Egyptian Customs Authority's head, El-Shahat Ghatori, has confirmed that temporary release rules for private cars belonging to expatriates, foreigners, tourists, and transients coming to Egypt for a maximum of six months per year have been revised.

The permits can be extended for additional periods. For foreigners, the residence period specified in the passport is not to be exceeded after paying a fee that suspends taxes and fees for a duration of six months or part of it, whose categories have been amended to be $100 or equivalent for the car's first three months or part of it and $175 or equivalent for the next three months or part of it.

The amount will be increased by 50% in case of renewing the validity of the registration, and $50 or equivalent for each car from the tourist convoys' cars, with the release period for these cars not to exceed one month.

Ghatori stated that private cars of foreign investors will be temporarily released within the specified temporary residence period on the passport, with a maximum of three years.

Moreover, experts and professors whom government entities, including universities and schools, bring in, foreign companies contracting with these entities for temporary work inside the country, and foreign airlines operating regular flights to, from, and across Egyptian territories, will also be granted the temporary release after paying a fee that suspends taxes and fees, which has been amended to be $150 or equivalent for cars with an engine capacity of 1600 cc or less for a period not exceeding three months or part of it, and $200 or equivalent for periods exceeding three months but not exceeding six months for the same cars.

Cars with an engine capacity of more than 1600 cc and up to 2000 cc will be subject to a fee of $300 for a period not exceeding three months or a part thereof, and $400 for a period exceeding three months and up to a maximum of six months.

He pointed out that a "fee for suspending the payment of taxes and other fees" is paid, which has been amended to apply to cars with an engine capacity of more than 2000 cc, at $500 for a period not exceeding three months or a part thereof, and $700 for a period exceeding three months and up to a maximum of six months.

As for the cars of oil or mineral exploration companies and foreign experts working for those companies, the fee for suspending the payment of taxes is $500 every six months or a part thereof.

He explained that a fee for suspending the payment of taxes and other fees is required at a rate of $50 US dollars for each unit per month or a part thereof, to temporarily release private cars belonging to foreigners coming to the country and their related machines and equipment, and devices necessary for international and local races organized under the supervision of the General Authority for Tourism Promotion for a period of one month, which may be extended for other periods

The government's decision to ease the temporary release rules for private cars of foreigners and expats is a positive development for the tourism and investment sectors in Egypt.

It is expected that this decision will attract more foreign visitors and encourage them to stay for longer periods, particularly expats and foreign investors. Furthermore, it will facilitate business travel, making it easier for foreign companies to operate in Egypt, which could help attract more foreign investment to the country.