE in taxes? Where can I know the exact amount?
2. Because I have a tourist visa, I can only keep the car for 6 months. Can my partner - with a work visa, import my car instead of me so we can keep the car longer if we need it? 
3. I will pay 40% customs because my car is 1,5 litre. 40% of what price? The one I give or the one that Egypt customs think?
4. Where would be the best port closer to Sharm to have the car delivered? (the Saidi one?)
5. Can I ship the car even tough I did not buy it new in Canada?

Thank you very much for your answers.


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## rasha

*Importing car*

Hi guys .i'm british citizen i want to import a car for my friend in egypt (sell it to him) what year the car should be?and how much does it cost its 1.6cc and can you tell me if am i allowed to sell it and how much tax should i pay please?the car is 2003 and cost $1700 so can you tell me how much tax should i pay and can i get it in to the country(Egypt) please?


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## kevinthegulf

gullwing said:


> dear aziza ... your info were not very accurate
> 
> panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to
> ..................................
> shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...


Gullwing very informative as have been all blogs, I am currently UAE based (although in the middle of Gulf of suez at moment)and moving to Cairo in September, I would like to bring my 2003 GMC envoy which i bought 18 months ago 2nd hand. I presume that i will have to wait till i get my work permit/ residence visa before i can bring the car in on a customs plate. Any idea how long you have to wait for residency/visa to be issued?

Also Shabrash did you drive through Saudi? what was it like getting visas etc and which point did you exit to Jordan? its an option but will probably get it shipped
Regards
Kev


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## queenie40something

rasha said:


> Hi guys .i'm british citizen i want to import a car for my friend in egypt (sell it to him) what year the car should be?and how much does it cost its 1.6cc and can you tell me if am i allowed to sell it and how much tax should i pay please?the car is 2003 and cost $1700 so can you tell me how much tax should i pay and can i get it in to the country(Egypt) please?


Hi if you are British and you are wanting to import a car to Egypt for an Egyptian friend can he / she not tell you? What do you mean ' what year the car should be ' ?

My advise would be to to forget it. $1700 from England? thats not alot in sterling and will prob cost more in taxes and not worth the hassle


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## alameer40

My wife and I have dual citizenships, we've Egyptian and American citizenship and we currently live in America, but we've decided to move back to Egypt for good, so as Egyptian citizens; (1)Can we take our 2 personal used cars to Egypt and be able to drive it with custom plates by paying fees every 3 month for each car? a friend of mine just moved to Egypt and he told me that I can bring my personal car and use customs plate numbers and pay just 400 LE every 3 months per each car, (2) Is this a correct information? Please I need your urgent answer since we are leaving by the middle of next month (January 2010).
Also; (3) Do we need any paperwork from here (USA) beside the Title (Proof of ownership)? (4) What is a trip ticket? and (5) how can I go about getting it? (6) What is a Carnet Du Passage? and (7) How and from where to obtain it? and last: (8) What other steps required if any to easily release the cars from the Egyptian customs?
Thank you so much for all your help in advance, merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.


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## alameer40

*Please Need Your Urgent Help.*

My wife and I have dual citizenships, we've Egyptian and American citizenship and we currently live in America, but we've decided to move back to Egypt for good, so as Egyptian citizens; Can we take our 2 personal used to Egypt and be able to drive it with custom plates by paying fees every 3 month for each car? a friend of mine just moved to Egypt and he told me that I can bring my personal car and use customs plate numbers and pay just 400 LE every 3 months per each car, (1) Is this a correct information? Please I need your urgent answer since we are leaving by the middle of next month of (January 2010).
Also; (2) Do we need any paperwork from here (USA) beside the Title (Proof of ownership)? (3) What is a trip ticket? and (4) how can I go about getting it? (5) What is a Carnet Du Passage? and (6) How and from where to obtain it? and last: (7) What other steps required if any to easily release the cars from the Egyptian customs?
Thank you so much for all your help in advance, merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.


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## MaidenScotland

alameer40 said:


> My wife and I have dual citizenships, we've Egyptian and American citizenship and we currently live in America, but we've decided to move back to Egypt for good, so as Egyptian citizens; Can we take our 2 personal used to Egypt and be able to drive it with custom plates by paying fees every 3 month for each car? a friend of mine just moved to Egypt and he told me that I can bring my personal car and use customs plate numbers and pay just 400 LE every 3 months per each car, (1) Is this a correct information? Please I need your urgent answer since we are leaving by the middle of next month of (January 2010).
> Also; (2) Do we need any paperwork from here (USA) beside the Title (Proof of ownership)? (3) What is a trip ticket? and (4) how can I go about getting it? (5) What is a Carnet Du Passage? and (6) How and from where to obtain it? and last: (7) What other steps required if any to easily release the cars from the Egyptian customs?
> Thank you so much for all your help in advance, merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.



I do not believe that you can drive on custom plates by paying fees every 3 months... if you could do that every Egyptian here would be doing it
If you have duel nationality I would suggest that you enter Egypt with your American passports as that will then give you access to joing various expat clubs.


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## alameer40

*Thank you.*



MaidenScotland said:


> I do not believe that you can drive on custom plates by paying fees every 3 months... if you could do that every Egyptian here would be doing it
> If you have duel nationality I would suggest that you enter Egypt with your American passports as that will then give you access to joing various expat clubs.


Thank you for your quick reply to my inquiry, would you please tell me what are the various expat clubs in Egypt? and what can that benefit my situation or benefit me in general?
Thanks a lot.


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## MaidenScotland

Have a look at the stickies at the top of the forum... expat meeting places.

If you enter Egypt with your Egyptian passport you are saying you are here as an Egyptian citizen and in the event of an emergency you will get no help from the American Embassy.


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## alameer40

*What If:*



shabrash said:


> Dear Gullwing,
> Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge.
> I just need to clarify something.
> I have a resident visa of egypt and am working in UAE my family is in Cairo Egypt but we all are Pakistan nationality holding Pakistani passport.
> As you said the car should be same year when imported, Does that means I cannot bring my car which is 1.6ltr Hyundai Matrix 2006 model, whereas I am the 1st Owner of the car.
> Please let me know if you can help


Dear gullwing:
You seems very knowledgeable about this issue so I would really appreciate it if you can tell me what happened if I'm an Egyptian with American citizenship? I mean I have a dual citizenship, what part of your answer will apply to me if I want to bring my personal used car from USA to Egypt?
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Thanks a lot


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## sameh-83

*reply*

Please be advised that some of your information is true. However, the cars that you would like to export has to be first owner cars. Meaning, you have to have owned it the first year it was manufactured and you will pay Custom duties according to the make and model of the cars. The range is usually 35% on a lower engine or cc motor. The ideal range is from 1600-2000cc size. that would be to keep rather than every three month renewal of temporary visa for vehicle.









alameer40 said:


> My wife and I have dual citizenships, we've Egyptian and American citizenship and we currently live in America, but we've decided to move back to Egypt for good, so as Egyptian citizens; (1)Can we take our 2 personal used cars to Egypt and be able to drive it with custom plates by paying fees every 3 month for each car? a friend of mine just moved to Egypt and he told me that I can bring my personal car and use customs plate numbers and pay just 400 LE every 3 months per each car, (2) Is this a correct information? Please I need your urgent answer since we are leaving by the middle of next month (January 2010).
> Also; (3) Do we need any paperwork from here (USA) beside the Title (Proof of ownership)? (4) What is a trip ticket? and (5) how can I go about getting it? (6) What is a Carnet Du Passage? and (7) How and from where to obtain it? and last: (8) What other steps required if any to easily release the cars from the Egyptian customs?
> Thank you so much for all your help in advance, merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.


----------



## sameh-83

Dear Gullwing,

I am trying to import a car from the United States that belong to my brother. He has been the first owner of the car and would like to send it to me with a power of Attorney to receive it from Customs. I understand that duties must be paid, however, would it work ? an can I sell it later if i decide i want to ? Please advise me about the fees involved for a 2000 BMW 740I ?
I believe it is around 4500-5000CC. 

Thank You !


----------



## sameh-83

By the way, I have recently been deported from America and would like to know if that is different from an Expat ? Would that be an issue for importing the vehicle that i am currently trying to receive ?


----------



## MaidenScotland

Sameh I would think if you have been deported from America and you are back here then you are an Egyptian so therefore you are not an expat.
To be an expat you must have a foreign passport, if you are Egyptian and have duel nationality you must be in this country with a entry visa in your foreign passport to make you an expat 
If you come into Egypt with your Egyptian passport you are not entering as an expat but as an Egyptian

Maiden


----------



## sameh-83

MaidenScotland said:


> Sameh I would think if you have been deported from America and you are back here then you are an Egyptian so therefore you are not an expat.
> To be an expat you must have a foreign passport, if you are Egyptian and have duel nationality you must be in this country with a entry visa in your foreign passport to make you an expat
> If you come into Egypt with your Egyptian passport you are not entering as an expat but as an Egyptian
> 
> Maiden


Thank You for your quick reply and clarifying this minor misunderstanding. I have to still wonder about my original question regarding importing a vehicle from the United States permanently from my brother. Like i mentioned previously, He is the first owner of the vehicle and will write a power of attorney for me to receive the car with upon its arrival in the ports here in Egypt. I am really confused about the Custom charges for such things here in Egypt and their lack of standard pricing. Everything seems to be a "Gray Area" here with the authorities.


----------



## MaidenScotland

Sameh,

I am sorry I have to smile at you and Egyptian asking on an expat forum how to import a car, if you cant sort out the bureaucracy here then there is no hope for any of us.


----------



## sameh-83

MaidenScotland said:


> Sameh,
> 
> I am sorry I have to smile at you and Egyptian asking on an expat forum how to import a car, if you cant sort out the bureaucracy here then there is no hope for any of us.


HaHa ! I have to laugh at your comment as well. please understand that I left Egypt and migrated to America when i was only seven years old. I lived my entire life in America and got deported two months ago to Egypt. In a way, I am an Expat but without the actual proof lol. It is my first time in Egypt and i hardly speak the native language. There is hope for a lot of us, we just need some sort of direct communication with the Authorities. I would appreciate ANY information on the importing vehicle subject. Especially, the percentage rate of the different types of vehicles. I have a BMW 740i that i need here in Egypt.


----------



## GM1

If it is possible (because you are not the owner) than you have to pay customs over the new price of the car, at least that is what I know.
Maybe you will find more information if you google some more, there are more Egypt forums!


----------



## shabrash

*Mr.*



sameh-83 said:


> Please be advised that some of your information is true. However, the cars that you would like to export has to be first owner cars. Meaning, you have to have owned it the first year it was manufactured and you will pay Custom duties according to the make and model of the cars. The range is usually 35% on a lower engine or cc motor. The ideal range is from 1600-2000cc size. that would be to keep rather than every three month renewal of temporary visa for vehicle.


Dear Sameh,

As an Expat or egyptian the rules are same.
1) You should be the first owner of the car.
2) upto 1600cc the duty for the car is 40% of the Car value according to the egypt
customs values.
3) Above 1600 cc to 2000 cc the duty value shall be 135%
4) then 15% sales tax on (Car value + Duty) on 1600 cc and 30% sales tax above 1600 cc till 2000 cc and for 2001 cc and above it shall be 45% sales tax.
5) then another 5% on (Car value + Duty + Sales tax)

For cars that are not latest model means if 2006 model a reduction of 10% for the
1st year and 5% for every year to date shall be deducted from Custom duty values completing the year in september accordingly. This reduction shall not exceed upto 50%, means max 9 years old model.
But for all the above you have to be the 1st owner of the vehicle.

The documents required shall be the 
1) 1st owner certificate for the car from the country of export issued by the traffic 
department, then attested from Foreign ministry and then from egypt embassy.
The above document shall mention all the details of the car such as chassis #, 
engine #, owners name, passport #, model, Make, year of manufacture, Colour,
2) The original invoice shall be a plus point if required attested by the egyptian 
embasssy
3) The shippers details and Bill of Lading.
4) Export Number plate.

It takes only 1 day to release the car from the port through an car clearing agent
but your presence is neccessary.

So wish you all good luck and hope the information is enough to help.

Regards,lane:


----------



## ArabRose

Sameh-83,

You mentioned you can hardly speak Arabic. Are your parents Egyptians who entered the United States illegally, hence you are deported back to Egypt? I would understand if you cannot read or write Arabic but surely, your parents would speak to you in Arabic unless they are not Egyptians.


----------



## alameer40

*How to Import my car to Egypt???*

Panama: Now I have a 2004 Honda Pilot 4WD (4x4) 6-cyl 3.5 Liter Engine (3500 cc) as I mentioned that I'm an American and leaving to Egypt for business purpose by February, 2010 and will enter Egypt with my American passport, my questions are:
Can I bring my SUV to Egypt and be able to drive it with " Private Bus " plate numbers through my company which I opened in Egypt as an investor? without having to pay this high customs fees and taxes? Note: I'm not the first owner of the car, and was told that I can bring it to Egypt as a private bus specially when the car has a 3rd row seating, Is this information is true? I need your urgent help since I already cleared the car through the US customs and ready to be shipped out to Egypt by next week, I'm trying to avoid all of these fees and to be able to drive it for at least 2-3 years without having to store it for 6 months.
I tried contacting the Egyptian customs without any luck, I'd really appreciate it if anyone knows what I'm talking about to answer my questions.
Thanks a lot.



panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to export it out every 6 months ... the 6-months-regulations is only for Egyptians with a residence-visa abroad ... only first-grade family members and a driver are allowed to drive your car ... u pay taxes depending on the cc / engine-displacement of your car ... between 2000 - 18000 LE ... u can drive in-side and out-side egypt as much as u want ... if your car was imported in 2009 and is a 2009 model, then you can sell it later after u pay the customs ... it has to be the same model year when imported ... embassies have a different (and much better rule) ... if you import the car in 2009 and it was a 2002 then u can sell your car only to an expat or an Egyptian with residence-visa outside Egypt or to a diplomat ... otherwise u will have to export it again ... or give it up to the Egyptian customs (if the car is not worth the shipping costs back to Europe!) .. or u can spend a weekend in Alexandria, then drive it over to Libya and just sell (or leave it there!)
the current customs for 1.6 litre cars are app. 40 % , for cars over 2.0 litres it is around 135 % ... customs will change soon again ...
LolaLolita ... if you have a tourist visa, then u can keep the car only for 6 months ... if you have a work or residence visa then u can keep it as long as u want ... u can sell your car to egyptian only if it is the same model year when it was imported, and of course after u pay the taxes ... u cannot sell it even u make tawkil (certificate of certificate / power of attorney ) to an Egyptian

bondags ... you can bring any car u want as long as u have a foreign passport ... and u can keep it as long as u want ... if you park it every 6 months in the customs free zone ... u would need to contact the egyptian customs for that ... check their website ...

shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...[/QUOTE]


----------



## aziza66

yes you can.
I am not sure which regulatory authority to speak with, but I will check this and get back to you tomorrow.

Aziza
QUOTE=bondags;100339]Dear Aziza,

Since you seem to be the expert on the subject, I'm an Egyptian and hold also the swiss passport. Can I get a car from abroad with the trip ticket use it for 6 month and park it in a duty free park for 6 months on an ongoing basis?

Most importantly, can I get a really old car like from the 60s? A 1969 Mercedes 280 SL is my dream. Can it work like this?

What is the regulatory authority that I need to speak with?

Many thanks.[/QUOTE]


----------



## aziza66

If you sell you will have to pay full taxes.

aziza



LOLALOLITA said:


> What about if i make taukhil to an egyptian for the car?can i sale it like this?


----------



## osama.helal

*Sclass*



aziza66 said:


> Foreigners can have their car into egypt either by paying taxes or not paying taxes. In order not to pay taxes you have 2 options: either you are working for a foreign mission (embassy) or you are an expat in a project related to the government (oil companies for example). In this case you can import your car, pay minimum fees (around LE2000 first time and around LE1000 for registration each year). At the end when your mission in Egypt is ended you will have either to export your car or sell it to another expat.
> If you are an Expat not working for a mission or a project related to the government, you have two options either to get it in as trip ticket and in this case you can only use the car 6 months in Egypt and export it for another 6 months before you can have it back into Egypt. The cost I assume will be around LE3000. There are duty free areas (parking lots) in Egypt where you can leave your car their for storage for the 6 months. Driving the car to Jordan and coming back is not possible as the car has to stay out of the country for 6 months. The other option will be that you pay full taxes for the car. In this case you can only pay taxes for a brand new car, i.e. zero mileage. A brand new 2000 cc car will pay around 220% of its original value as customs, taxes and other fees.
> If you need more help, let me know.
> Aziza


What's the tax on an S class s600 2010


----------



## barefoot-productions

*Importing vehicle from the UK to Egypt*

Morning All,
Hoping someone might be able to help me here, as Egyptian Customs dont want to explain things more clearly...

Im a British Expat living in Egypt for just over 4years, we have a registered Company/Business here. We have one vehicle bought as a used car here in Egypt & want to import another from the UK. 

The vehicle that is coming from the UK is a 1998 LandRover Defender 110 2495cc.
I am not the original owner as it is a very old second hand vehicle. The cost/value of the vehicle when I bought it was only 511 GBP = 4200LE. 

We want to keep the vehicle here (under english or under egyptian registration??) and use it for more than the 6months at a time. 

Cost of taxes of it becoming an egytpian registered vehicle?

Can and would it make a difference to the import taxes if the vehicle was imported as a company vehicle rather than a private car? 

When the vehicle is finished with we will either take it back to UK or scrap it here... 

Can some one please explain the options we have? 
Many thanks,

Tim Green
Operations Manager - Barefoot Productions


----------



## MaidenScotland

barefoot-productions said:


> Morning All,
> Hoping someone might be able to help me here, as Egyptian Customs dont want to explain things more clearly...
> 
> Im a British Expat living in Egypt for just over 4years, we have a registered Company/Business here. We have one vehicle bought as a used car here in Egypt & want to import another from the UK.
> 
> The vehicle that is coming from the UK is a 1998 LandRover Defender 110 2495cc.
> I am not the original owner as it is a very old second hand vehicle. The cost/value of the vehicle when I bought it was only 511 GBP = 4200LE.
> 
> We want to keep the vehicle here (under english or under egyptian registration??) and use it for more than the 6months at a time.
> 
> Cost of taxes of it becoming an egytpian registered vehicle?
> 
> Can and would it make a difference to the import taxes if the vehicle was imported as a company vehicle rather than a private car?
> 
> When the vehicle is finished with we will either take it back to UK or scrap it here...
> 
> Can some one please explain the options we have?
> Many thanks,
> 
> Tim Green
> Operations Manager - Barefoot Productions



Hi Tim and welcome

There are no set rules so that is probably why the customs do not want to explain things, it will all depend on who is on duty and how much they want as a bribe plus whoever they have to bribe down the line.

Maiden


----------



## donut258

good evening to all

i am student from malaysia and now doing medical course in egypt

so as a student ,
i want to import a SECOND HAND vehicle to egypt

i will stay in egypt for another 6 years....

so somebody please help..

what is the most cheapest way to import the car

and if i have to pay the taxes
how much it will be?

and i'm talking about mpv(dont decide which model yet) but between 1600-2000 cc

so if there anyone can help me?


----------



## aziza66

donut258 said:


> good evening to all
> 
> i am student from malaysia and now doing medical course in egypt
> 
> so as a student ,
> i want to import a SECOND HAND vehicle to egypt
> 
> i will stay in egypt for another 6 years....
> 
> so somebody please help..
> 
> what is the most cheapest way to import the car
> 
> and if i have to pay the taxes
> how much it will be?
> 
> and i'm talking about mpv(dont decide which model yet) but between 1600-2000 cc
> 
> so if there anyone can help me?


The maximum CC is 1600 for student cars. You will not need to pay any taxes. You pay only LE1000 per year. You have to issue a trip ticket from your country and the license of the car has to be in your name. 
Regarding paying the taxes of a car, currently you can only import 2010 models. Old models are not allowed. But as a student you can get any year model subject that you don't pay the taxes, i.e. sell the car.


----------



## aziza66

MaidenScotland said:


> Hi Tim and welcome
> 
> There are no set rules so that is probably why the customs do not want to explain things, it will all depend on who is on duty and how much they want as a bribe plus whoever they have to bribe down the line.
> 
> Maiden


Maiden, rules are explained in a book but it is published in arabic and not in English and it has nothing to do with bribing people. I can send you a copy of such book if you wish.


----------



## aziza66

barefoot-productions said:


> Morning All,
> Hoping someone might be able to help me here, as Egyptian Customs dont want to explain things more clearly...
> 
> Im a British Expat living in Egypt for just over 4years, we have a registered Company/Business here. We have one vehicle bought as a used car here in Egypt & want to import another from the UK.
> 
> The vehicle that is coming from the UK is a 1998 LandRover Defender 110 2495cc.
> I am not the original owner as it is a very old second hand vehicle. The cost/value of the vehicle when I bought it was only 511 GBP = 4200LE.
> 
> We want to keep the vehicle here (under english or under egyptian registration??) and use it for more than the 6months at a time.
> 
> Cost of taxes of it becoming an egytpian registered vehicle?
> 
> Can and would it make a difference to the import taxes if the vehicle was imported as a company vehicle rather than a private car?
> 
> When the vehicle is finished with we will either take it back to UK or scrap it here...
> 
> Can some one please explain the options we have?
> Many thanks,
> 
> Tim Green
> Operations Manager - Barefoot Productions


Ofcourse there are rules. You can only get your car under the trip ticket option, i.e. to use for 6 month and to export it for the other 6 months and then get it back again and so on. Usullay you park it at a duty free parking lot in Egypt against LE20 per day I believe. In this case the model year of the car is not an issue.
You will not be able to pay the customs/taxes for such car since it is a very old one. In Egypt you can only import same year model car.
As for getting the car on the company's name, again you will not be able because it is very old and also there is no difference in the customs if individual or company.
When you are done with the vehicle you must export it out of the country. You cannot scrap it. If you don't export it you will be liable for its taxes.


----------



## MaidenScotland

aziza66 said:


> Maiden, rules are explained in a book but it is published in arabic and not in English and it has nothing to do with bribing people. I can send you a copy of such book if you wish.




No thanks to the book but please tell me how you can import stuff without baksheesh being paid, I am importing on a regular basis and basksheesh is always paid.

maiden


----------



## donut258

aziza66 said:


> The maximum CC is 1600 for student cars. You will not need to pay any taxes. You pay only LE1000 per year. You have to issue a trip ticket from your country and the license of the car has to be in your name.
> Regarding paying the taxes of a car, currently you can only import 2010 models. Old models are not allowed. But as a student you can get any year model subject that you don't pay the taxes, i.e. sell the car.


to aziza

thanks aziza for letting me know this
but let makes it more clear..

so as student

1.i can import car from any year
2.i need to issue the car
3.i will only need to pay LE1000 per year instead of all the taxes.
4.and the maximum c.c is only 1600

thanks aziza for sharing.


----------



## GM1

from what I know, means trip ticket that you can use the car only a half year and then send it back or put it in the customs storage. And ONLY the owner is allowed to drive the car.


----------



## donut258

GM1 said:


> from what I know, means trip ticket that you can use the car only a half year and then send it back or put it in the customs storage. And ONLY the owner is allowed to drive the car.


thanks GM1

then i must reconsider to bring the car here
because i will use the car in the next 5 years until finishing my studies
this car also planned to be share with some omy friends 
so the car then will be a huge problem for me

btw.thanks again GM1


----------



## OmarF

*Help Please*

I want to import my brand new ford mondeo into Egypt.
Can any one tell me the tax for it, if its 2.0 L or if its 2.3 L

Thank you very much


----------



## shabrash

DEAR OMAR PLEASE FIND BELOW THE REPLY TO YOUR INQUIRY.
BUT I SUGGEST THIS INFORMATION IS BASED ON JULY 2009
DATA. YOU CAN FURTHER CONFIRM FROM THE EGYPTIAN EMBASSY
IN YOUR COUNTRY.
FURTHER MORE YOU CAN CHECK www.customs.gov.eg


NOTATIONS BELOW ARE USED FOR REPRESENTATION TO ALL FURTHER
CALCULATION ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT CAR CC'S.

A= CAR VALUE
B= CUSTOM DUTY
C= SALES TAX
D= OTHER TAXES

*1) UPTO 1600 CC*

A= CAR VALUE ACCORDING TO THE EGYPTIAN CUSTOMS REGISTERED 
VALUE
B= A X 40%
C= (A+B) X 15%
D= (A+B+C) X 5%

*THE ABOVE CALCULATION WILL LEAD TO CAR VALUE X 69% total taxes.*

*2) FROM 1600CC UPTO 2000 CC*

A= CAR VALUE ACCORDING TO THE EGYPTIAN CUSTOMS REGISTERED 
VALUE
B= A X 135%
C= (A+B) X 30%
D= (A+B+C) X 5%

*THE ABOVE CALCULATION WILL LEAD TO CAR VALUE X 220% total taxes.*

*2) ABOVE 2000 CC*

A= CAR VALUE ACCORDING TO THE EGYPTIAN CUSTOMS REGISTERED 
VALUE
B= A X 135%
C= (A+B) X 45%
D= (A+B+C) X 5%

*THE ABOVE CALCULATION WILL LEAD TO CAR VALUE X 250% total taxes.*


----------



## neworleansgirl

aziza66 said:


> Maiden, rules are explained in a book but it is published in arabic and not in English and it has nothing to do with bribing people. I can send you a copy of such book if you wish.


Hi Aziza66!

Can you please send me this book of laws?

Many Thanks!


----------



## ayouyazamn

*Import Personal Car In Egypt*

Hello Guys and Gals,

I have been looking for an answer but yet I am not clear on what to do.

I need to ship my car BMW 2008 x5 to Alexandria, Egypt. I need a trip-ticket, or a triptik book!!! Could I get it from here in the USA?FL? And from where if any?I also called AAA, and they have no clue on what I am talking about. I also called the shipping company, and they replied that they only ship the car "export it".

I called some friends in Egypt, and they have researched it and found out that if I do not get the Trip Ticket book from the US, then I will have to deposit in a bank the whole amount of custom due in an escrow account refundable upon shipping the car back to USA. In this case, which is going to be about 245% of the value of my car!!! A LOT

Can anyone please give me some advice.

Thank you all for reading it, and many thanks to anyone comes up with an answer.


----------



## MaidenScotland

Hi and Welcome

This is why we tell people that it is not worth the hassle to bring a car plus the cost is prohibitive.
Maiden


----------



## samertalat

I brought with me my Mercedes E350 Sports package to Lebanon , Used it for one year with the US Plates , A few months ago paid duty and sales tax + registration , when i sold the car last month I lost over $20.000.00 . I will not suggest for anyone to import any car anywhere in the world , It is a pain , shipping go through customs pay so much money and then when time comes here is the big screw up paying what ever customs is, I bought a brand new car for 9 months since rent will be almost 10K for the time i need the car , I will sell it and lose 4 to 4.5K and sell it it is a 2011 and when i sell it I might have 4 to 5 Thousand KM's will sell like new condition.
But I do not suggest to import any car to any country , Just buy one there , you will save .
Regards
samer


----------



## Kyanos

My son is working in Cairo, British national on a contract for one year. What is required to import his car registered in France and what are his options


----------



## MaidenScotland

Kyanos said:


> My son is working in Cairo, British national on a contract for one year. What is required to import his car registered in France and what are his options




Hi 

Please read all the previous posts.. basically don't do it.. it is far too expensive and not worth the hassle.


maiden


----------



## Guest

Dear Sir

i have a 1973 rolles royce silver shadow II worth 5000 euro only a vintage from my late father. is there a way i can bring it even not to drive just to keep at my villa?

thank you 

Farrell


----------



## MaidenScotland

Hi

Yes of course there is a way but it will be full of hassle and costs, read all the information supplied in this thread for more details. Don't forget the cost and hassle when you want to ship it out of here. There is a man in Zamalek who owns about 20 beautiful vintage Mercedes cars and basically they are worthless as he cannot sell them out of Egypt, however it is wonderful for us to see when he puts them out on display.


----------



## Faisca

Hi, can you bring two cars into the country and alternate between the two, for the six month period that one is in storage?
Thanks


----------



## MaidenScotland

Faisca said:


> Hi, can you bring two cars into the country and alternate between the two, for the six month period that one is in storage?
> Thanks




Please read all the previous posts about importing a car... it's a minefield.


----------



## ramez_ramoza

dear gullwing

i am an Egyptian living in the states and i have a green card..i know that i can bring my car to Egypt and pay the fees every 3 months for maximum 6 months..my only concern now is that if i have a driver in Egypt...another way:who is permitted to drive my car in Egypt?? plz plz reply as soon as u can..it will be greatly appreciated


----------



## MaidenScotland

ramez_ramoza said:


> dear gullwing
> 
> i am an Egyptian living in the states and i have a green card..i know that i can bring my car to Egypt and pay the fees every 3 months for maximum 6 months..my only concern now is that if i have a driver in Egypt...another way:who is permitted to drive my car in Egypt?? plz plz reply as soon as u can..it will be greatly appreciated




Hello

As you are Egyptian I think you would probably know what the rules and regulations are more than us expats.. Why not ask your family to get the information for you?

Maiden


----------



## ramez_ramoza

they couldnt and in the egyptian law the hace many cases and masy different stuff that will make u lost?


----------



## MaidenScotland

ramez_ramoza said:


> they couldnt and in the egyptian law the hace many cases and masy different stuff that will make u lost?




If the laws here baffle your family think how they baffles us


----------



## GM1

you will find the answer in this topic, read it from the first page!!!


----------



## fibers

hey every one i just hope some1 can help me wid dat , i live in uk and um goin for the summer to egypt and i want to have my car wid me but it's a right hand drive so is it alowed in egypt or not ??


----------



## MaidenScotland

fibers said:


> hey every one i just hope some1 can help me wid dat , i live in uk and um goin for the summer to egypt and i want to have my car wid me but it's a right hand drive so is it alowed in egypt or not ??




Welcome to the forum

Please read this thread all the information is there.

Maiden


----------



## Staalburger

*Short visit to Egypt by car?*

Hi there all!

I've read through the thread but don't believe there is any thing that covers my situation. My family and I want to visit family of ours that lives just outside Cairo. We're interested in driving down from the UK and make a nice trip out of it. Of course there is the issue of bringing the car into Egypt. What is my options available to us when we want to visit for 2 weeks in Egypt, with a visitors visa and we're all South African nationals. Would I have to purchase insurance as well?

Many thanks for reading


----------



## MaidenScotland

Staalburger said:


> Hi there all!
> 
> I've read through the thread but don't believe there is any thing that covers my situation. My family and I want to visit family of ours that lives just outside Cairo. We're interested in driving down from the UK and make a nice trip out of it. Of course there is the issue of bringing the car into Egypt. What is my options available to us when we want to visit for 2 weeks in Egypt, with a visitors visa and we're all South African nationals. Would I have to purchase insurance as well?
> 
> Many thanks for reading




Hi and welcome to the forum

We have covered the importing of cars many many times please look through the threads, but basically the outcome is that it is not worth the hassle, time, money and for a two week trip even less so. You never see foreign plates here and there must be a reason for it.
Your nationality makes no difference.

Maiden


----------



## PoleDancer

MaidenScotland said:


> You never see foreign plates here and there must be a reason for it.


I would qualify that slightly and say "almost never". I have met travellers with (respectively) both British and German registered vehicles here. However from memory they were also bearing Egyptian plates.

However unless you are absolutely determined, my guess is that Maiden's advice that "is not worth the hassle, time, money and for a two week trip even less so." is good nevertheless.


----------



## MaidenScotland

PoleDancer said:


> I would qualify that slightly and say "almost never". I have met travellers with (respectively) both British and German registered vehicles here. However from memory they were also bearing Egyptian plates.
> 
> However unless you are absolutely determined, my guess is that Maiden's advice that "is not worth the hassle, time, money and for a two week trip even less so." is good nevertheless.



Sorry I should have worded it better.
Well yes I have seen the old black and white taxis with foreign plates plus the Egyptian one.. I take it this is just whilst the registration is going through, what I mean was this is not like Europe where you see holidaymakers with GB stickers on their car. No one seems to tour Egypt in their own car and would you want to?
Look at the state of cars here, they all have dents.


----------



## PoleDancer

MaidenScotland said:


> what I mean was this is not like Europe where you see holidaymakers with GB stickers on their car. No one seems to tour Egypt in their own car and would you want to?.


Indeed.

The travellers I was referring to were serious - land rover - jerry cans and spare tires on roof - vehicle modified for crossing Africa adventurer types. Certainly not the 'family with suitcases in the back of the Mondeo' variety of holiday maker.


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## Staalburger

The reason why you see two number plates on foreign cars is that when you enter Egypt you have to buy an Arabic translation of your numberplate. I have an old Land Rover and we're planning on driving back down home stopping at our family for a visit. I actually know LOTS of people doing this, just vist africa-overland dot net and you'll see everyone that does something similar. The reason that I posted on here is that I was hoping there migt be a different way of importing your car into egypt than by carnet. If I include Egypt as one of the countries on my carnet, the cost of it jumps by 800%! Now where it gets interesting is that it's only the UK carnet that charges it's customers 800% levy unlike Sout Africa or the rest of Europe that charges 200%?!:confused2: I'm getting greyer by the minute!!


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## GM1

so my conclusion: you don't want to import a car into Egypt, you just want to travel to Egypt and then travel back, that is another (new?) topic.


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## Staalburger

GM1 said:


> so my conclusion: you don't want to import a car into Egypt, you just want to travel to Egypt and then travel back, that is another (new?) topic.


Well technically you do import it, although it be temporarily, and export it when you exit the country (supposedly) getting your money back.


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## Touts

gullwing said:


> dear aziza ... your info were not very accurate
> 
> panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to export it out every 6 months ... the 6-months-regulations is only for Egyptians with a residence-visa abroad ... only first-grade family members and a driver are allowed to drive your car ... u pay taxes depending on the cc / engine-displacement of your car ... between 2000 - 18000 LE ... u can drive in-side and out-side egypt as much as u want ... if your car was imported in 2009 and is a 2009 model, then you can sell it later after u pay the customs ... it has to be the same model year when imported ... embassies have a different (and much better rule) ... if you import the car in 2009 and it was a 2002 then u can sell your car only to an expat or an Egyptian with residence-visa outside Egypt or to a diplomat ... otherwise u will have to export it again ... or give it up to the Egyptian customs (if the car is not worth the shipping costs back to Europe!) .. or u can spend a weekend in Alexandria, then drive it over to Libya and just sell (or leave it there!)
> the current customs for 1.6 litre cars are app. 40 % , for cars over 2.0 litres it is around 135 % ... customs will change soon again ...
> LolaLolita ... if you have a tourist visa, then u can keep the car only for 6 months ... if you have a work or residence visa then u can keep it as long as u want ... u can sell your car to egyptian only if it is the same model year when it was imported, and of course after u pay the taxes ... u cannot sell it even u make tawkil (certificate of certificate / power of attorney ) to an Egyptian
> 
> bondags ... you can bring any car u want as long as u have a foreign passport ... and u can keep it as long as u want ... if you park it every 6 months in the customs free zone ... u would need to contact the egyptian customs for that ... check their website ...
> 
> shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...


Thanks for the valuable info! 
I still have a question : if i have a _residence visa in Egypt (5 years) without a work permit_, am i allowed to import a new car _without having to take it out of the country every six months_? 
Thanks for your precious help 
T.


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## GM1

no this rule is for everyone.


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## Touts

GM1 said:


> no this rule is for everyone.


Thanks for ur reply GM1. This regulation is very confusing. I really need an official source to rely to.


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## GM1

I presume that you mean that you don't have to pay the import taxes, that is only possible if you send the car outside of Egypt or put it in the customs warehouse for a half year. 
But if you didn't mean that: you are allowed to import a carif it is still new (without paying heavy fines), but you will have to pay all the taxes (how much depends also on the motor cc). I think somewhere in the topic are the fees. Otherwise search the forum.


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## Touts

GM1 said:


> I presume that you mean that you don't have to pay the import taxes, that is only possible if you send the car outside of Egypt or put it in the customs warehouse for a half year.
> But if you didn't mean that: you are allowed to import a carif it is still new (without paying heavy fines), but you will have to pay all the taxes (how much depends also on the motor cc). I think somewhere in the topic are the fees. Otherwise search the forum.


I see... Then no difference between a tourist visa and a resident one. Thanks for ur help.


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## maryanne2012

im moving to egypt and i want to bring my car from london to there, but i dont no what or how to do it.. Should i drive??


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## MaidenScotland

maryanne2012 said:


> im moving to egypt and i want to bring my car from london to there, but i dont no what or how to do it.. Should i drive??




Hello and welcome to the forum

Have a read through the forum... general consensus is don't bring it.


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## Lanason

maryanne2012 said:


> im moving to egypt and i want to bring my car from london to there, but i dont no what or how to do it.. Should i drive??


I looked into the same thing - we had a Land-cruiser which would have been perfect here. My Jag with low body kit and low profile tyres would have been destroyed in days. 

So Right Hand Drive registering issues, and Massive import duties (based on new price) made it a nonsense.


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## hhaddad

Things haven't changed since January last year it's just not worth the hastle and expense to bring a car here. I f you think you need a car here then sell yours in the UK and buy one here with the money.
And welcome to the forum.


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## MaidenScotland

If it was easy and not cost prohibitive to bring a car here then the place would be flooded with cars from the Gulf states...


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## KALHINTZ

*About Duty Free Car*

Hello everyone ~ 

I just register this forum ~ 

I have a question ! 

I work in embbasy . I heard can used car form my country to Egypt 

B`z Duty Free But i read this forum said can not import to egypt if not same years car

it's right ? this rule for duty free car also apply ? 

thanks ~ for reading

PS. if i have 2006year car in my country this car can move to egypt for duty free car ? I knew regular is can not !


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## KALHINTZ

I working for a foreign mission (embassy) 
In this case can import my car, 
pay minimum fees (around LE2000 first time and around LE1000 for registration each year). 
I Want know duty free car also must same years model ?
and should be 1st owner ?


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## MaidenScotland

KALHINTZ said:


> Hello everyone ~
> 
> I just register this forum ~
> 
> I have a question !
> 
> I work in embbasy . I heard can used car form my country to Egypt
> 
> B`z Duty Free But i read this forum said can not import to egypt if not same years car
> 
> it's right ? this rule for duty free car also apply ?
> 
> thanks ~ for reading
> 
> PS. if i have 2006year car in my country this car can move to egypt for duty free car ? I knew regular is can not !




It really is a minefield.. 

I have a diplomatic car, the car belongs to the embassy it is not mine.
The best people to ask is your embassy they will know what you can and cannot bring in through them.

Maiden


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## Liberty spirit

i am not egyptian and working in big private corporation in egypt.
i want to bring car to egypt, how long can i use it there and how much will i pay for it ?
by the way i am registered with this corporation in egyptian goverment as engineer.

Regards


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## hhaddad

Liberty spirit said:


> i am not Egyptian and working in big private corporation in Egypt.
> i want to bring car to Egypt, how long can i use it there and how much will i pay for it ?
> by the way i am registered with this corporation in Egyptian government as engineer.
> 
> Regards


 
If you work for the Egyptian government ask them we're not professionals.We only give advice from our experiences here and I don't think any of us has been daft enough to try and bring a car here.


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## Liberty spirit

no iam not working for th egyptian government i am working as specialist engineer in private hospital.


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## MaidenScotland

Liberty spirit said:


> no iam not working for th egyptian government i am working as specialist engineer in private hospital.




Hi and welcome

We can give you no answer that is not already in this thread.. have a good look at it.

Ask yourself this... Why are there not many privately imported cars on the road?


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## hhaddad

Liberty spirit said:


> no iam not working for th egyptian government i am working as specialist engineer in private hospital.


Ok the rules are that it cannot be more that three years old and you have to leave a heafty deposit at the customs when you bring it in normally6 from what I've heard more than the value of the car.Also the car must leave the country when you leave if not you loose the deposit and also pay a heavy fine. Basically it's just not worth it and thats why you never or rarely see private owned foreign registered cars here excepting some Arab countries whose owners are rich and don't care if their car gets trashed while it's here.


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## Liberty spirit

but i see many cars custom Alexandria owned by many foreigners for some time and some one told me that the G.M. of the hospital was german and his car was here for more than 2 years with custom plates ..!!
the issue where i can ask and whom to get the right answer?
do u have phone numbers ?

Regards


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## MaidenScotland

Liberty spirit said:


> but i see many cars custom Alexandria owned by many foreigners for some time and some one told me that the G.M. of the hospital was german and his car was here for more than 2 years with custom plates ..!!
> the issue where i can ask and whom to get the right answer?
> do u have phone numbers ?
> 
> Regards




I don't live in Alex but I can assure you that individually brought in cars are rare.

If the hospital is telling you this then the best solution is to ask them how to do it,
As I said in a previous post.. other than what is on this thread I don't think we have anything we could ask.. google the phones numbers that you want,

maiden


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## hhaddad

Liberty spirit said:


> but i see many cars custom Alexandria owned by many foreigners for some time and some one told me that the G.M. of the hospital was German and his car was here for more than 2 years with custom plates ..!!
> the issue where i can ask and whom to get the right answer?
> do u have phone numbers ?
> 
> Regards


 
Some time ago you would go to the Egyptian embassy or consulate in your country and they would explain how to do it and obtain what is called a Trip ticket for the car. All arrangements must be made in your country of origin before you try and bring it here


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## Good 1

gullwing said:


> dear aziza ... your info were not very accurate
> 
> panama ... if you are an expat and have a residence or work visa or study visa, then you can keep the car with you as long as you want ... u do NOT need to export it out every 6 months ... the 6-months-regulations is only for Egyptians with a residence-visa abroad ... only first-grade family members and a driver are allowed to drive your car ... u pay taxes depending on the cc / engine-displacement of your car ... between 2000 - 18000 LE ... u can drive in-side and out-side egypt as much as u want ... if your car was imported in 2009 and is a 2009 model, then you can sell it later after u pay the customs ... it has to be the same model year when imported ... embassies have a different (and much better rule) ... if you import the car in 2009 and it was a 2002 then u can sell your car only to an expat or an Egyptian with residence-visa outside Egypt or to a diplomat ... otherwise u will have to export it again ... or give it up to the Egyptian customs (if the car is not worth the shipping costs back to Europe!) .. or u can spend a weekend in Alexandria, then drive it over to Libya and just sell (or leave it there!)
> the current customs for 1.6 litre cars are app. 40 % , for cars over 2.0 litres it is around 135 % ... customs will change soon again ...
> LolaLolita ... if you have a tourist visa, then u can keep the car only for 6 months ... if you have a work or residence visa then u can keep it as long as u want ... u can sell your car to egyptian only if it is the same model year when it was imported, and of course after u pay the taxes ... u cannot sell it even u make tawkil (certificate of certificate / power of attorney ) to an Egyptian
> 
> bondags ... you can bring any car u want as long as u have a foreign passport ... and u can keep it as long as u want ... if you park it every 6 months in the customs free zone ... u would need to contact the egyptian customs for that ... check their website ...
> 
> shabrash ... you will need to pay some taxes when u enter and receive your egyptian documents ... you will need a trip ticket carnet from the UAE automobile club if u will come with a tourist visa ...


Hello, Gullwing, it sounds too good "you can bring any car you want and keep it as long as you want if you have a foreign passport". Is it really the case? Does someone you know did it this way? For shipping personal car for expat with resident visa the trip ticket is also required? Can the owner of the car be not a first owner? Can it be a 2004 car? To which port it is better to ship the vehicle? Would appreciate your reply.


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## hurghadapat

Good 1 said:


> Hello, Gullwing, it sounds too good "you can bring any car you want and keep it as long as you want if you have a foreign passport". Is it really the case? Does someone you know did it this way? For shipping personal car for expat with resident visa the trip ticket is also required? Can the owner of the car be not a first owner? Can it be a 2004 car? To which port it is better to ship the vehicle? Would appreciate your reply.


This post by Gullwing was posted on May 2009 so doubt very much that you will get a reply.


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## MaidenScotland

Good 1 said:


> Hello, Gullwing, it sounds too good "you can bring any car you want and keep it as long as you want if you have a foreign passport". Is it really the case? Does someone you know did it this way? For shipping personal car for expat with resident visa the trip ticket is also required? Can the owner of the car be not a first owner? Can it be a 2004 car? To which port it is better to ship the vehicle? Would appreciate your reply.




No you can't... if you could do you not think every ex pat would be doing it??


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## Biffy

hi
1) the import of cars applies only to cars where you have been the sole owner
2) resale if it comes in duty free to diplomat / government sectors - can only be resold to an expat with the same priveliges - sale to anyone else will result in the payment of the full duties for the new owner. or you take it home with you to your own country when you leave.
driving it from anywhere it is the same - the car is still be imported - so either pay up or only drive your car for 6 months of the year.
3) the law that applies to Egyptians importing goods tends to be tougher than for expats (even household goods)

the rules are there to protect the egyptian economy - for the same reasons that all imported goods are higher in price.
If they changed the law - the road from Libya would be groaning under the weight of imported cars!!


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## SAM2015

*Sam*

Hi Aziza,
i'm an expat and I work for the UN, so the option one you mentioned above is applicable.
my question is can I buy a brand new car from egypt without customs or i have to bring it with me.

thanks


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## SAM2015

Dear Aziza, 
as mentioned above, you are the expert,
i'm an expat i work for the UN, so option 1 that you mentioned above is applicable in my case, the question is:
1- Do I have the right to buy a brand new car from the local market but without paying the taxes (customs)? meaning excluding taxes?

thanks
Sam


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## Dess

I have some research to do in Egypt and the Sudan. I want to import my two land cruiser vehicles to Egypt from Ethiopia or directly from Dubai if that is a better option. The vehicles are all new, 2014. I want to stay in Egypt for a month or less. Then along with my team, we will drive south to the Sudan via Aswan and finally back to Ethiopia, all driving. Is there anyone who can help me with all the procedures I should follow to import my vehicles into Egypt just for a month? 
Thank you in advance, friends.


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## Dess

By the way, I've been browsing like for a week to find such a useful forum or any sort of information, though it ended in vain. I'm glad I'm finally here.


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## james77

Hi
I would like to know how you got your ticket for your cars. I am in the same situation as you.
Thanks 

James


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## AlexTG

Are you still able to advise on car imports?


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## AlexTG

If anyone still interested in this forum, I am in the process of planning to export my car from the U.K. to Egypt. I will keep this post updated on my experience (if successful that is).


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## hurghadapat

AlexTG said:


> Are you still able to advise on car imports?


Are you asking if you can advise or if anyone else can advise you ?
If it's you wants to give advice then I don't see why not,just so long as you don't do any advertising of companies or people.


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## AlexTG

hurghadapat said:


> Are you asking if you can advise or if anyone else can advise you ?
> If it's you wants to give advice then I don't see why not,just so long as you don't do any advertising of companies or people.


I am asking for advise from anyone who has recently imported a car to Egypt please. I realise this thread is somewhat old. That is all. I am in the process of exporting my car to Egypt and I will be sharing my experience on how this goes in this forum, if that is ok with everyone.


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## ewa_nider

Hi,
I´m new here and need help. I decided to leave Berlin and move to in Hurghada. I've just started the preparation. One of the million questions ist if I can take my car with me and how does it work in Egypt?


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