Egypt - Trade | Business Country Desk

Foreign Trade Policy

Egypt's trade policy objectives are set out in the Industrial Development Strategy (IDS) for 2016-2020, in accordance with Egypt's SDS "Egypt Vision 2030". The aim is to help Egypt become a leading industrial economy in the Middle East and North Africa region and a main export hub for medium-technology manufactured products by 2025. The IDS covers the following areas: industrial development for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); export promotion and import rationalization; innovation promotion; energy conservation; the development of technical and vocational education; and improvement of the business climate. The main goals are to accelerate industrial growth, increase the contribution of MSMEs to GDP, spur export growth and create productive jobs.

Read the Trade Policy Review

Egypt's trade policy aims to better integrate the country into the multilateral trading system. Egypt is a member of the World Trade Organization. The Egyptian government's long-term customs policy aims to ensure that tariffs are not an obstacle to consumer choice.

Egypt's trade policy demonstrates a commitment to the continuous improvement of trade facilitation measures, including through the use of new technologies as soon as they become available. To this end, Egypt has ratified the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. In addition, a new enquiry point has been established to respond to requests for new WTO arrangements.

At the regional and bilateral level, Egypt has adopted a policy of liberalization (with Europe, Africa and arab countries). In total, Egypt has notified the WTO of six (6) regional and bilateral arrangements in this context.

Infrastructure

The rail network comprises 5063 km

Road network: 65050 km. In addition, paved roads account for 92.21% of the total

Main airports in Egypt

Cairo (Egypt) airport	Aswan Daraw Airport	Abu Simbel Airport
Hurghada airport	Marsa Allam airport	Sohag airport
Sharm el Sheikh Airport	Luxor airport	Mersa Matruh Airport
Alexandria (Egypt) airports	Airport Assiut

List of ports in Egypt

boukir	Mediterranean Sea
Abu Zenima	Gulf of Suez-East
Adabiya	Gulf of Suez-West
Ain Cloth	Gulf of Suez-West
Alexandria	Mediterranean Sea	General port
Sharm el-Sheikh	Gulf of Aqaba
Damiette	Mediterranean Sea	Hub
El-Dekheila	Mediterranean Sea
Nuweiba	Gulf of Aqaba
Port Safaga	Red Sea
Port Said (Port Fouad)	Mediterranean Sea	Hub
Ras Budran	Gulf of Suez-East
Ras Gharib	Gulf of Suez-West
Ras Shukheir	Gulf of Suez-West
Ras Sudr	Gulf of Suez-East
Sidi Kerir	Mediterranean Sea	Hydrocarbon Port (Pipeline Outlet)
Suez (Port Ibrahim)	Gulf of Suez-North
Wadi Ferian	Gulf of Suez-East
Time Bay	Gulf of Suez-West

Price Policy and Inflation

Competition policy is mainly regulated in Egypt by the following pieces of legislation: (a) the Egyptian Constitution of 2014; (b) the Egyptian Competition Law No. 3/2015 (ECL or Egyptian Law on "Protection of Competition and Prohibition of Monopolistic Practices"), which entered into force on 15 May 2005, and was amended in 2008 and 2014; and (c) the ECL's Executive Regulations (ER), adopted in August 2005 and amended in 2010 and 2016, to ensure consistency with the ECL amendments that were adopted in 2008 and 2014, and to guarantee a better application of the ECL.

The ECL applies to all types of persons or enterprises carrying out economic activities, be they public or private.68 This includes state-owned enterprises, except for public utilities managed directly by the State.

According to Egypt's new Investment Law No. 72/2017, the Government shall not interfere in the pricing policies of firms operating in any market. Although there are no price controls, in cases of market failure or natural monopoly, prices may be set or guided. The Central Administration of Pharmaceutical Affairs, in the Ministry of Health, is responsible for setting the price of pharmaceutical products, certain medical devices and dietary supplements. Prices are set by a pricing committee, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. In accordance with the Electricity Law No. 87/2015, electricity tariffs are approved and fixed by the Egyptian Electric Utility according to the rules approved by the Cabinet. Tariffs are issued by a decree from the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, and published in the Egyptian official newspaper as well as online. Sugar and edible oils are not subject to price controls, but are sold in the context of a ration-cards system at market prices.

Trade Balance:

Egypt foreign trade witnessed an increase in recent years and exports recorded the highest value in 2021 reaching over 40 Billion USD compared to 30 Billion USD in 2019, in addition to a decrease in the trade deficit which recorded 33 Billion USD in 2021 compared to 48 Billion USD in 2019.

Egypt is a member in the World Trade Organization (WTO) since its establishment in 1995, and is a member in various free trade agreements with Arab Countries, EU, EFTA, Aghadir, Turkey, MERCOSUR, and with African Countries.

The main export markets for Egyptian products are: Turkiye, Italy, India, USA, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Malta, Greece, China, United Arab Emirates.
The main countries exporting to Egypt are: China, Saudi Arabia, USA, Germany, Turkiye, Russia, India, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Brazil.
The main exported products: Mineral fuels, plastics, electrical machinery and equipment, iron and steel, fruits, fertilizers, clothes, natural or cultured pearls, vegetables, aluminium.
The main imported products are: Mineral Fuels (oil and gas), electrical machinery and equipment, machinery and mechanical appliances, cereals, vehicles, plastics, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, organic chemicals, wood products.

Egypt Main Export Markets:

Egypt Imports by Country:

Egypt Main exported Products:

Egypt Main Imports by Product:

List of Free Trade Agreements:

Agreements	Partner Countries	Text of the agreement	Additional information and URL
Pan Arab Free Trade Agreement (PAFTA)/ Greater Arab Free Trade Agreement (GAFTA)	Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Algeria, United Arab Emirates.	Available in Arabic only.[1]	The agreement entered into force in 1998 and reached full tariff-duty exemption in 2005 among the parties to the agreement.
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)	Burundi, Comoros, Congo, Dem Rep., Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.		The FTA was achieved on 31st October, 2000. Egypt grants goods and products having COMESA certificates of origin full exemption from customs duties and any other duties and charges having the equivalent effect. Reference to the agreement rules of origin, customs exemptions on all imports of products originating in member country with a value-added amounting to 45%, shall be applicable.
Egypt-Turkey Free Trade Agreement (FTA)	Egypt and Turkey	Text of the FTA with Egypt	This agreement was signed in 2005 and entered into force in 2007 to establish free trade over a period of 12 years. For the text of the agreement, follow the link:
Egypt and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)	Egypt- Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway	Annex EFTA Agreement	The agreement was signed and entered into force in 2007. The main objective of the Agreement (Objectives, Article 1) is to achieve the liberalisation of trade in goods in conformity with Article XXIV of the GATT 1994. By 1 January 2020, customs duties on almost all industrial products will have been eliminated. Read The text of the agreement :
Egypt-European Union (EU) Association Agreement	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.	Original Agreement	The Agreement entered into force in the year 2004. See the original agreement under the link
Egypt-MERCOSUR Free Trade Agreement	Egypt and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.	Annex SJFTA	The Agreement entered into force in 2017. The text of the agreement
The Arab-Mediterranean Free Trade Agreement of Agadir	Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia.	Annex AGADIR	The Agreement between the four countries was signed in 2004 and entered into force in 2006. For all the annexes of the agreements, follow the link

[1] Click here to read the Agreement

List of regulations related to foreign Trade

Subject	Law	Link
Customs	Customs Law No. 207 for the year 2020	(Read more)
Import and export Law	Import and Export Law No. 118 for the year 1975	(Read more)
Export Development	Export Development Law No. 155 for the year 2002	(Read more)
Investment Law	Investment Law No. 72 for the year 2017	(Read more)

Export and import procedures

Export Procedures:

Inclusion of acknowledgment data on the computer and submission of documents.
Valuation and electronic payment of fees and receipt of release permission.
Introduction of goods
Detection, inspection and quality control of the specified goods, delivery of the statistical model and shipment of goods
Submission of competitors from shipping agents and receipt by exporters of the supporting document to refund the added value tax / support / guarantees

Import procedures:

Listing for agent-navigators
Listing for the importer - extract
Extract Form 4 from the bank and submit declarations and documents
Valuation
Inspection from customs, physical examination and regulatory bodies
Release of goods

Read more about the procedure

Customs:

Egypt average applied tariff rate for imports is 19%, for agricultural products its 65% and 11.6% for non-agricultural products. Some two thirds of all tariff lines face rates of 10% or lower. The 65% average tariff in agriculture reflects tariff peaks for alcohol and tobacco, which can be as high as 3,000%. Egypt has bound 99.3% of its tariff lines. All tariff rates are ad valorem, with the exception of 21 lines. In addition to tariffs, imports are now subject to a value-added tax of 14% which also applies to domestically produced goods

WTO | Egypt - Member information

Applied tariffs can be found on the customs website through the following link:

Agencies involved in Foreign Trade:

Agency	Description	Address and contact	Additional information
Egyptian Customs Authority Ministry of Finance	1- Customs procedural certificate - Dealers Card 2- Certificate of practicing the profession of customs clearance 3- Import Declaration Form “SAD” 4- Import Valuation Declaration 5- Export Declaration Form “Form13” 6- Import Release Certificate 7- Export Release Certificate	Head Office: Emtedad Ramsis St. – Ministry of Finance Towers – Tower # 3 Nasr City – Cairo Tel.: +20223422247	www.customs.gov.eg
General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) Ministry of Trade and Industry	1- Import License 2- Export License 3- Production Requirements Card (Needs/Supplies) 4- Certificate of Origin	Head Office: Cairo International Airport Tel.: +20222669627 Call Center 19591	www.goeic.gov.eg
Export Development Authority (EDA)	The umbrella for export support activities	Head Office: 106 Gamaet El Dewal El Arabeya St. - Mohandeseen - Giza Tel.: +20237493920	www.expoegypt.gov.eg
Foreign Trade Training Center (FTTC) – Export Development Authority - Ministry of Trade and Industry	1-Certificate of “Practicing Importation” 2-Certificate of “Practicing Exportation”	29 Markaz El Maalomat St. - Masaken Sheraton - Heliopolis – Cairo Tel.: +20222674315	www.fttceg.org
Egypt Expo and Convention Authority (EECA) – Export Development Authority - Ministry of Trade and Industry	Responsible for all local and international exhibitions	Salah Salem St. - Nasr City - Cairo Tel.: +20222607811	www.eeca.gov.eg
Egyptian Tax Authority – Ministry of Finance	1-Tax ID Card 2-VAT Registration Certificate	Head Office: 26 Obour Buildings – Salah Salem Road – Nasr City - Cairo Tel. +20224050531	www.eta.gov.eg
Industrial Development Authority (IDA) – Ministry of Trade and Industry	Industrial Register (Manufacturing Certificate)	Head Office: 42 Mehwar Al Salam (Teseein St. North) – New Cairo – Cairo Tel.: +202 25370 308	www.ida.gov.eg
Industrial Control Authority (ICA)– Ministry of Trade and Industry	Manufacturing percentages certificate	Head Office: Emtedad Ramsis St. – District 6 – Nasr City – Cairo Tel.: +20223420303	www.ica.gov.eg
Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCO)	Commercial Register	Head Office: 4 Falaky Square – Cairo Tel.: +20227953677	www.fedcoc.org.eg
Federation of Egyptian Industries	The umbrella for all chambers of industries	Head Office: 3 Salah Salem Road – Nasr City – Cairo Tel.: +20224055452	www.gafi.gov.eg
Central Laboratories – Ministry of Health	1-Testing imported shipments – Food 2-Health Certificate for export shipments – Food	19 Sheikh Rihan St. – Abdeen – Cairo Tel.: +20227950096	www.healthlabs.net
Central Laboratory of Residue Analysis of Pesticides & Heavy Metals in Food – Ministry of Agriculture	1-Testing imported shipments – Agro 2-Agriculture Certificate for export shipments – Agro	7 Nadi Al Saeed St. – Dokki – Giza Tel.: +20237611106	www.qcap-egypt.com
Central Department of Agriculture Quarantine - Ministry of Agriculture	Notifications of prior arrival agro products	3 Al Amira Fatma Ismail St. – Dokki – Giza Tel.: N/A
Egyptian Drug Authority – Ministry of Health (Department of Importers Registration Licensing)	1-Importers Register for Pharma Products. 2-Pre-Import Approvals for pharma products and medical devices.	21 Abdel Aziz Al Saoud St. Manial – Cairo Tel.: +20223684288	www.eda.mohp.gov.eg
National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) – Ministry of Telecommunications	Pre-Import Approvals for telecommunication products	Smart Village, Building No. 4, Km 28 Cairo / Alex Road Tel.: +20235344000	www.tra.gov.eg
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation – Ministry of Petroleum	Pre-Import and Pre-Export Approvals for petroleum products	Head Office: Palestine St. – New Maadi – Cairo Tel.: +20227066900	www.egpc.com.eg
General Organization for veterinary services – Ministry of Agriculture	Pre-Import Approvals for livestock animals and veterinary quarantine	Head Office: 1 Nadi Al Saeed St. – Dokki – Giza +20237381750	www.govs.gov.eg
Egyptian Exporters Association (ExpoLink)	Non-profit private sector association for export promotion	90 Road 105 – Maadi - Cairo Tel.: +20225271010	www.expolink.org
Agriculture Export Council	Pre-Export Approvals for fruits and vegetables	90 St. 105 – Maadi – Cairo Tel.: +20225283611	www.aecegypt.com
Horticultural Export Improvement Association (HEIA)	Pre-Export Approvals for fruits and vegetables	El Mehwar El Markazi, El Saraya Compound, Bldg. No. 4, Block 1/11 – 6th of October – Giza Tel.: +20238371122	www.heiaegypt.org
Building Materials, Refractories and Metallurgy Industries Export Council		166 Al Amal St. El Shouyfat - 5th Settlement - New Cairo Tel.: +201279998836	www.ecbm-eg.org
Chemicals & Fertilizers Export Council		Finance Towers - # 6 – Emtedad Ramsis St. – Nasr City – Cairo Tel.: +20223420917	www.cec-eg.com
Engineering Export Council		Arkadia Towers – Tower B - Corniche El Nil – Cairo Tel.: +20225756638	www.eecegypt.org
Food Export Council		69B Road 15 – Maadi – Cairo Tel.: +20227510737	www.feceg.com
Furniture Export Council		90B Road 105 – Maadi – Cairo Tel.: +20225285036	www.efecfurniture.com
Handicrafts Export Council		5 Sabry Abo Alam St. – Downtown – Cairo	www.eech.org.eg
Home Textiles Export Council		Finance Towers - # 6 – Emtedad Ramsis St. – Nasr City – Cairo	www.egyptianhometextiles.org
Leather Export Council		Finance Towers - # 6 - Emtedad Ramsis St. – Nasr City - Cairo Tel.: +20223420909	www.lecegypt.org
Medical Industries Export Council		3 Ahemd Tayseer st. (El Marwa new buildings) - Helioplolis – Cairo Tel.: +20224187919	www.ecmi-eg.org
Ready Made Garments Export Council		166 El Choueifat St. - Fifth Settlement - New Cairo Tel.: +20225656036	www.rmgec-egypt.com
Textiles Export Council		Finance Towers - # 6 - Emtedad Ramsis St. – Nasr City - Cairo Tel.: +20223420918	www.textile-egypt.org