# Criteria for Residence Permit Egypt



## Rock Spyder (Dec 17, 2009)

Hi folks. I need the latest advice on moving to Sharm (in particular). I am middle- aged and not in receipt of a pension. I own a property in UK which I could sell to finance a move to Egypt, where I want to live. I don't think I would necessarily want to work with careful investment of the sale proceeds from my house. 

My main question is: How can I get permisision to live in Egypt on a permanent basis? If I leave England, there would effectively be no going back. I need to be sure of my prospects to get permission to reside there before I sell up and initiate the move.

b) I am egaged to be married to a foreign national - she has no assets, but has a useable skill. If I do get the necessary clearance, can I then bring her to Egypt to reside with me as my wife? Regardless of whether she would be allowed to work or not? I already qualify to live in her country but would not be allowed to work and I don't see me being able to have the quality of life there as I believe we both could have in Egypt. I should add I have had frequent holidays there and love the beach life and reef attractions.

Is it worth me asking at the local embassy here (we are not in the UK right now) appropriate advice?

Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

p.s. I would be very interested in buying a flat to live in and possibly another to rent out to provide a side income. Any pitfalls with this idea?

Thanks for your time.


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## NZCowboy (May 11, 2009)

Hi
Here is the Egyptain immigration web site
http://www.moiegypt.gov.eg/English/Departments Sites/Immegration/ForignersServices/Visa/
The English is poor but it will give you an idea.


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## Rock Spyder (Dec 17, 2009)

NZCowboy said:


> Hi
> 
> The English is poor but it will give you an idea.


 Hi Cowboy. Thanks for that link. It gives me some ideas to go on with. I think in general I can qualify for the temporary tourist visa. And then take if from there. It seems to me the key to success is to do things in the right order. I might check out things with the local Embassy here before flying home from Asia in a few weeks to begin the moving process.

kind regards,

Spyder.:spider:


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi 

I am married to an Egyptian National which means I am entitled to apply for a 5 year resident visa, all you need is yours and your spouses passport and the marriage certificate. You apply in person in Cairo (sorry cannot remember the Government name but sure know where the building is) and it can take up to 10 days to get one. Be prepared when you go to apply the waiting around etc, take some to read, drink and eat ha ha ha

If you are not married then you will not be entitled to the Residence Visa unless you purchase a property in Egypt, you can then apply.

I will be getting my Visa in January so any more tips I pick up I will let you know.

Hope this helps

Micki



Rock Spyder said:


> Hi Cowboy. Thanks for that link. It gives me some ideas to go on with. I think in general I can qualify for the temporary tourist visa. And then take if from there. It seems to me the key to success is to do things in the right order. I might check out things with the local Embassy here before flying home from Asia in a few weeks to begin the moving process.
> 
> kind regards,
> 
> Spyder.:spider:


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## Beatle (Aug 14, 2009)

micki moo said:


> Hi
> 
> I am married to an Egyptian National which means I am entitled to apply for a 5 year resident visa, all you need is yours and your spouses passport and the marriage certificate. You apply in person in Cairo (sorry cannot remember the Government name but sure know where the building is) and it can take up to 10 days to get one. Be prepared when you go to apply the waiting around etc, take some to read, drink and eat ha ha ha"
> 
> Is it the Mugamma where you get the visa?


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Yes it's the Muagamma or at least that is where you start off lol.

I personally would not buy a house here for various reasons the main one being that we have no idea what is going to happen in the near future (yes no one knows) but I believe if the Muslim brotherhood get in then all the property value will drop like a stone and the tourist trade will not be the earner it is today.
The owner of the Grand Hayatt is a devout muslim and two years ago he suddenly decided overnight that no alcohol would be served in his hotel and millions of dollars worth of alcohol was smashed and thrown. To be a 5* hotel you must serve alcohol. The loss of a * meant that he was told to come to america to speak with the GH bosses (probably he franchised the name) and now you can buy alcohol at the very top of the building at the revolving restaurant but they never offer you the wine menu you have to ask for it.
I don't feel this is a stable area to put money into property, and you can of course rent some very nice properties for not too much money.
All property speculation is a gamble but not one I would take here with my life savings.


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

Rock Spyder said:


> Hi folks. I need the latest advice on moving to Sharm (in particular). I am middle- aged and not in receipt of a pension. I own a property in UK which I could sell to finance a move to Egypt, where I want to live. I don't think I would necessarily want to work with careful investment of the sale proceeds from my house.
> 
> My main question is: How can I get permisision to live in Egypt on a permanent basis? If I leave England, there would effectively be no going back. I need to be sure of my prospects to get permission to reside there before I sell up and initiate the move.
> 
> ...



Hi Spyder & welcome!!

Lot's to consider so bear with me...

Visas are very easy to get for British nationals, regardless of if you plan to work or not. If you are going to be moving to Sharm, then it is much easier for you to deal with the government offices in El Tur. The best thing for you to do is to get your $10 visa from the airport, giving you one month, and then within that month make your way to El Tur to obtain a one year's tourist visa. It can be done in a day and will cost you less than 100 EGP (I think around 70-80 EGP). To be honest I would avoid going to the embassy before you come as they will tell you that you need to get visas before you travel and probably that it will cost in excess of 100 GBP, they always add a huge amount onto costs over what you would pay here.

Selling your property in the UK would easily finance your trip here, alternatively you could rent in the UK and live from that rental income. This would be down to preference. If you were to buy here, then also it's easy to buy two places and live and the other, but depending on what you would buy it may be hard to live from the income of one rental apartment. It would really depend on your lifestyle, but remember Sharm is not necessarily a cheap place to live, food costs etc are comparable to the UK.

Now - for your fiancee. I hope you don't mind me asking, but which nationality is she? Some nationalities are able to receive visas either than others. Eastern European's (Russians, Ukrainians, Solvakians etc) can usually only obtain three month visas, and if they overstay the visa it can be a big problem. If can be renewed every three months, but is a pain. If she was French, German, Italian for example, she could get a one years visa without question as easily as you and you could both live together easily.

I hope that answered all your questions.

Good luck


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi Maiden, 

I have just read your post and am sitting here with my mouth open, I just really wanted to say its these type of Forums that really really help.

As you know I was considering buying a property, my reasons for suddenly thinking I would rent when I am there were not for what you had written mearly that they are continually building out there and no-ones knows what the future holds, if for some reason i had to come back and was relying of selling my egyptian property I would imagine it would be hard to sell as so many new properties are being built and for what I have seen are selling for very low prices, how could you possibly compete with that?????? As much as I hope to stay there forever, forever is a long time (well hopefully) and who knows what could happen.

But I am amazed at what could happen out there, and once again thanks for the information.

Hope all is well with you, see you the w/c 24 Jan - fingers crossed BA dont strike that week.

Micki



MaidenScotland said:


> Yes it's the Muagamma or at least that is where you start off lol.
> 
> I personally would not buy a house here for various reasons the main one being that we have no idea what is going to happen in the near future (yes no one knows) but I believe if the Muslim brotherhood get in then all the property value will drop like a stone and the tourist trade will not be the earner it is today.
> The owner of the Grand Hayatt is a devout muslim and two years ago he suddenly decided overnight that no alcohol would be served in his hotel and millions of dollars worth of alcohol was smashed and thrown. To be a 5* hotel you must serve alcohol. The loss of a * meant that he was told to come to america to speak with the GH bosses (probably he franchised the name) and now you can buy alcohol at the very top of the building at the revolving restaurant but they never offer you the wine menu you have to ask for it.
> ...


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> Yes it's the Muagamma or at least that is where you start off lol.
> 
> I personally would not buy a house here for various reasons the main one being that we have no idea what is going to happen in the near future (yes no one knows) but I believe if the Muslim brotherhood get in then all the property value will drop like a stone and the tourist trade will not be the earner it is today.
> The owner of the Grand Hayatt is a devout muslim and two years ago he suddenly decided overnight that no alcohol would be served in his hotel and millions of dollars worth of alcohol was smashed and thrown. To be a 5* hotel you must serve alcohol. The loss of a * meant that he was told to come to america to speak with the GH bosses (probably he franchised the name) and now you can buy alcohol at the very top of the building at the revolving restaurant but they never offer you the wine menu you have to ask for it.
> ...


Wow, there's a statement!!

The story of the GH owner doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The owner of Amer Group is a sheikh and that is why no alcohol is served in any of his company's outlets (Chili's, Johnny Carino's etc) and also the reason they have so far not come to Sharm. I agree the property market is always going to be a gamble, but I think (especially from my experience in Sharm) the muslims could never conquer the tourist trade here, and the president could never let it happen. Tourist's income brings the majority of the country's GDP from what I can remember, to kill the tourist trade would be a HUGE mistake on many levels, and no government members would let that happen. 

So, going back to the property industry here. I can't speak for all Egypt, but certainly in Sharm I know my stuff. Property prices have withstood the global downturn. Tourist numbers were affected and many businesses suffered and closed. There were some distressed properties sold for low prices and many people picked up bargains. BUT in general, prices did not fall. They did not increase either during these times but remained very stable. Things are on the up a bit now...

Back to the tourism. In 2012 the International airport of Sharm El Sheikh is set to open Terminal 3, doubling the current capacity of the airport and expanding the volume of passengers to stupidly high number that I can't really remember. The impact this will have on the tourist trade and the property trade can only be imagined! 

The later comment (sorry can't remember who) that they would not buy property here because there are so many new properties always being built. This is a good comment. All I can say is that the value of property here is still so much lower than other areas (Spain for example). Property prices have risen immensely in the past five years and as the area is growing and more facilities come here it can only get better. IMHO I think in Nabq Bay there will soon be an oversupply, as your worry is. But I don't think it will push property prices down, just make the prices stay the same for a while. What I find very exciting though is the new city stars project being developed in Nabq Bay, it will revolutionize the area. The great thing about Sharm is that it can only grow so much. It is bounded on four sides by sea, mountains and two national parks North & South. After all developments are built there isn't anywhere else to go, and the government have also restricted how high buildings can go. 

Sorry to ramble. I just wanted to put in my two pennies. I have seen A LOT of people become very successful in this industry in Sharm, and I myself own property here and am doing well with it. To me renting is just lining the pockets of others whilst you could be lining your own.

Sam


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Hi Sam,

I agree about renting you are basically throwing money away, I think everyones circumstances are different. As you rightly say Sharm can only get so big, I think buying a property any where in the world is not a bad idea, as long as you are not relying on the sale of it to move on, thats where I think problems could arise.


Micki



Sam said:


> Wow, there's a statement!!
> 
> The story of the GH owner doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The owner of Amer Group is a sheikh and that is why no alcohol is served in any of his company's outlets (Chili's, Johnny Carino's etc) and also the reason they have so far not come to Sharm. I agree the property market is always going to be a gamble, but I think (especially from my experience in Sharm) the muslims could never conquer the tourist trade here, and the president could never let it happen. Tourist's income brings the majority of the country's GDP from what I can remember, to kill the tourist trade would be a HUGE mistake on many levels, and no government members would let that happen.
> 
> ...


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

micki moo said:


> Hi Sam,
> 
> I agree about renting you are basically throwing money away, I think everyones circumstances are different. As you rightly say Sharm can only get so big, I think buying a property any where in the world is not a bad idea, as long as you are not relying on the sale of it to move on, thats where I think problems could arise.
> 
> ...


I agree with that also. Husband and I are going our separate ways, and so have been trying to sell for the last six months in order to do so. We have now found a tenant to rent from us from the 1st Jan until we have a buyer as I was not willing to go low just for a quick sale. I was hoping to sell in order to buy a smaller place, but looks like renting for now also. As you say, everyone's circumstances are different, but I've saved myself approx 48,000 EGP in buying instead of renting for the last year.

Thankfully I don't have to reply on our sale to move on, but a sale in the near future would help


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Sam

Sorry to hear that xx.

But for me, I will have enough money to buy and live, but its not going to last forever, my daughter is 13 and will spend 3 years of schooling there, after that who knows as far as she is concerened she wants to go to college uni etc, there - here???? its all so up in the air.

When I first met and married my husband we said we would stay in the UK until she finished her schooling then go to Egypt, it is only me that has put a stop to that plan, I dont want to be stuck here for another 3-4 years, although I know it really is the best option and the most sensible.

We have sort of made a decision when I come to Cairo in Jan he is going to put a visa in, if he gets it and comes it stops the pressure of us not being together and then we can see what happens - I am selling my flat in London so thats why I'm still here and cannot come now - if he does not get the visa then obviously I will come there.

I seem to back track every week, one minute I want to go there the next I put my sensible head on and think we should stay here. Next week I will post I'm on my way as it will have all changed again ha ha ha.

Micki



Sam said:


> I agree with that also. Husband and I are going our separate ways, and so have been trying to sell for the last six months in order to do so. We have now found a tenant to rent from us from the 1st Jan until we have a buyer as I was not willing to go low just for a quick sale. I was hoping to sell in order to buy a smaller place, but looks like renting for now also. As you say, everyone's circumstances are different, but I've saved myself approx 48,000 EGP in buying instead of renting for the last year.
> 
> Thankfully I don't have to reply on our sale to move on, but a sale in the near future would help


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

micki moo said:


> Sam
> 
> Sorry to hear that xx.
> 
> ...


Yes, it's amazing how quickly things change.
The divorce between hubby and I was my doing... And it's been a long time since the decision was made and I have moved on, but unfortunately one of his conditions was that we cannot leave until the apartment sells. It's taken 6 months to convince him we'll not get the price we want in this market and that a tenant is really not a bad idea. I'm hoping to be out into my "new life" so to speak by xmas to get settled into how things will be. I have amazing people around me who care a lot for me and my girl so I know I will never be alone in this city.

But it is a reason why I tend to caution people about coming here to marry their Egyptian man they probably hardly know. I was pressurized into the marriage due to the religious taboo surrounding the unmarried relationship, found myself pregnant almost immediately and it also didn't take long for it to come to light how different we both actually were and we really are not suited for each other at all. 

But anyway, let's not bring the forum down, I have moved on and am very happy with where I'm at now.

It does just go to show you can never predict the future, things change and quickly!!

Sam x


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Absolutely and good luck and good for you.

I dont want to put all my eggs in one basket - as they say, if things do not work out there for me (sorry I am one of these people who's glass is half empty) I dont want the drama of having to sell. Don't get me wrong I do love my husband and have spent enough time with him to know, but you never know thats the problem. 

God I'm confusing myself again 

Take care 

micki



Sam said:


> Yes, it's amazing how quickly things change.
> The divorce between hubby and I was my doing... And it's been a long time since the decision was made and I have moved on, but unfortunately one of his conditions was that we cannot leave until the apartment sells. It's taken 6 months to convince him we'll not get the price we want in this market and that a tenant is really not a bad idea. I'm hoping to be out into my "new life" so to speak by xmas to get settled into how things will be. I have amazing people around me who care a lot for me and my girl so I know I will never be alone in this city.
> 
> But it is a reason why I tend to caution people about coming here to marry their Egyptian man they probably hardly know. I was pressurized into the marriage due to the religious taboo surrounding the unmarried relationship, found myself pregnant almost immediately and it also didn't take long for it to come to light how different we both actually were and we really are not suited for each other at all.
> ...


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

micki moo said:


> Absolutely and good luck and good for you.
> 
> I dont want to put all my eggs in one basket - as they say, if things do not work out there for me (sorry I am one of these people who's glass is half empty) I dont want the drama of having to sell. Don't get me wrong I do love my husband and have spent enough time with him to know, but you never know thats the problem.
> 
> ...


I also loved my husband. I think I did anyway. But we didn't know each other well enough and definitely grew apart - and religion had a BIG part to play in it all. Anyway, enough said for a public forum and I guess I also have to be a bit careful with what I say. Just keep open minded, and as you rightly say, don't commit to the point of no return, but do enjoy yourself


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## micki moo (Oct 26, 2009)

Thanks Sam

Have a good Christmas, I hope 2010 brings all you wish for

micki xxxx



Sam said:


> I also loved my husband. I think I did anyway. But we didn't know each other well enough and definitely grew apart - and religion had a BIG part to play in it all. Anyway, enough said for a public forum and I guess I also have to be a bit careful with what I say. Just keep open minded, and as you rightly say, don't commit to the point of no return, but do enjoy yourself


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

micki moo said:


> Thanks Sam
> 
> Have a good Christmas, I hope 2010 brings all you wish for
> 
> micki xxxx




Thanks Micki.

I've already moved on and am happy now, very much looking forward to Xmas and have high hopes for 2010 

Also wishing you a lovely Christmas and let's hope 2010 brings what we all hope for.

xx


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## Rock Spyder (Dec 17, 2009)

*More questions from Rock Spyder*

Hi again. thanks to all who have added info. My Girl is a Vietnamese, so she will indeed need a Visa. However, I would be/am intending to get married, probably before we go to Egypt, but only after I have set myself up there.

I dare say I would need to rent as I have been reading up about timeframes to buy, legal req'mts etc. Not quick it seems. But, rents I have seen are typically about 1-125 sterling a week. of course, there is no way around this but I will look in more detail when the time comes. But, again, I could not live there permamently if the lady can't be with me. Love is all. 

Now, another question - I have a small(ish) amount of household contents to be taken to Egypt. I won't dump it in UK and I don't want to try to sell. I will only have to replace it all once I get abroad. Question is - Can anyone give a rough idea how much it would cost to ship about one transit load van sized amount of households to Egypt? Presumably Alexandria is the port of destination. I am not willing to pay a logistics firm to do all the work and I have read for example, with the downturn, it costs about 150 sterling to send a 40 foot container by sea from China to UK. I would do all the graft myself as far as I could. What about importing these domestics into Egpyt? Would I get hassle with form filling/ declarations/ baksheesh etc? 

Any more tips from you folks gratefully received. Thanks. Spyder.:spider:


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Bringing household goods into Egypt is not really a problem provided that they are not new(meaning that you might be bringing them into sell) nothing here is set in stone and what you have to pay baksheesh for one day might be a hefty bill the next.

I have an English friend who married a Thai girl here in Cairo at the Thai embassy which is another story because he didn't actually realise he was getting married he thought he was just sorting out the paper work but anyway they are married and the marriage is registered at the British Embassy and she has no hassle in being here

Maiden


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

Rock Spyder said:


> Hi again. thanks to all who have added info. My Girl is a Vietnamese, so she will indeed need a Visa. However, I would be/am intending to get married, probably before we go to Egypt, but only after I have set myself up there.
> 
> I dare say I would need to rent as I have been reading up about timeframes to buy, legal req'mts etc. Not quick it seems. But, rents I have seen are typically about 1-125 sterling a week. of course, there is no way around this but I will look in more detail when the time comes. But, again, I could not live there permamently if the lady can't be with me. Love is all.
> 
> ...


Hi Again!!

To be honest, depending on what you are buying and the efficiency of the owner/seller it really doesn't take long at all to complete a sale. If you have the money in place and the seller the contract (or developer), then it only takes as long as your lawyer checking all is in order to make the sale. Can be easily completed within a few days if all goes well. 

As far as shipping in concerned, I didn't quite get exactly what you are looking for, but I can recommend Home Page as a good company to use from UK. The port you would use would probably be Port Said. No idea about import taxes though.

Sam


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## GM1 (Sep 30, 2008)

Rock Spyder said:


> it costs about 150 sterling to send a 40 foot container by sea from China to UK


Can you tell me the name of this shipping company, because I can't imagine this price. To send a container from China to Egypt (shorter way, no Suez Canal fees) it is much more! 

Concerning shipment of personal items in a container: we have done this (ten years ago) and wouldn't do it again, took a long time, we paid much more than we were promised and they had opened every box! Can't say that something was missing. We had to pay taxes over the new price of all items (some good were as old as 10 years!).


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## gw4khq (Oct 27, 2009)

GM1 said:


> Can you tell me the name of this shipping company, because I can't imagine this price. To send a container from China to Egypt (shorter way, no Suez Canal fees) it is much more!
> 
> Concerning shipment of personal items in a container: we have done this (ten years ago) and wouldn't do it again, took a long time, we paid much more than we were promised and they had opened every box! Can't say that something was missing. We had to pay taxes over the new price of all items (some good were as old as 10 years!).


My wife and I have just received a shipment from Shanghai to 6th of October via Alex. Just under 9 cu metres for about £2000. 50 boxes and one suitcase (the suitcase was mine). Also all boxes were opened, tax to pay about £300. Again nothing missing but we did pay all that was asked.

BTW can we get back to the original question. My wife works and I have retired, neither of us are Egyptian, both British, so can we stay forever or only as long as work permits?

ps. It's b........ freezing in the UK at the moment.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Basically is you are a Westerner and keep your nose clean you will not get any hassle about staying here, when you leave for a holiday etc you will get fined for not having a valid visa it is about 15 pounds each time.


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