Egypt · Business / Startup
Egypt Investor residence
First stay: 1 yr
Investor residence under the Investment Law (Law 72 of 2017, Arts. 4-5) and GAFI one-year residence
Checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Investor residence is a business / startup route for Egypt. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.
- First stay
- 1 yr
Time and long term
RenewalRenewable
Residence starts at one year and can be renewed for a similar period once you show the project is starting up. Later renewals can be for up to five years each, but never beyond the life of the project.
General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), EgyptState Information Service, Egypt
What you'll need
Who can apply2
- The applicant is a founder, shareholder or partner in a company, or an establishment owner.
- The applicant is a non-Egyptian investor in a project established in Egypt.
Documents1
- The application is made on the form designated by GAFI.
Steps2
- GAFI grants the permit under rules set by its board, with Ministry of Interior approval.
- The rules weigh company category, capital, number of workers and project site.
After you arrive2
- The permit is revoked if the investor leaves the company.
- The permit is revoked if the company is struck off after liquidation or the establishment is struck off the Commercial Register.
What happens at day 183
How Egypt decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
1 year at first, renewable
- Tax residence
- More than 183 days in a twelve months, continuous or intermittentStaying in Egypt more than 183 days makes a natural person resident (Art. 2); a permanent home in Egypt is an alternative limb.
- Foreign-source income
Egypt-source basis
Net income realised in Egypt from salaries, commercial or industrial activity, professional or non-commercial activity and real estate (Art. 6); Egyptian-source income includes services performed in Egypt and pay from an employer resident in Egypt even if the work is done abroad (Art. 3).
All tax rules for Egypt Tax records checked
Full official text
Residence for a non-Egyptian who is a founder, shareholder or partner in an Egyptian company or owns an establishment, granted through GAFI with Ministry of Interior approval for up to the life of the project. 1 2
Requirements
- The applicant is a founder, shareholder or partner in a company, or an establishment owner. 1
- The applicant is a non-Egyptian investor in a project established in Egypt. 1 2
- The application is made on the form designated by GAFI. 1
- GAFI grants the permit under rules set by its board, with Ministry of Interior approval. 1
- The rules weigh company category, capital, number of workers and project site. 1
- The permit is revoked if the investor leaves the company. 1
- The permit is revoked if the company is struck off after liquidation or the establishment is struck off the Commercial Register. 1
Stay
- One year on incorporation, renewable for a similar year if the investor shows the project is starting; later renewals up to five years each, never beyond the project term. A 2023 Ministry of Interior decision grants investors a one-year non-tourist residence, renewable for six months or a year through GAFI.
- Initial permitted stay: 12 months.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Work
The law does not state the investor's own right to work. The project may employ foreign workers up to 10% of its workforce; a GAFI committee can raise this to 20% when qualified Egyptian workers are not available (Investment Law Art. 8, Executive Regulations Art. 6).
Fine print
The law sets no minimum capital for the residence permit; the GAFI board rules that weigh the company's activity, capital, workforce and site were not read.
Official sources
- Investment Law as enacted by Law No. 72 of 2017 (English translation) · General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Egypt · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2017
- Interior Ministry grants foreign investors one-year residence · State Information Service, Egypt · checked 2026-10-12 · published 2023-05-20
Investor residence and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investor residence | – | 1 yr, renewable | – |
| Self-employed card Morocco | – | 10 yr, renewable | Limited |
| PR · Business South Africa | Needs an investment of ZAR 5M+ ≈ $302k | – | Yes |
| Innovator Occupation Permit Mauritius | – | 10 yr, renewable | – |
| Freelancer residence Cabo Verde | – | 2 yr, renewable | – |
Questions people ask
How long can I stay on the Investor residence?
One year on incorporation, renewable for a similar year if the investor shows the project is starting; later renewals up to five years each, never beyond the project term.
Can I work on the Investor residence?
The law does not state the investor's own right to work.
How are Investor residence holders taxed in Egypt?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Investor residence. The standard rules apply: Individuals, resident or not, are taxed on net income realised in Egypt on a scale of 0% up to EGP 40,000, (≈ $760) then 10%, 15%, 20%, 22.5%, 25% and 27.5% above EGP 1,200,000, (≈ $22,800) after a personal exemption of EGP 20,000 (≈ $380) a year; for net income above EGP 600,000 (≈ $11,400) the lower bands are progressively withdrawn. An individual is resident with a permanent home in Egypt or by staying more than 183 days within twelve months.
Business / startup visas elsewhere
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-12 against 2 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Investment Law as enacted by Law No. 72 of 2017 (English translation) · General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Egypt · checked 2026-10-12
- Interior Ministry grants foreign investors one-year residence · State Information Service, Egypt · checked 2026-10-12
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.